Publication date
5/15/03
Volume
24
Number
10
The WatchTower
"Looking for that Blessed Hope"
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1903/10/1903-10-1.html
 
 
 
MAY 
1. 
J903 
ZION'S 
J-f,'ATCH 
TOWER 
(142-141) 
rest 
contentedly 
therein 
after 
doing 
all 
within 
our 
power. 
In 
Paul's 
case 
it 
may 
be 
that 
conditions 
at 
Rome 
would 
be 
more 
favorable 
to 
his 
ministry 
later 
than 
they 
were 
at 
this 
time. 
It 
may 
be 
also 
that 
the 
Lord 
had 
a 
work 
for 
him 
to 
do 
in 
the 
interim 
as 
a 
prisoner 
at 
ClIlsarea,-amongst 
the 
Romans. 
And 
so 
in 
our 
affairs: 
we 
are 
to 
look 
for 
the 
opportunities 
of 
service 
as 
they 
come, 
and 
leave 
to 
our 
Lord 
the 
supervision 
of 
our 
life 
as 
a 
whole. 
As 
a 
result 
of 
the 
communication 
of 
the 
plot 
to 
the 
Roman 
captain, 
he 
sent 
the 
Apostle 
under 
a 
strong 
military 
escort 
to 
the 
Roman 
capital 
of 
Judea,-0l1lsarea. 
There 
the 
Apostle, 
al­ 
though 
kept 
a 
prisoner, 
was 
doubtle88 
made 
comfortable, 
await­ 
ing 
the 
trial 
before 
the 
Roman 
governor, 
Felix. 
The 
essence 
of 
this 
lesson 
as 
a 
whole, 
in 
its 
application 
to 
us, 
is 
expressed 
in 
the 
Apostle'!! 
words, 
"If 
God 
be 
for 
us 
who 
can 
be 
against 
us 
," 
-Rom. 
8:31. 
INTERESTING 
QUESTIONS 
ANSWERED 
wmOH 
WERE 
THE 
MORE 
RESPONSIBLE; 
JUDAS 
OR 
AN­ 
ANIAS 
AND 
SAPPHIRA? 
Question.- 
What 
difference 
should 
we 
recognize 
as 
between 
the 
condition 
of 
Judas 
Iscariot 
and 
hiS 
crime, 
and 
Ananias 
and 
Sapphira 
and 
their 
crime' 
The 
one 
sinned 
before 
the 
holy 
spirit 
was 
dispensed 
at 
Pentecost; 
the 
others 
subsequently. 
If 
Judas' 
case 
merited 
the 
verdict 
of 
second 
death, 
would 
not 
the 
others 
merit 
the 
same' 
If 
Ananias 
and 
Sapphira 
did 
not 
sin 
the 
sin 
unto 
death, 
how 
should 
we 
regard 
the 
case 
of 
Judas' 
Answer.-There 
would 
appear 
to 
be 
considerable 
difference 
between 
these 
two 
cases. 
Both 
crimes 
were 
committed 
against 
much 
light; 
both 
were 
reprehensible; 
but 
that 
of 
Judas 
seems 
to 
us 
to 
be 
much 
the 
more 
serious 
of 
the 
two. 
While 
he 
lived 
prior 
to 
Pentecost, 
we 
are 
to 
remember 
that 
he 
was 
one 
of 
the 
twelve 
upon 
whom 
Jesus 
had 
specially 
conferred 
a 
measure 
of 
his 
spirit-such 
a 
measure 
as 
permitted 
him, 
with 
the 
others, 
to 
perform 
miracles 
of 
healing, 
casting 
out 
of 
devils, 
etc., 
as 
recorded. 
His 
position 
was 
one 
of 
special 
closeness 
to 
the 
Lord 
and 
his 
personal 
instruction, 
both 
by 
precept 
and 
example. 
We 
remember 
our 
Lord's 
words 
to 
the 
disciples, 
"To 
you 
it 
is 
given 
to 
know 
the 
mysteries 
of 
the 
kingdom; 
but 
to 
them 
that 
are 
without 
these 
things 
are 
spoken 
in 
parables." 
All 
this 
privilege, 
opportunity, 
knowledge, 
contact, 
made 
Judas 
specially 
responsible. 
Then, 
too, 
his 
crime 
would 
have 
been 
bad, 
wicked, 
had 
it 
been 
against 
any 
ordinary 
person; 
but 
was 
seriously 
in­ 
tensified 
by 
being 
a 
crime 
against 
him 
who 
spake 
and 
acted 
as 
never 
man 
spake 
or 
acted 
before. 
