Publication date
6/15/16
Volume
37
Number
12
The WatchTower
How the Great Apostasy Will Be Overruled
The Watchtower Magazines
/../literature/watchtower/1916/12/1916-12-1.html
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JUNS 
I, 
1916 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(169-179) 
identified 
more 
or 
less 
with 
hate, 
resentment, 
anger, 
malice? 
If 
lovely, 
it 
may 
pass 
on. 
If 
not, 
it 
must 
be 
immediately 
ex­ 
pelled, 
not 
permitted 
to 
go 
further, 
to 
do 
harm 
to 
ourselves 
and 
to 
others. 
(4) 
Is 
it 
repuLallle? 
This 
cannot 
mean: 
Is 
the 
thing 
well 
spoken 
of 
by 
the 
world? 
For 
the 
Apostle 
himself 
and 
our 
Lord 
Jesus 
were 
reviled 
by 
the 
world, 
who 
said 
all 
man­ 
ner 
of 
evil 
against 
them 
falsely. 
The 
word 
reputable 
here 
must 
be 
taken 
to 
mean 
that 
which 
would 
be 
thought 
well 
of 
by 
all 
reputable 
people, 
if 
they 
knew 
and 
understood 
every­ 
thing 
connected 
with 
the 
thought. 
(5) 
Has 
the 
thought 
any 
virtue, 
or 
is 
it 
in 
any 
sense 
of 
the 
word 
praiseworthy? 
If 
so, 
it 
may 
be 
admitted. 
If 
not, 
it 
should 
be 
repelled; 
for 
even 
if 
it 
be 
blameless 
otherwise, 
that 
fact 
that 
it 
is 
not 
of 
any 
value 
is 
a 
reason 
for 
its 
re- 
jection. 
We 
have 
no 
time 
and 
no 
place 
for 
things 
that 
are 
merely 
not 
b3d. 
'Ve 
desire 
to 
have 
in 
our 
hearts 
and 
our 
minds 
things 
that 
are 
positively 
good, 
helpful, 
beneficial 
in 
some 
way. 
Otherwise, 
the 
thought 
should 
be 
repelled 
as 
a 
mere 
cum 
be 
reI' 
of 
the 
ground 
of 
our 
hearts, 
of 
Our 
minds, 
needed 
for 
profitable 
things. 
Much 
novel 
reading 
is 
of 
this 
character-not 
evil, 
but 
not 
advantageous, 
not 
upbuilding. 
Whatever 
we 
may 
be 
naturally, 
the 
people 
of 
God 
who 
follow 
the 
instructions 
of 
the 
divine 
Word 
surely 
become 
noble 
people, 
helpful 
people, 
possessed 
of 
the 
spirit 
of 
a 
sound 
mind; 
and 
these 
things 
will 
be 
only 
a 
part 
of 
their 
prepara­ 
tion 
for 
the 
kingdom 
and 
for 
the 
great 
work 
then 
to 
be 
en­ 
trusted 
to 
them 
as 
the 
servants 
of 
God 
under 
their 
Redeemer 
and 
Head. 
HARVEST 
GATHERINGS 
AND 
SIFTINGS 
[Reprint 
of 
article 
which 
appeared 
in 
is,lle 
of 
July 
Iii. 
1906. 
whic'h 
please 
spe.l 
THE 
SCOPE 
OF 
THE 
ABRAHAMIC 
COVENANT 
Question.-Which 
is 
the 
greater, 
the 
Abrahamic 
Covenant 
or 
the 
New 
Covenant? 
Answer.-The 
Abrahamic 
Covenant 
is 
an 
all-embracing 
arrangement. 
Everything 
that 
God 
has 
done 
and 
will 
yet 
do 
for 
our 
race 
is 
included 
in 
that 
Abrahamic 
Covenant. 
The 
Law 
Covenant 
of 
Israel 
was 
added 
to 
this 
Covenant 
"because 
of 
transgression." 
Although 
only 
a 
typical 
arrangement, 
nevertheless 
the 
Law 
Covenant 
developed 
a 
certain 
faithful 
class, 
to 
be 
made 
"prince;;; 
in 
all 
the 
earth" 
during 
the 
Ylil­ 
lennial 
age. 
This 
Covenant 
was 
represented 
by 
Hagar; 
and 
her 
son 
Ishmael 
represented 
the 
nation 
of 
Israel. 
