Publication date
8/1/15
Volume
36
Number
15
The WatchTower
"The Beginning of Sorrows"
The Watchtower Magazines
/../literature/watchtower/1915/15/1915-15-1.html
 
 
JULY 
15, 
1915 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(227-228) 
the 
privilege 
of 
feasting 
at 
the 
Lord's 
table 
in 
any 
way 
that 
he 
provides. 
And 
I 
always 
have 
a 
prayer 
and 
a 
.Messing 
in 
m~ 
heart 
for 
you, 
that 
fwithful 
Servant, 
who, 
despIte 
the 
OppOSI­ 
tion 
of 
all 
the 
agents 
of 
the 
adversary, 
is 
still 
spreading 
this 
feast 
for 
the 
hungry, 
thirsty 
truth-seekers 
to 
feast 
upon; 
and 
may 
the 
Lord 
still 
guide 
and 
bless 
you 
in 
this 
harvest 
work 
until 
the 
race 
is 
run 
and 
the 
victory 
won, 
is 
the 
prayer 
of 
your 
isolated 
sister 
in 
the 
truth, 
love 
and 
fellowship 
of 
our 
Lord 
and 
Master, 
and 
all 
of 
his 
consecrated 
children. 
MBs. 
LaVINA 
PHILLIl's.-Ind. 
VOL. 
XXXVI 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
AUGUST 
1, 
1915 
"THE 
BEGINNING 
OF 
SORROWS" 
No. 
15 
"Seeing 
that 
all 
these 
things 
shall 
be 
disso~ved, 
what 
mann,er 
0t 
persons 
ought 
we 
to 
be 
in 
aU 
holy 
conversation 
and 
godli­ 
ness."-2 
Peter 
3: 
11. 
Many 
in 
the 
past 
have 
misunderstood 
St. 
Peter's 
prophecy 
concern 
ina 
the 
destruction 
of 
the 
present 
heavens 
and 
earth. 
They 
ha:e 
inferred 
that 
he 
meant 
the 
burning 
up 
of 
the 
literal 
earth 
and 
heavens 
in 
a 
great 
conflagration. 
TillS 
tholwht 
seems 
to 
be 
embodied 
in 
all 
the 
creeds, 
Protestant 
and 
bCatholic. 
Apparently 
there 
has 
been 
a 
serious 
mistake 
here. 
The 
Apostle 
is 
using 
these 
words 
in 
a 
figurative 
sense, 
just 
as 
we 
might 
say 
that 
a 
man 
would 
move 
heaven 
and 
earth 
to 
accomplish 
his 
designs. 
Throughout 
the 
prophecIes 
of 
the 
Bihle 
the 
heavens 
mean 
the 
ecclesiastical 
powers 
and 
the 
earth 
means 
organizcd 
Bociety, 
including 
the 
financial 
and 
the 
political 
powers. 
The 
things 
of 
the 
present 
order 
are 
soon 
to 
pa.ss 
aWll!y­ 
its 
banking 
institutions, 
its 
great 
monetary 
affairs, 
its. 
stocks 
allli 
bonds, 
its 
polities, 
its 
great 
religious 
systems, 
mdeed, 
the 
entire 
social 
fabric. 
The 
whole 
arrangement 
is 
now 
about 
to 
be 
melted 
down. 
An 
entirely 
new 
order 
is 
about 
to 
come 
in. 
This 
meltina 
down 
will 
begin 
in 
the 
overthrow 
of 
the 
re­ 
ligious 
institutigns. 
To 
the 
whole 
world 
it 
will 
be 
an 
un­ 
expe(~ted 
and 
overwhelming 
catastrophe; 
but 
to 
the 
true 
church 
watchinO" 
as 
the 
Lord 
bade 
them 
to 
do, 
it 
will 
not 
be 
a 
surp~ise; 
for 
these 
are 
"children 
of 
the 
light," 
and 
this 
day 
of 
the 
Lord 
shall 
not 
overtake 
them 
as 
a 
thief. 
The 
Lord's 
fa:ithful, 
watching 
people, 
guided 
by 
the 
Word 
of 
Truth, 
will 
have 
an 
understanding 
of 
temporal 
affairs. 
As 
St. 
Paul 
has 
assured 
us, 
though 
this 
day 
shall 
come 
a,s 
a 
thief 
and 
a 
snare 
upon 
the 
whole 
world, 
it 
shall 
not 
so 
come 
uJlon 
GO(l's 
children 
who 
are 
living 
up 
to 
their 
privileges. 