It 
is 
from 
this 
standpoint 
that 
our 
Lord's 
declaration, 
that 
he 
was 
the 
son 
of 
perdition, 
seems 
to 
have 
special 
weight, 
or 
import, 
as 
implying 
that 
he 
had 
enjoyed 
a 
sufficiency 
of 
light 
and 
knowledge 
of 
righteous­ 
ness 
to 
constitute 
a 
trial, 
and 
that 
his 
deliberate 
sin 
against 
such 
lig-ht 
and 
knowledge 
meant 
the 
'lerond 
death. 
In 
the 
case 
of 
Ananias 
and 
Sapphira 
they 
were 
beginners; 
they 
had 
not 
been 
long 
in 
the 
church; 
they 
never 
met 
the 
Master, 
and 
had 
not 
known 
the 
apostles 
a 
great 
while. 
They 
saw 
others 
consecrating 
their 
goods 
and 
noted 
that 
they 
were 
correspondingly 
appreciated 
in 
the 
church. 
They 
wished 
to 
have 
such 
an 
appreciation, 
and 
wished 
to 
do 
some 
good 
with 
their 
means; 
but 
a 
selfish 
feeling, 
combined, 
perhaps, 
with 
a 
feeling 
of 
caution, 
ensnared 
them 
into 
a 
wrong 
course 
of 
conduct 
which 
the 
Apostle 
Peter 
denominates 
"lying 
unto 
the 
holy 
spirit." 
We 
do 
not 
positively 
say 
that 
they 
will 
have 
any 
future 
or 
further 
opportunity 
for 
gaining 
everlasting 
life; 
we 
know 
of 
no 
Scrip­ 
ture 
which 
guarantees 
to 
us 
that 
they 
will 
have 
any 
such; 
yet 
it 
seems 
to 
us 
not 
improbable 
that 
they 
will 
have 
a 
further 
opportunity 
in 
which 
they 
will 
have 
greater 
light, 
and 
greater 
knowledge 
of 
right 
and 
wrong, 
and 
of 
the 
results 
attaching. 
SHALL 
WE 
USE 
THE 
TERM 
"EVOLUTION," 
ETC.? 
Question-I 
note 
your 
opposition 
to 
the 
evolution 
theory; 
yet 
in 
MILLEN1\'IAL 
DAWN, 
Vol. 
1., 
page 
31, 
you 
remark 
the 
pos- 
sibility 
that 
something 
of 
an 
evolutionary 
development 
was 
used 
by 
our 
Creator 
in 
bringing 
the 
various 
species 
of 
animals 
each 
to 
its 
own 
perfection. 
Let 
me 
ask, 
then: 
Cannot 
we 
Chris­ 
tians 
hold 
to 
the 
word 
"evolution" 
with 
propriety' 
and 
may 
we 
not 
even 
think 
of 
Adam 
as 
having 
reached 
human 
perfection 
by 
a 
process 
of 
development 
as 
one 
of 
the 
species 
animal' 
Answer-No; 
to 
both 
questions. 
We 
regard 
the 
words 
Evo1Jution 
and 
Evolutionist 
as 
now 
definitely 
attached 
to 
a 
par­ 
ticular 
theory. 
These 
words 
belong 
wholly 
to 
those 
who 
invented 
and 
now 
have 
them, 
and 
we 
believe 
that, 
as 
Christians, 
we 
would 
do 
well 
to 
avoid 
them 
thoroughly, 
as 
the 
thought 
connected 
with 
the 
word 
is 
a 
mechanical 
one, 
pure 
and 
simple, 
as 
in 
opposition 
to 
a 
creative 
one. 
We 
would 
hold 
that 
God 
did 
develop 
dif· 
ferent 
species, 
each 
to 
its 
perfection, 
and 
that 
he 
developed 
these, 
either 
by 
a 
long 
or 
a 
short 
process, 
from 
the 
earth 
itself; 
but 
we 
cannot 
admit, 
as 
evolutionists 
would 
claim, 
that 
this 
was 
merely 
a 
development 
which 
needed 
not 
the 
Lifegiver 
to 
start 
it, 
and 
to 
maintain 
and 
direct 
it. 
We 
would 
claim 
that 
God 
is 
the 
director 
of 
all 
the 
forces 
of 
nature, 
and 
that 
they 
are 
all 
of 
his 
own 
creation, 
and 
results, 
therefore, 
of 
his 
direct 
creation 
in 
every 
instance-fish, 
fowl, 
brute, 
man. 