(Galatian'! 
4 
:21-31) 
The 
Christ, 
the 
new 
creation 
class, 
was 
represented 
in 
Isaac, 
Sarah's 
son. 
Sarah, 
Abraham's 
first 
wife, 
repre­ 
sented 
that 
part 
of 
the 
Abrahamic 
Covenant 
which 
pertained 
to 
the 
spiritual 
seed, 
the 
new 
creation, 
that 
which 
we 
some­ 
times 
speak 
of 
as 
the 
Sarah 
Covenant. 
This 
Sarah 
Covenant 
-the 
Grace 
Covenant, 
the 
Covenant 
of 
Sacrifice 
(Psalm 
50: 
5) 
-brings 
forth 
the 
Isaac 
class, 
the 
church, 
Head 
and 
body. 
Even 
as 
Isaac 
was 
not 
born 
after 
the 
flesh 
in 
the 
ordinary 
sense 
(Abraham 
and 
Sarah 
being 
too 
old 
naturally), 
but 
was 
a 
special 
creation, 
so 
with 
The 
Christ 
company, 
the 
church. 
This 
"Isaac" 
clas'! 
is 
developed 
as 
a 
distinctly 
new 
creation, 
formed 
from 
members 
of 
the 
fallen 
human 
race. 
The 
divine 
invitation 
to 
these 
is 
to 
present 
their 
bodies 
living 
sacrifices. 
Tht'y 
sacrifice 
their 
human 
nature 
that 
they 
may 
attain 
with 
their 
Head, 
the 
anti 
typical 
"Isaac," 
the 
divine 
nature-some­ 
thing 
never 
befme 
offered. 
After 
this 
new 
creation 
is 
com­ 
pleted, 
the 
blessing 
indicated 
in 
God's 
Promise 
to 
Abraham 
will 
reach 
all 
the 
families 
of 
the 
earth. 
It 
will 
reach 
them, 
first 
through 
the 
"Isaac" 
seed, 
the 
new 
creation, 
and 
secondly, 
through 
the 
Ancient 
Worthies, 
developed 
in 
the 
ages 
preceding 
this 
age, 
under 
God's 
typical 
arrangements. 
All 
kindreds 
and 
families 
of 
the 
earth 
will 
be 
blessed 
bv 
the 
privilege 
or 
opportunity 
to 
become 
children 
of 
Abraham, 
children 
of 
God, 
whom 
Abraham 
represented 
in 
a 
figure. 
"1 
have 
made 
thee 
a 
father 
of 
many 
nations 
(Genesis 
17: 
5; 
Romans 
4: 
17), 
said 
the 
Lord 
to 
Abraham-"In 
becoming 
thy 
seed 
shall 
all 
the 
nations 
of 
the 
earth 
bless 
themselves." 
These 
will 
be 
blessed 
under 
the 
New 
Covenant, 
an 
arrangement 
whereby 
the 
Abrahamic 
Covenant 
will 
be 
fulfilled 
as 
relates 
to 
Israel 
and 
to 
all. 
The 
Abrahamic 
Covenant, 
then, 
embraces 
all 
the 
other 
Covenants, 
those 
Covenants 
being 
merely 
different 
features 
of 
God's 
arrangements 
by 
which 
the 
work 
implied 
in 
the 
great 
Abrahamic 
Covenant 
or 
promise 
is 
to 
be 
accomplished. 
As 
we 
have 
elsewhere 
previously 
shown, 
Abraham 
took 
another 
wife, 
after 
the 
death 
of 
Sarah-Keturah. 
By 
her 
he 
had 
many 
sons 
and 
daughters. 
Thus 
the 
New 
Covenant 
is 
typed 
and 
its 
grand 
work 
of 
bringing 
many 
to 
life-:o 
"the 
liberty 
of 
the 
song 
of 
God."-Roman~ 
H:IH. 
~l. 
r 
, 
CL. 
XXXVII 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
JUNE 
15, 
1916 
HOW 
THE 
GREAT 
APOSTASY 
WILL 
BE 
OVERRULED 
~o. 
1~ 
"They 
rl'cI'i11ed 
not 
the 
love 
of 
the 
truth, 
that 
they 
might 
be 
saved. 