'·When 
these 
things 
begin 
to 
come 
t? 
pass, 
then 
look 
u~ 
an~ 
lift 
up 
your 
heads; 
for 
your 
dehverance 
draweth 
mgh; 
"When 
ye 
see 
these 
thin 
as, 
... 
know 
that 
the 
kingdom 
of 
God 
is 
~igh 
at 
hand." 
(Luke 
21 
:28, 
31) 
The 
Master 
does 
not 
say, 
When 
ye 
see 
all 
these 
things, 
but 
When 
ye 
see 
the 
hC"irminlY 
of 
them, 
then 
we 
are 
to 
lift 
up 
our 
heads 
and 
re­ 
joice-n;t 
rejoicing 
in 
the 
trouble,. 
nor 
in 
the 
sUffering~ 
of 
othcrs, 
but 
in 
the 
faet 
that 
these 
thmgs 
are 
the 
foretold 
SI,gnS 
tha 
t 
the 
present 
order 
is 
about 
to 
be 
succeeded 
by 
a 
new 
order, 
which 
will 
be 
far 
better, 
and 
more 
advantageous 
and 
desirable 
for 
all. 
The 
church 
hersclf 
will 
be 
the 
"new 
heaven," 
and 
will 
<'ome 
into 
great 
glory, 
power 
and 
privilege. 
The 
thought 
in 
the 
early 
,church, 
evidently, 
was 
that 
these 
dispensational 
changes 
would 
very 
shortly 
come 
to 
pass. 
They 
were 
living 
in 
constant 
expectation 
of 
the 
coming 
of 
the 
Lord, 
the 
es­ 
tablishment 
of 
his 
kingdom 
and 
the 
glorification 
of 
the 
church. 
Some 
of 
them 
even 
felt 
too 
confident 
of 
the 
matter. 
The 
Apostle 
Paul 
writes 
to 
the 
church 
of 
Thessalonica 
saying 
that 
some 
of 
them 
had 
made 
a 
mistake 
in 
thinking 
that 
the 
day 
of 
the 
Lord 
might 
have 
already 
come. 
He 
tells 
them 
that 
that 
day 
could 
not 
come 
until 
the 
Man 
of 
Sin 
should 
be 
re­ 
vealed. 
Thus 
in 
the 
days 
of 
the 
Apostles 
the 
church 
was 
ever 
on 
the 
qui 
vive; 
and 
throughout 
this 
entire 
age 
the 
Lord's 
pcople 
Imve 
been 
left 
in 
uncertainty 
as 
to 
the 
time 
of 
the 
1Iastrr's 
second 
coming, 
watching, 
preparing, 
for 
the 
things 
of 
the 
king-(Iom, 
knowing 
that 
the 
day 
of 
Christ 
would 
come 
as 
a 
"thief 
in 
the 
night" 
at 
the 
appointed 
time.-2 
Thessa­ 
lonians 
5: 
3. 
WHAT 
THE 
WATCHERS 
NOW 
SEE 
No,w 
we 
who 
are 
living 
in 
this 
day 
see 
the 
beginning 
of 
these 
foretol(l 
evcnts. 
\Ve 
see 
the 
prelude 
to 
the 
great 
Battle 
of 
Armageddon. 
Our 
thought 
is 
that 
the 
Armageddon 
itself 
will 
he 
the 
mighty 
"EartlHluake" 
spoken 
of 
in 
Revelation. 
(Revelation 
16:16-lR) 
In 
this 
great 
revolution 
and 
in 
the 
succeeding 
anapchy 
all 
earthly 
institutions 
will 
be 
swept 
away. 
The 
result 
of 
the 
anger, 
hatred 
and 
strife, 
if 
permitted 
to 
continue 
indefinitely, 
would 
be 
so 
terrible 
that 
it 
would 
bring 
about 
the 
destruction 
of 
the 
raee; 
but 
for 
the 
elect's 
sake, 
that 
they 
may 
begin 
thcir 
gloriolls 
reign, 
God 
will 
cut 
short 
the 
carnage, 
and 
will 
set 
up 
his 
own 
kingdom 
under 
Christ 
an<1 
his 
elect 
rhureh. 
Christ 
and 
his 
bride 
will 
take 
over 
the 
kingdoms 
of 
this 
worl<1, 
and 
thus 
will 
hinder 
the 
strife 
of 
men 
from 
going 
to 
the 
extreme 
that 
it 
would 
otherwise 
go. 
But 
it 
will 
not 
be 
stopped 
until 
the 
present 
order 
shall 
have 
been 
wholly 
dissolved. 
A 
vivid 
description 
of 
this 
awful 
time 
of 
trouble 
is 
given 
by 
the 
prophets. 