It 
would 
not 
strike 
us 
as 
reasonable 
to 
suppose 
a 
gradllal 
development 
of 
a 
perfect 
man 
by 
an 
evolutionary 
process 
with· 
out 
his 
having 
some 
measure 
of 
responsibility 
added 
at 
some 
stage 
of 
his 
career 
before 
he 
reached 
perfection. 
Neither 
would 
it 
be 
reasonable 
to 
suppose 
the 
evolution 
of 
a 
man 
from 
a 
lower 
order 
of 
being 
to 
absolute 
perfection 
of 
his 
own 
kind, 
without 
a 
history, 
literature, 
etc., 
etc.; 
neither 
would 
it 
be 
reasonable 
to 
suppose 
a 
human 
being 
so 
evolved 
from 
a 
lower 
order 
of 
being 
to 
human 
perfection, 
as 
being 
in 
ignorance 
of 
good 
and 
evil 
up 
to 
the 
time 
that 
he 
reached 
perfection. 
If 
we 
who 
are 
in 
a 
fallen 
condition 
are 
held 
to 
be 
responsible 
to 
divine 
law, 
would 
not 
those 
of 
the 
human 
family 
who 
had 
not 
yet 
reached 
full 
perfection, 
hut 
who 
had 
considerable 
intelligence, 
be 
reasonably 
amenable 
to 
law 
also 
'-supposing 
your 
theory 
to 
be 
true. 
From 
whatever 
standpoint 
we 
would 
view 
the 
matter 
we 
can 
find 
no 
ground 
whatever 
for 
supposing 
that 
Adam 
ever 
had 
a 
human 
father, 
either 
perfect 
or 
imperfect 
in 
the 
flesh. 
Much 
more 
would 
we 
disbelieve 
that 
he 
ever 
had 
a 
father 
of 
a 
lower 
order 
of 
being, 
who 
could 
give 
him 
life 
in 
the 
divine 
likeness, 
in 
heart 
and 
head. 
Furthermore, 
to 
!luppose 
such 
a 
possible 
evolu­ 
tion 
of 
a 
man 
to 
perfection 
from 
a 
condition 
of 
imperfection, 
would 
be 
to 
suppose 
that 
man, 
in 
the 
present-time 
imperfect 
condition, 
is 
his 
own 
savior, 
and 
could 
re-commence 
a 
process 
of 
evolution 
just 
as 
well 
as 
he 
could 
have 
carried 
on 
such 
a 
process 
before 
reaching 
perfection. 
If 
such 
a 
proposition 
should 
be 
con­ 
sidered 
true, 
it 
would 
negative 
all 
the 
Scriptural 
teachings 
we 
have 
respecting 
the 
necessity 
for 
a 
Redeemer 
and 
for 
his 
in­ 
terference 
in 
order 
supernaturally 
to 
bring 
about 
times 
of 
resti­ 
tution 
of 
all 
things. 
VOL. 
XXIV 
ALLEGHENY, 
PA., 
MAY 
15, 
1903 
"LOOKING 
FOR 
THAT 
BLESSED 
HOPE" 
No. 
10 
"1 
will 
come 
again 
and 
receive 
you 
unto 
myself,' 
that 
where 
1 
am, 
there 
ye 
may 
be 
aZso."-John 
14: 
3. 
What 
joyful 
hopes, 
what 
exuberant 
anticipations, 
('luster 
around 
this 
promise, 
in 
the 
hearts 
of 
the 
Lord's 
faithful! 
In 
a 
few 
words 
it 
sums 
up 
all 
the 
good 
things 
that 
God 
hath 
in 
reservation 
for 
them 
that 
love 
him. 
But 
not 
all 
mankind 
have 
such 
feelings 
in 
respect 
to 
this 
subject 
;-not 
all 
are 
aware 
of 
the 
gracious 
blessings 
lwld 
in 
store 
for 
the 
world, 
awaiting 
that 
auspicious 
time 
for 
their 
dissemination; 
and 
not 
all 
mankind 
are 
in 
such 
a 
condition 
of 
mind 
and 
hpart 
as 
to 
be 
able, 
with 
joy, 
to 
anticipate 
meeting 
the 
Lord. 
We 
can 
readily 
surmise 
that 
not 
only 
a 
large 
proportion 
of 
nominal 
Christendom, 
but 
a 
comparatively 
large 
proportion 
of 
true 
Christians, 
are 
not 
living 
in' 
that 
attitude 
of 
heart 
and 
daily 
life 
which 
would 
permit 
them 
to 
antiCipate 
this 
meeting 
with 
sentiments 
of 
pleasure. 
Not 
only 
do 
false 
doctrines 
hinder 
a 
joyful 
anticipation 
of 
this 
great 
event, 
but 
sin, 
likewise, 
hinders 
such 
jovful 
an­ 
ticipation, 
induces 
shame 
and 
fear,-knowing 
that 
even 
those 
conditions 
of 
heart 
which 
may 
be 
hidden 
from 
fellow-sen-ants 
cannot 
be 
hidden 
from 
the 
Master. 
We 
pray 
with 
the 
prophet, 
"Cleanse 
thou 
me 
from 
secret 
faults. 
keep 
back 
thy 
f!ervant 
also 
from 
pre!mmptuous 
sins," 
and 
to 
the 
extent 
that 
this 
is 
the 
desire 
of 
our 
hearts, 
and 
the 
effort 
of 
our 
lives,-to 
the 
extent 
that 
the 
testimony 
of 
God's 
Word 
dwells 
in 
us 
rightly, 
and 
cnables 
us 
to 
recognize 
the 
lengths 
and 
breadths 
of 
divine 
love 
and 
compassion 
covering 
unintentional 
shortcomings,-to 
this 
extent 
the 
Lord's 
faithful 
ones 
are 
able 
to 
rejoice 
in 
this 
promise, 
and 
to 
look 
forward 
with 
joy 
ll'Ji 
only 
to 
the 
meeting 
with 
the 
Lord, 
but 
also 
to 
their 
abiding 
everlastingly 
in 
his 
presence 
and 
companionship. 
But 
to 
all 
others-to 
all 
who 
are 
not 
living 
up 
to 
their 
privileges 
as 
children 
of 
God 
and 
[3191] 
May 1, 1903 ZION’S rest contentedly therein after doing all within our power. In Paul’s case it may be that conditions at Rome would be more favorable to his ministry later than they were at this time. It may be also that the Lord had a work for him to do in the interim as a prisoner at Cesarea,—amongst the Romans. And so in our affairs: we are to look for the opportunities of service as they come, and leave to our Lord the supervision of our life as a whole. WATCH TOWER (142-147) As a result of the communication of the plot to the Roman captain, he sent the Apostle under a strong military escort to the Roman capital of Judea,—Cesarea. There the Apostle, although kept a prisoner, was doubtless made comfortable, awaiting the trial before the Roman governor, Felix. The essence of this lesson as a whole, in its application to us, is expressed in the Apostle’s words, “If God be for us who can be against us?” —Rom, 8:31. INTERESTING QUESTIONS ANSWERED WHICH WERE THE MORE RESPONSIBLE; JUDAS OR ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA? Question What difference should we recognize as between the condition of Judas Iscariot and his crime, and Ananias and Sapphira and their crime? The one sinned before the holy spirit was dispensed at Pentecost; the others subsequently. If Judas’ case merited the verdict of second death, would not the others merit the same? If Ananias and Sapphira did not sin the sin unto death, how should we regard the case of Judas? Answer.—There would appear to be considerable difference between these two cases. Both crimes were committed against much light; both were reprehensible; but that of Judas seems to us to be much the more serious of the two. While he lived prior to Pentecost, we are to remember that he was one of the twelve upon whom Jesus had specially conferred a measure of his spirit—such a measure as permitted him, with the others, to perform miracles of healing, casting out of devils, etc., as recorded. His position was one of special closeness to the Lord and his personal instruction, both by precept and example. We remember our Lord’s words to the disciples, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom; but to them that are without these things are spoken in parables.” All this privilege, opportunity, knowledge, contact, made Judas specially responsible, Then, too, his crime would have been bad, wicked, had it been against any ordinary person; but was seriously intensified by being a crime against him who spake and acted as never man spake or acted before. It is from this standpoint that our Lord’s declaration, that he was the son of perdition, seems to have special weight, or import, as implying that he had enjoyed a sufficiency of light and knowledge of righteousness to constitute a trial, and that his deliberate sin against such light and knowledge meant the second death. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira they were beginners; they had not been long in the church; they never met the Master, and had not known the apostles a great while. They saw others consecrating their goods and noted that they were correspondingly appreciated in the church. They wished to have such an appreciation, and wished to do some good with their means; but a selfish feeling, combined, perhaps, with a feeling of caution, ensnared them into a wrong course of conduct which the Apostle Peter denominates “lying unto the holy spirit.” We do not positively say that they will have any future or further opportunity for gaining everlasting life; we know of no Scripture which guarantees to us that they will have any such; yet it seems to us not improbable that they will have a further opportunity in which they will have greater light, and greater knowledge of right and wrong, and of