And 
for 
this 
cause 
God 
sendeth 
them 
a 
'Working 
of 
errO'r, 
that 
they 
should 
believe 
a 
lie 
j 
that 
they 
aU 
might 
be 
judged 
who 
believed 
not 
the 
truth, 
but 
had 
pkasure 
in 
unrighteousness."-2 
Thessalonians 
2: 
10-12. 
Rev. 
Vel'. 
The 
Bible 
helps 
of 
our 
day 
are 
so 
numerous 
and 
aecessible, 
Again 
the 
Master 
declared 
in 
Revelation, 
when 
telling 
us 
and 
the 
words 
in 
the 
original 
Scriptures 
translated 
Hell, 
so 
about 
the 
consummation 
of 
the 
Gospel 
age 
and 
in 
the 
inaugura­ 
clearly 
shown 
in 
these 
helps, 
that 
there 
is 
no 
reason 
why 
an 
tion 
of 
the 
age 
to 
follow, 
that 
at 
that 
time 
Satan 
should 
be 
honest 
student 
of 
the 
Word 
of 
God 
may 
not 
see 
clearly 
what 
the 
bound 
for 
a 
thousand 
years, 
that 
he 
should 
deceive 
the 
nations 
Bible 
teaches 
on 
this 
subject. 
We 
are 
not 
to 
lay 
upon 
our 
God 
no 
more 
until 
the 
thousand 
years 
were 
finished-thus 
intimat­ 
the 
responsibility 
for 
the 
erroneous 
thought 
on 
the 
subject 
of 
ing 
that 
prior 
to 
that 
time 
the 
people 
of 
the 
world 
had 
been 
future 
punishment; 
for 
he 
is 
not 
the 
Author 
of 
sin 
or 
dark- 
deceived 
by 
him 
right 
along. 
Satan 
started 
his 
lies 
very 
ness 
or 
error 
in 
any 
form. 
All 
his 
work 
is 
perfect; 
he 
is 
"right- 
early. 
His 
first 
great 
lie 
was 
told 
to 
our 
:Mother 
Eve, 
away 
eous 
altogether," 
his 
name 
is 
LOVE. 
Such 
being 
the 
case 
he 
back 
in 
Eden. 
(Genesis 
3:4, 
5; 
2 
Corinthhns 
1l:3) 
The 
lie 
wow.ld 
never 
create 
any 
being 
to 
torture 
it 
forever. 
Nor 
does 
that 
he 
told 
to 
Mother 
Eve 
he 
has 
ever 
sime 
very 
assiduously 
the 
responsibility 
for 
doctrinal 
error 
rest 
entirely 
upon 
hu- 
propagated; 
namely, 
"Ye 
shall 
not 
surely 
die"-God 
has 
de­ 
manity, 
who 
have 
no 
doubt 
been 
more 
ignorant 
than 
wilful 
in 
c~ived 
you; 
nobody 
dies; 
what 
is 
called 
death 
is 
only 
the 
drop­ 
respeet 
to 
this 
error 
of 
doctrine, 
though 
there 
seems 
to 
have 
pmg. 
of 
~he 
mortal 
body 
as 
of 
~ 
worn-out 
dres~; 
merely 
the 
been 
a 
measure 
of 
wilfulness 
on 
the 
part 
of 
mankind. 
passmg 
m.to 
another 
form 
~f 
hfe-a 
mo,:,e 
deSIrable 
chang~. 
The 
Apostle 
Paul, 
in 
the 
first 
chapter 
of 
Romans, 
de- 
But 
t~e 
BIble 
has 
all 
the 
whIle 
been 
assurIng 
us 
that 
death 
IS 
dares 
that 
when 
men 
knew 
God, 
they 
worshiped 
him 
not 
as 
a. 
realIty, 
that 
death 
means 
death. 
God, 
and 
did 
not 
wish 
to 
retain 
the 
knowledge 
of 
him 
in 
their 
SIN'S 
RAPID 
DEVELOPMEN'r 
UP 
TO 
THE 
FLOOD 
minds, 
but 
willingly 
departed 
from 
him. 
(Romans 
1: 
18-28) 
There 
is 
an 
irreconcilable 
conflict 
between 
the 
words 
of 
This 
s,~n:,e 
Apos~le 
elsewh~re 
assur~s 
us 
that 
"the 
~od 
of 
th~s 
Satan 
and 
the 
declaration 
of 
God. 