For 
the 
benefit 
of 
our 
new 
readers, 
we 
give 
a 
few 
citations 
of 
such 
prophecies, 
which 
repay 
inve8tigatlOn. 
(Isaiah 
24: 
17-22; 
28:21,22; 
33:7-14; 
34:1-8; 
Psalm 
18:7-1!J) 
See 
STUDIES 
IN 
THE 
SCRIPTURES, 
Vol 
4, 
pp. 
15·20. 
Along 
this 
same 
line, 
read 
also 
Isaiah 
13:1-1:,; 
Jeremiah 
25:8-38; 
Revelation 
18; 
16:12-21. 
We 
believe 
that 
the 
pre~ent 
strife 
in 
Europe 
is 
very 
forcefully 
depicted 
in 
some 
of 
the 
prophecies 
cited 
above, 
and 
that 
this 
is 
only 
the 
beginning 
of 
the 
great 
trouble 
and 
overthrow, 
the 
breaking 
in 
pieces 
of 
the 
nations 
as 
a 
potter's 
vessel. 
In 
our 
own 
land 
we 
sec 
the 
portents 
of 
the 
coming 
trouble, 
in 
strikes, 
labor 
riots, 
1. 
\V. 
W. 
demon­ 
strations, 
etc.'l'he 
Scriptures 
cited 
above 
decLare 
in 
unmis­ 
takable 
language 
that 
the 
whole 
present 
order 
will 
go 
up 
in 
a 
mighty 
conflagration. 
The 
troubles 
not 
long 
since 
in 
the 
Colorado 
mines, 
the 
more 
recent 
strikes 
in 
London, 
Chicago, 
Bridgeport 
and 
Bayonne, 
are 
only 
premonitory 
rumblings 
which, 
with 
many 
other 
disturbances 
of 
like 
nature, 
presage 
the 
coming 
storm. 
Selfishness 
is 
the 
great 
motive 
power 
of 
the 
world-if 
this 
thing 
is 
done 
or 
that 
thing 
is 
accomplished, 
something 
very 
advantageous 
to 
themselves 
will 
result. 
Because 
people 
want 
their 
own 
names 
to 
be 
great, 
they 
strain 
every 
nerve 
to 
accomplish 
that 
result. 
They 
do 
this 
also 
in 
political 
lines­ 
trying 
to 
"feather 
their 
nests" 
for 
the 
future. 
In 
Europe 
they 
do 
the 
same 
along 
monarchial 
lines. 
Various 
houses 
in 
power 
seek 
to 
have 
and 
to 
hold 
the 
honor 
of 
the 
people. 
The 
whole 
world 
are 
setting 
their 
hearts 
and 
minds 
on 
the 
things 
which 
will 
bring 
no 
real 
satisfaction 
in 
the 
end, 
and 
not 
upon 
the 
things 
of 
the 
Lord. 
The 
Apostle 
points 
out 
thll!t 
all 
these 
things 
that 
occupy 
men's 
minds 
and 
absorb 
their 
energies 
are 
to 
p,t8S 
away. 
None 
of 
them 
are 
to 
be 
permanent. 
We 
realize 
this 
to 
be 
so. 
We 
see 
that 
their 
passing 
away 
is 
jU8t 
at 
hand 
in 
this 
our 
day. 
Others 
do 
not 
pereeive 
it, 
although 
many 
thoughtful 
minds 
see 
that 
present 
conditions 
are 
unprccedented, 
that 
some 
great 
change 
must 
be 
impending; 
and 
their 
hearts 
are 
failing 
them 
for 
fear. 
Surely 
the 
knowledge 
of 
these 
things, 
of 
the 
transitoriness, 
the 
trifling 
value 
of 
the 
most 
alluring 
of 
earth's 
gifts, 
should 
cause 
us 
to 
turn 
from 
them 
and 
to 
set 
our 
affections 
an(I 
hopes 
upon 
the 
heavenly 
things, 
which 
are 
infinite 
in 
value 
and 
which 
shall 
never 
pass 
aw.ay. 
\Ve 
should 
lay 
up 
treasure 
in 
heaven, 
where 
the 
institutions 
will 
be 
permanent, 
and 
where 
armies 
and 
revolutions 
will 
not 
destroy 
the 
govern­ 
ment. 
All 
those 
who 
believe 
in 
the 
great 
change 
just 
before 
us 
should 
be 
living 
for 
the 
future 
and 
not 
for 
the 
present. 
The 
more 
we 
discern, 
then. 
the 
teachings 
of 
the 
Bible, 
the 
more 
we 
imbibe 
its 
spirit, 
the 
more 
shall- 
we 
live 
for 
and 
pre­ 
pare 
for 
the 
groat 
blessings 
promiscd 
for 
the 
future 
to 
those 
who 
lovo 
God. 