the results attaching. SHALL WE USE THE TERM ‘‘EVOLUTION,’’ ETC.? Question—I note your opposition to the evolution theory; yet in MILLENNIAL Dawn, Vol. I., page 31, you remark the pos Vout. XXIV ALLEGHENY, PA., MAY 15, 1903 sibility that something of an evolutionary development was used by our Creator in bringing the various species of animals each to its own perfection. Let me ask, then: Cannot we Christians hold to the word “evolution” with propriety? and may we not even think of Adam as having reached human perfection by a process of development as one of the species animal? Answer—No; to both questions. We regard the words Evolution and Evolutionist as now definitely attached to a particular theory. These words belong wholly to those who invented and now have them, and we believe that, as Christians, we would do well to avoid them thoroughly, as the thought connected with the word is a mechanical one, pure and simple, as in opposition to a creative one. We would hold that God did develop different species, each to its perfection, and that he developed these, either by a long or a short process, from the earth itself; but we cannot admit, as evolutionists would claim, that this was merely a development which needed not the Lifegiver to start it, and to maintain and direct it. We would claim that God is the director of all the forces of nature, and that they are all of his own creation, and results, therefore, of his direct creation in every instance—fish, fowl, brute, man. It would not strike us as reasonable to suppose a gradual development of a perfect man by an evolutionary process without his having some measure of responsibility added at some stage of his career before he reached perfection. Neither would it be reasonable to suppose the evolution of a man from a lower order of being to absolute perfection of his own kind, without a history, literature, ete., ete.; neither would it be reasonable to suppose a human being so evolved from a lower order of being to human perfection, as being in ignorance of good and evil up to the time that he reached perfection. If we who are in a fallen condition are held to be responsible to divine law, would not those of the human family who had not yet reached full perfection, but who had considerable intelligence, be reasonably amenable to law also?—supposing your theory to be true. From whatever standpoint we would view the matter we can find no ground whatever for supposing that Adam ever had a human father, either perfect or imperfect in the flesh. Much more would we disbelieve that he ever had a father of a lower order of being, who could give him life in the divine likeness, in heart and head. Furthermore, te suppose such @ possible evolution of a man to perfection from a condition of imperfection, would be to suppose that man, in the present-time imperfect condition, is his own savior, and could re-commence a process of evolution just as well as he could have carried on such a process before reaching perfection. If such a proposition should be considered true, it would negative all the Scriptural teachings we have respecting the necessity for a Redeemer and for his interference in order supernaturally to bring abuut times of restitution of all things. No. 10 “LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE” “IT will come again and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also.’—John 14:3. What joyful hopes, what exuberant anticipations, cluster around this promise, in the hearts of the Lord’s faithful! In a few words it sums up all the good things that God hath in reservation for them that love him. But not all mankind have such feelings in respect to this subject;—not all are aware of the gracious blessings held in store for the world, awaiting that auspicious time for their dissemination; and not all mankind are in such a condition of mind and heart as to be able, with joy, to anticipate meeting the Lord. We can readily surmise that not only a large proportion of nominal Christendom, but a comparatively large proportion of true Christians, are not living in that attitude of heart and daily life which would permit them to anticipate this meeting with sentiments of pleasure. Not only do false doctrines hinder a joyful anticipation of this great event, but sin, likewise, hinders such joyful anticipation, induces shame and fear,—knowing that even those conditions of heart which may be hidden from fellow-servants cannot be hidden from the Master. We pray with the prophet, “Cleanse thou me from secret faults, keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins,” and to the extent that this is the desire of our hearts, and the effort of our lives,—to the extent that the testimony of God’s Word dwells in us rightly, and enables us to recognize the lengths and breadths of divine love and compassion covering unintentional shortcomings,—to this extent the Lord’s faithful ones are able to rejoice in this promise, and to look forward with joy not enly to the meeting with the Lord, but also to their abiding everlastingly in his presence and companionship. But to all others—to all who are not living up to their privileges as children of God and [3191]

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