But 
God 
has 
permitted 
man 
world, 
the 
prmce 
of 
thIS 
world, 
Satan, 
who 
fell 
from 
hIS 
to 
a 
large 
extent 
to 
go 
his 
own 
way, 
just 
as 
St. 
Paul 
inti­ 
holy 
estate 
and 
became 
the 
adversary 
of 
God 
through 
unholy 
mates 
in 
Romans 
already 
cited. 
Mankind 
did 
not 
desire 
to 
ambition, 
has 
blinded 
the 
mind~ 
of 
mankind. 
(2 
Corinthians 
retain 
God 
in 
their 
knowledge, 
so 
for 
a 
time 
he 
has 
permitted 
4:4; 
John 
12:31; 
14:30) 
He 
IS 
the 
great 
deceIver, 
of 
whom 
them 
to 
work 
all 
manner 
of 
uncleanness. 
(Romans 
1:28-32) 
the 
Lord 
said, 
"He 
was 
a 
murderer 
from 
the 
beginning 
[of 
But 
while 
he 
has 
allowed 
the 
world 
liberty 
in 
regard 
to 
their 
man's 
creation] 
and 
abode 
not 
in 
the 
truth, 
because 
there 
is 
no 
own 
wills, 
nevertheless 
he 
has 
not 
ab3ndoned 
them. 
From 
the 
truth 
in 
him. 
When 
he 
speaketh 
a 
lie, 
he 
speaketh 
of 
his 
own; 
beginning 
God 
has 
purposed 
that 
in 
due 
time, 
after 
mankind 
for 
he 
is 
a 
liar 
and 
the 
father 
of 
it."-John 
8:44. 
have 
learned 
the 
needed 
lesson, 
they 
shall 
be 
delivered 
from 
sin 
[5909] 
June 1, 1916 THE identified more or less with hate, resentment, anger, malice? If lovely, it may pass on. If not, it must be immediately expelled, not permitted to go further, to do harm to ourselves and to others. (4) Is it reputable? This cannot mean: Is the thing well spoken of by the world? For the Apostle himself and our Lord Jesus were reviled by the world, who said all manner of evil against them falsely. The word reputable here must be taken to mean that which would be thought well of by all reputable people, if they knew and understood everything connected with the thought. (5) Has the thought any virtue, or is it in any sense of the word praiseworthy? If so, it may be admitted. If not, it should be repelled; for even if it be blameless otherwise, that fact that it is not of any value is a reason for its re WATCH TOWER (169-179) jection. We have no time and no place for things that are merely not bad. We desire to have in our hearts and our minds things that are positively good, helpful, beneficial in some way. Otherwise, the thought should be repelled as a mere cumberer of the ground of our hearts, of our minds, needed for profitable things. Much novel reading is of this character—not evil, but not advantageous, not upbuilding, Whatever we may be naturally, the people of God who follow the instructions of the divine Word surely become noble people, helpful people, possessed of the spirit of a sound mind; and these things will be only a part of their preparation for the kingdom and for the great work then to be entrusted to them as the servants of God under their Redeemer and Head. HARVEST GATHERINGS AND SIFTINGS {Reprint of article which appeared in issue of July 15, 1906. which please see.] THE SCOPE OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT Question.—Which is the greater, the Abrahamic Covenant or the New Covenant? Answer.—The Abrahamic Covenant is an all-embracing arrangement. Everything that God has done and will yet do for our race is included in that Abrahamic Covenant. The Law Covenant of Israel was added to this Covenant ‘‘because of transgression.” Although only a typical arrangement, nevertheless the Law Covenant developed a certain faithful class, to be made “princes in all the earth” during the Millennial age. This Covenant was represented by Hagar; and her son Ishmael represented the nation of Israel. (Galatians 4:21-31) The Christ, the new creation class, was represented in Isaac, Sarah’s son. Sarah, Abraham’s first wife, represented that part of the Abrahamic Covenant which pertained to the spiritual seed, the new creation, that which we sometimes speak of as the Sarah Covenant. This Sarah Covenant —the Grace Covenant, the Covenant of Sacrifice (Psalm 50:5) —brings forth the Isaac class, the church, Head and body. Even as Isaac was not born after the flesh in the ordinary sense (Abraham and Sarah being too old naturally), but was a special creation, so with The Christ company, the church. This “Isaac” class is developed as a distinctly new creation, formed from members of the fallen human race. The divine invitation to these is to present their bodies living sacrifices. They sacrifice their human nature that they may attain with Vout. XAXXVIT BROOKLYN, N. Y., JUNE 15, 1916 their Head, the antitypical “Isaac,” the divine nature—something never before offered. After this new creation is completed, the blessing indicated in God’s Promise to Abraham will reach all the families of the earth. It will reach them, first through the “Isaac” seed, the new creation, and secondly, through