"Be 
ye 
holy, 
for 
I 
am 
holy," 
is 
the 
injunction 
of 
our 
Father 
in 
heaven. 
HOLY 
ATMOSPHERE, 
NOT 
MIASMA, 
FOR 
NEW 
CREATURES 
These 
directions 
are 
not 
to 
the 
world, 
and 
they 
are 
not 
to 
the 
flesh 
of 
the 
chilrlren 
of 
God, 
bnt 
are 
for 
us 
as 
new 
crea· 
tures 
in 
Christ. 
The 
old 
creatnrc 
being 
imperfeet 
has 
no 
standing 
with 
God; 
hut 
there 
is 
nothing 
unholy 
in 
the 
new 
ercature, 
llnd 
the 
imperfeetions 
of 
his 
flesh 
being 
covered 
bv 
the 
Robe 
of 
Christ's 
righteollSness 
he 
has 
a 
standing 
witli 
God. 
The 
dimr'nlty 
which 
the 
new 
creature 
encounter's 
is 
the 
weakness 
of 
the 
flesh 
in 
which 
he 
must 
tabernll!cle 
for 
the 
present, 
and 
the 
danger 
of 
being 
misled, 
enticed 
away, 
from 
the 
things 
that 
are 
holy. 
Day 
by 
day 
he 
seeks 
to 
control 
the 
flesh 
and 
to 
bring 
it 
wholly 
into 
subjection. 
The 
new 
('reatur(' 
begotten 
from 
above, 
wishes 
to 
be 
holy 
llnd 
to 
kep.p 
his 
tahernaele 
hol~'. 
He 
hreathes 
by 
nature 
a 
holy 
atmosphere; 
anything 
contrary 
is 
poisonous 
to 
this 
heavenly 
germ 
which 
must 
he 
fostcred 
and 
nourishpd 
with 
the 
greatest 
eare. 
That 
it 
may 
properly 
devP!op 
it 
is 
neeessary 
that 
it 
be 
fed 
upon 
"the 
finest 
of 
the 
wheat;" 
it 
is 
necessary 
[5735] 
Jury 15, 1915 the privilege of feasting at the Lord’s table in any way that he provides. And I always have a prayer and a blessing in my heart for you, that faithful Servant, who, despite the opposition of all the agents of the adversary, is still spreading this feast for the hungry, thirsty truth-seekers to feast upon; and THE WATCH TOWER (227-228) may the Lord still guide and bless you in this harvest work until the race is run and the victory won, is the prayer of your isolated sister in the truth, love and fellowship of our Lord and Master, and all of his consecrated children. Mrs. Lovina PuILiies.—Ind. Vout. XXXVI BROOKLYN, N. Y., AUGUST 1, 1915 No. 15 “THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS” “Seeing that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godli ness.” —2 Many in the past have misunderstood St. Peter’s prophecy concerning the destruction of the present heavens and earth. They have inferred that he meant the burning up of the literal earth and heavens in a great conflagration. ‘This thought seems to be embodied in all the creeds, Protestant and Catholic. Apparently there has been a serious mistake here. The Apostle is using these words in a figurative sense, just as we might say that a man would move heaven and earth to accomplish his designs. Throughout the prophecies of the Bible the heavens mean the ecclesiastical powers and the earth means organized society, including the financial and the political powers. The things of the present order are soon to pass away— its banking institutions, its great monetary affairs, its stocks and bonds, its polities, its great religious systems, indeed, the entire social fabric. The whole arrangement is now about to be melted down. An entirely new order is about to come in. This melting down will begin in the overthrow of the religious institutions. To the whole world it will be an unexpected and overwhelming catastrophe; but to the true church, watching as the Lord bade them to do, it will not be a surprise; for these are “children of the light,” and this day of the Lord shall not overtake them as a thief. The Lord’s faithful, watching people, guided by the Word of Truth, will have an understanding of temporal affairs. As St. Paul has assured us, though this day shall come as a thief and a snare upon the whole world, it shall not so come upon God’s children who are living up to their privileges. “\When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your deliverance draweth nigh;” “When ye see these things,... know that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” (Luke 21:28, 31) The Master does not say, When ye see all these things, but When ye see the beginning of them, then we are to lift up our heads and rejoice—not rejoicing in the trouble, nor in the sufferings of others, but in the fact that these things are the foretold signs that the present order is about to be succeeded by a new order, which will be far better, and more advantageous and desirable for all. The church herself will be the “new heaven,’ and will come into great glory, power and privilege. The thought in the early church, evidently, was that these dispensational changes would very shortly come to pass. ‘hey were living in constant expectation of the coming of the Lord, the establishment of his kingdom and the glorification of the church, Some of them even felt too confident of the matter. The Apostle Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica saying that some of them had made a mistake in thinking that the day of the Lord might have already come. He tells them that that day could not come until the Man of Sin should be revealed. Thus in the days of the Apostles the church was ever on the qui vive; and throughout this entire age the Lord’s people have been left in uncertainty as to the time of the Master’s second coming, watching, preparing, for the things of the kingdom, knowing that the day of Christ would come as a “thief in the night” at the appointed time.—2 Thessalonians 5:3. WHAT THE WATCHERS NOW SEE Now we who are living in this day see the beginning of these foretold events. We see the prelude to the great Battle of Armageddon. Our thought is that the Armageddon itself will be the mighty “Earthquake” spoken of in Revelation. (Revelation 16:16-18) In this great revolution and in the succeeding anarchy all earthly institutions will be swept away. The result of the anger, hatred and strife, if permitted to continue indefinitely, would be so terrible that it would bring about the destruction of the race; but for the elect’s sake, that they may begin their glorious reign, God will cut short the carnage, and will set up his own kingdom under Christ and his elect chureh. Christ and his bride will take over the kingdoms of this world, and thus will hinder the strife of men from going to the extreme that it would otherwise go. But Peter 3:11. it will not be stopped until the present order shall have been wholly dissolved. A vivid description of this awful time of trouble is given by the prophets. For the benefit of our new readers, we give a few citations of such prophecies, which repay investigation. (Isaiah 24: 17-22; 28:21, 22; 33:7-14; 34:1-8; Psalm 18:7-19) See STUDIES In THE Scriprures, Vol 4, pp. 15-20. Along this same line, read also Isaiah 13:1-13; Jeremiah 25:8-38; Revelation 18; 16:12-21. We believe that the present strife in Europe is very forcefully depicted in some of the prophecies cited above, and that this is only the beginning of the great trouble and overthrow, the breaking in pieces of the nations as a potter’s vessel. In our own land we see the portents of the coming trouble, in strikes, labor riots, I. W. W. demonstrations, etc. The Scriptures cited above declare in unmistakable language that the whole present order will go up in a mighty conflagration. The troubles not long since in the Colorado mines, the more recent strikes in London, Chicago, Bridgeport and Bayonne, are only premonitory rumblings which, with many other disturbances of like nature, presage the coming storm. Selfishness is the great motive power of the world—if this thing is done or that thing is accomplished, something very advantageous to themselves will result, Because people want their own names to be great, they strain every nerve to accomplish that result. They do this also in political lines— trying to “feather their nests” for the future. In Europe they do the same along monarchial lines, Various houses in power seek to have and to hold the honor of the people. The whole world are setting their hearts and minds on the things which will bring no real satisfaction in the end, and not upon the things of the Lord. The Apostle points out that all these things that occupy men’s minds and absorb their energies are to pass away. None of them are to be permanent. We realize this to be so. We see that their passing away is just at hand in this our day. Others do not perceive it, although many thoughtful minds see that present conditions are unprecedented, that some great change must be impending; and their hearts are failing them for fear. Surely the knowledge of these things, of the transitoriness, the trifling value of the most alluring of earth’s gifts, should cause us to turn from them and to set our affections and hopes upon the heavenly things, which are infinite in value and which shall never pass away. We should lay up treasure in heaven, where the institutions will be permanent, and where armies and revolutions will not destroy the government. All those who believe in the great change just before us should be living for the future and not for the present. The more we discern, then, the teachings of the Bible, the more we imbibe its spirit, the more shall we live for and prepare for the great blessings promised for the future to those who love God. “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” is the injunction of our Father in heaven. HOLY ATMOSPHERE, NOT MIASMA, FOR NEW CREATURES These directions are not to the world, and they are not to the flesh of the children of God, but are for us as new creatures in Christ. The old creature heing imperfect has no standing with God; but there is nothing unholy in the new ereature, and the imperfections of his flesh being covered by the Robe of Christ’s righteousness he has a standing with God. The difficulty which the new creature encounters is the weakness of the flesh in which he must tabernacle for the present, and the danger of being misled, enticed away, from the things that are holy. Day by day he seeks to control the flesh and to bring it wholly into subjection. The new creature begotten from above, wishes to be holy and to keep his tabernacle holy. He breathes by nature a holy atmosphere; anything contrary is poisonous to this heavenly germ which must he fostered and nourished with the greatest care. That it may properly develop it is necessary that it be fed upon “‘the finest of the wheat;” it is necessary [5735]

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