the Ancient Worthies, developed in the ages preceding this age, under God’s typical arrangements. All kindreds and families of the earth will be blessed by the privilege or opportunity to become children of Abraham, children of God, whom Abraham represented in a figure. ‘“‘T have made thee a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5; Romans 4:17), said the Lord to Abraham—‘In becoming thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves.” These will be blessed under the New Covenant, an arrangement whereby the Abrahamic Covenant will be fulfilled as relates to Israel and to all. The Abrahamic Covenant, then, embraces all the other Covenants, those Covenants being merely different features of God’s arrangements by which the work implied in the great Abrahamic Covenant or promise is to be accomplished. As we have elsewhere previously shown, Abraham took another wife, after the death of Sarah—Keturah. By her he had many sons and daughters. Thus the New Covenant is typed and its grand work of bringing many to life—‘o “the liberty of the sons of God.”—Romans 8:19, 2]. No. 12 HOW THE GREAT APOSTASY WILL BE OVERRULED > “They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”—2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. The Bible helps of our day are so numerous and accessible, and the words in the original Scriptures translated Hell, so clearly shown in these helps, that there is no reason why an honest student of the Word of God may not see clearly what the Bible teaches on this subject. We are not to lay upon our God the responsibility for the erroneous thought on the subject of future punishment; for he is not the Author of sin or darkness or error in any form. All his work is perfect; he is “righteous altogether,” his name is LOVE. Such being the case he would never create any being to torture it forever. Nor does the responsibility for doctrinal error rest entirely upon humanity, who have no doubt been more ignorant than wilful in respect to this error of doctrine, though there seems to have been a measure of wilfulness on the part of mankind. The Apostle Paul, in the first chapter of Romans, declares that when men knew God, they worshiped him not as God, and did not wish to retain the knowledge of him in their minds, but willingly departed from him. (Romans 1:18-28) This same Apostle elsewhere assures us that “the god of this world,” “the prince of this world,” Satan, who fell from his holy estate and became the adversary of God through unholy ambition, has blinded the minds of mankind. (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31; 14:30) He is the great deceiver, of whom the Lord said, “He was a murderer from the beginning [of man’s creation] and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar and the father of it.’—John 8:44. Rev. Ver. Again the Master declared in Revelation, when telling us about the consummation of the Gospel age and in the inauguration of the age to follow, that at that time Satan should be bound for a thousand years, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished—thus intimating that prior to that time the people of the world had been deceived by him right along. Satan started his lies very early. His first great lie was told to our Mother Eve, away back in Eden. (Genesis 3:4, 5; 2 Corinthians 11:3) The lie that he told to Mother Eve he has ever since very assiduously propagated; namely, “Ye shall not surely die’—-God has deceived you; nobody dies; what is called death is only the dropping of the mortal body as of a worn-out dress; merely the passing into another form of life—a more desirable change. But the Bible has all the while been assuring us that death is a reality, that death means death. SIN’S RAPID DEVELOPMENT UP TO THE FLOOD There is an irreconcilable conflict between the words of Satan and the declaration of God. But God has permitted man to a large extent to go his own way, just as St. Paul intimates in Romans, already cited. Mankind did not desire to retain God in their knowledge, so for a time he has permitted them to work all manner of uncleanness. (Romans 1:28-32) But while he has allowed the world liberty in regard to their own wills, nevertheless he has not abandoned them. From the beginning God has purposed that in due time, after mankind have learned the needed lesson, they shall be delivered from sin [5909]

This website uses cookies to improve the website and your experience. By continuing to browse this website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. If you require further information or do not wish to accept cookies when using this website, please visit our Global Policy on Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies .