Data publicării
15.11.1905
Volumul
26
Numărul
22
Turnul de veghe
Views from the Watch Tower
Revistele originale Turnul de veghe în limba engleză
../literature/watchtower/1905/22/1905-22-1.html
 
 
(335-339) 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
ALLJl(lHIlNY', 
PA. 
has 
called 
us, 
who 
also 
will 
do 
it," 
(1 
Thess. 
5:24)-he 
will 
do 
all 
he 
has 
promised 
to 
do, 
exceedingly 
more 
abundantly 
than 
we 
could 
have 
asked 
of 
him 
or 
expected. 
The 
whole 
mat­ 
ter 
is 
with 
us: 
if 
our 
consecration 
is 
based 
upon 
faith 
in 
the 
redemptive 
work 
of 
our 
Lord, 
if 
it 
is 
a 
full 
and 
complete 
con· 
secration, 
and 
if 
we 
live 
it 
out 
day 
by 
day, 
the 
results 
will 
be 
all 
and 
more 
than 
we 
ever 
expected. 
"LET 
EVERYTHING 
BE 
DONE 
DEOENTLY 
AND 
IN 
ORDER" 
Our 
lesson 
shows 
that 
Ezra 
divided 
the 
wealth 
contributed 
by 
the 
Jews 
throughout 
Babylonia 
and 
Persia 
and 
by 
the 
king 
amongst 
twelve 
prominent 
men 
of 
the 
Levitical 
tribe, 
strict 
count 
being 
kept 
of 
what 
each 
received 
and 
he 
being 
held 
re­ 
sponsible 
for 
the 
delivery 
of 
that 
amount 
to 
the 
properly 
con­ 
stituted 
representatives 
of 
the 
Jews 
at 
Jerusalem. 
Thus 
our 
Lord, 
who 
is 
the 
Captain 
of 
our 
journey 
and 
who 
is 
bringing 
us 
to 
the 
heavenly 
kingdom, 
gives 
to 
every 
one 
of 
his 
follow­ 
ers 
pounds 
and 
talents 
for 
which 
they 
must 
ultimately 
give 
account. 
In 
verse 
28 
Ezra 
said 
to 
these 
twelve 
men, 
"Ye 
are 
holy 
unto 
the 
Lord 
and 
the 
vessels 
are 
holy, 
and 
the 
gold 
and 
silver 
are 
a 
freewell 
offering 
unto 
God, 
the 
God 
of 
your 
fathers. 
Watch 
ye 
and 
keep 
them, 
until 
ye 
weigh 
them 
before 
the 
chief 
of 
the 
priests 
and 
the 
Levites 
and 
the 
princes 
of 
the 
fathers' 
houses 
of 
Israel 
at 
Jerusalem 
in 
the 
chambers 
of 
the 
house 
of 
the 
Lord." 
The 
chambers 
of 
the 
Temple 
were 
the 
little 
rooms 
of 
the 
court, 
separate 
from 
the 
Temple 
yet 
connected 
there· 
with. 
In 
these 
the 
officiating 
priests 
lived, 
and 
in 
them 
were 
stored 
the 
treasures 
belonging 
to 
the 
Temple 
and 
its 
service; 
they 
were, 
therefore, 
the 
safety 
deposit 
vaults 
of 
that 
time 
far 
the 
Lord's 
treasury. 
We 
can 
see 
the 
responsibility 
that 
rested 
upon 
those 
men, 
yet 
still 
greater 
responsibility 
rests 
upon 
us 
who 
have 
re­ 
ceived 
of 
the 
Lord's 
spiritual 
gifts 
and 
treasures, 
his 
great 
truth. 
If 
it 
was 
required 
of 
those 
men 
handling 
earthly 
treas­ 
ures 
that 
they 
should 
be 
faithful 
and 
watchful, 
diligent. 
much 
more 
may 
this 
be 
reasonably 
required 
of 
us-"A 
charge 
to 
keep 
I 
have, 
a 
God 
to 
glorify." 
All 
of 
these 
lessons 
should 
come 
to 
us 
as 
fresh 
reminders 
of 
our 
responsibility, 
not 
for 
our 
discouragement, 
but 
reversely 
to 
make 
us 
more 
watchful, 
more 
careful, 
more 
zealous, 
more 
appreciative 
of 
the 
riches 
of 
God's 
grace 
committed 
to 
us. 
Those 
of 
old 
time 
were 
to 
hide 
their 
treasure, 
but 
we 
are 
commanded 
to 
show 
ours 
on 
every 
occasion-"Let 
your 
light 
so 
shine 
before 
men, 
that 
they 
see­ 
ing 
your 
good 
works 
may 
glorify 
your 
Father 
who 
is 
in 
heav­ 
en." 
The 
more 
we 
let 
our 
light 
shine, 
the 
brighter 
it 
will 
shine; 
the 
more 
we 
use 
and 
display 
the 
riches 
of 
God's 
grace 
entrusted 
to 
us, 
the 
more 
valuable 
will 
be 
our 
treasure 
and 
the 
more 
safe 
we 
will 
be, 
for 
it 
is 
a 
treasure 
which 
our 
enemies 
will 
not 
really 
covet, 
and 
our 
faithfulness 
in 
acknowledging 
the 
Lord 
in 
all 
our 
ways 
will 
assure 
us 
of 
his 
protection 
and 
care. 
AT 
THE 
JOURNEY'S 
END 
Ezra 
and 
his 
company, 
after 
a 
four 
months' 
journey, 
ar­ 
rived 
safe 
at 
Jerusalem, 
the 
Lord 
having 
indeed 
kept 
them 
and 
delivered 
them 
from 
the 
marauding 
bands 
of 
enemies 
on 
the 
journey. 
Then 
it 
was 
that 
Ezra's 
real 
work 
began. 
He 
found 
matters 
at 
Jerusalem 
and 
throughout 
Judea 
in 
a 
much 
worse 
condition 
than 
he 
had 
anticipated, 
and 
was 
used 
of 
the 
Lord 
in 
instituting 
a 
very 
radical 
national 
reformation 
which 
proved 
a 
great 
blessing 
to 
the 
people, 
though 
it 
sifted 
out 
some 
of 
their 
number. 
Ezra 
magnified 
the 
Law, 
showing 
the 
people 
how 
the 
ea.. 
lamities 
that 
had 
befallen 
them 
as 
a 
nation 
were 
all 
foretold 
in 
the 
Law 
and 
were 
all 
the 
result 
of 
a 
failure 
to 
keep 
the 
Law, 
and 
the 
proper 
course 
now 
was 
not 
only 
to 
rebuild 
the 
Temple, 
as 
they 
had 
done, 
but 
to 
go 
back 
to 
the 
Law 
and 
seek 
to 
keep 
it 
inviolate 
to 
the 
best 
of 
their 
ability. 
He 
pointed 
to 
the 
fact 
that 
they 
had 
made 
unlawful 
unions 
with 
the 
tribes 
and 
nationalities 
surrounding 
them, 
and 
that 
the 
only 
course 
remaining 
was 
to 
separate 
themselves 
from 
all 
heathen 
people. 
This 
involved 
special 
trouble 
and 
trial 
in 
cases 
where 
Jews 
had 
married 
heathen 
wives, 
and 
Ezra's 
course 
would 
be 
roundly 
denounced 
by 
the 
entire 
civilized 
world 
today; 
but 
evidently 
he 
did 
the 
proper 
thing 
at 
the 
proper 
time 
in 
God's 
estimation, 
and 
was 
the 
divine 
instrument 
in 
sharply 
separat­ 
ing 
between 
the 
Jews 
and 
other 
peoples. 
This 
spirit 
has 
per· 
sisted 
amongst 
the 
Jews 
ever 
since, 
and 
the 
effect 
has 
beell 
what 
the 
Lord 
desired, 
the 
keeping 
of 
that 
nation 
and 
people 
comparatively 
separate 
and 
distinct 
from 
all 
others. 
True, 
it 
wrought 
great 
hardship 
upon 
the 
wives 
who 
were 
put 
away 
and 
the 
children 
who 
were 
thus 
alienated, 
though 
much 
the 
same 
course 
is 
today 
prescribed 
by 
law 
against 
the 
Mormons, 
and 
the 
wives 
of 
plural 
marriages 
and 
bigamists. 
A 
lesson 
for 
spiritual 
Israelites 
may 
be 
found 
herein, 
though 
not 
according 
to 
the 
exact 
letter 
of 
Ezra's 
teaching. 
The 
spiritual 
Israelite 
is 
directed 
by 
the 
Captain 
of 
our 
Sal· 
vation, 
through 
the 
Apostle 
Paul 
as 
hiR 
mouthpiece, 
to 
be 
not 
unequally 
yoked 
together 
with 
unbelievers 
in 
marriage, 
and 
to 
have 
as 
little 
as 
possible 
to 
do 
with 
the 
world 
in 
gen­ 
eral. 
Nevertheless 
the 
spiritual 
Israelite 
is 
enjoined 
that 
if 
the 
unbelieving 
husband 
or 
wife 
remain 
and 
it 
be 
possible 
to 
live 
together 
in 
unity 
even 
under 
trying 
circumstances, 
they 
should 
do 
it; 
but 
if 
the 
unbelievin~ 
one 
depart, 
let 
him 
cle­ 
part, 
consider 
it 
to 
be 
of 
the 
Lord's 
providence 
that 
the 
Israelite 
should 
be 
free 
from 
a 
vexatious 
alliance, 
though 
he 
would 
not 
be 
free 
to 
remarry. 
• 
'HOW 
LOVE 
I 
THY 
LA 
WI" 
The 
call 
of 
Ezra's 
teaching, 
enforced 
by 
the 
word 
of 
the 
Lord 
through 
the 
Law 
upon 
the 
Israelites 
who 
had 
gotten 
into 
worldly 
conditions 
and 
alliances, 
must 
have 
been 
very 
similar 
to 
the 
proclamation 
of 
present 
truth 
today 
amongst 
Protes­ 
tants. 
After 
having 
come 
out 
of 
Babylon 
to 
the 
extent 
of 
leaving 
Roman 
Catholicism, 
they 
have 
become 
involved 
WIth 
the 
world 
in 
a 
system 
which 
may 
very 
properly 
be 
termed 
Baby. 
lonish-churchianity. 
The 
Lord's 
people 
have 
entered 
worldly 
alliances 
through 
worldly 
sects 
and 
parties, 
contrary 
to 
the 
divine 
injunction 
and 
the 
spirit 
of 
the 
divine 
law, 
which 
com­ 
mands 
us 
to 
be 
subject 
in 
religious 
matters 
to 
the 
Lord 
and 
to 
him 
alone. 
These 
misalliances 
with 
the 
daughters 
of 
Rome 
are 
so 
general 
in 
our 
day 
that 
only 
the 
Israelites 
indeed 
will 
have 
the 
spiritual 
ears 
to 
hear 
the 
message 
or 
the 
spiritual 
courage 
to 
break 
off 
the 
improper 
union, 
to 
stand 
out 
separate 
from 
all 
earthly 
alliances 
as 
the 
people 
of 
God, 
recognizing 
one 
Head 
of 
the 
one 
church 
whose 
names 
are 
written 
in 
heaven-recognizing 
as 
brethren 
all 
who 
ate 
united 
to 
that 
one 
Head, 
and 
repudiating 
all 
false 
bodies 
of 
Christ 
(churches) 
as 
well 
as 
the 
false 
heads 
to 
which 
they 
are 
united. 
This 
is 
the 
particular 
trial 
apparently 
of 
our 
day. 
The 
voice 
of 
the 
Lord 
is 
being 
sounded 
forth 
in 
every 
quarter 
of 
Christendom, 
saying. 
"Babylon 
is 
fallen, 
is 
fallen. 
Come 
out 
of 
her, 
my 
people, 
that 
ye 
partake 
not 
of 
her 
sins 
and 
receive 
not 
of 
her 
plagues." 
The 
churchianity 
of 
Protestantism 
is 
but 
a 
transplanting 
of 
the 
spirit 
of 
Babylon 
to 
new 
ground, 
and 
brings 
into 
bondage 
all 
those 
who 
will 
associate 
with 
these 
sects 
and 
parties; 
and 
all 
who 
would 
be 
in 
full 
accord 
with 
the 
Lord 
and 
have 
his 
fullest 
blessing 
must 
be 
faithful 
to 
his 
meOllage 
and 
stand 
firm 
and 
loyal 
to 
him 
at 
any 
cost. 
To 
such 
and 
such 
alone 
the 
message 
of 
the 
Lord 
is 
now 
going 
forth, 
proving 
a. 
glorious 
blessing 
and 
uplift, 
bringing 
them 
nearer 
to 
the 
Lord 
and 
into 
closer 
fellowship 
with 
those 
who 
are 
truly 
his 
and 
most 
completely 
under 
the 
blessing 
and 
provis­ 
ions 
which 
he 
has 
made 
for 
his 
faithful. 
VOL. 
XXVI 
ALLEGHENY, 
P 
A., 
NOVEMBER 
15, 
1905 
No. 
22 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
A 
BISHOP'S 
GLOOMY 
SURVEY 
the 
reports 
were 
read, 
showing 
the 
/ll'eat 
growth 
of 
the 
Society 
"The 
growth 
of 
divorces 
and 
suicides, 
the 
trying 
controversy 
in 
recent 
years. 
a 
delegate 
caused 
consternation 
by 
inquiring 
with 
regard 
to 
the 
education 
question, 
and 
many 
other 
things, 
why 
every 
form 
of 
evil 
seems 
to 
be 
growing 
proportionately 
had 
made 
many 
people 
anxious 
as 
to 
the 
future 
of 
the 
coun· 
more 
rapidly. 
The 
same 
question 
would 
apply 
to 
nearly 
all 
the 
try, 
not 
to 
speak 
of 
the 
church." 
reports 
of 
Babylon's 
expansion 
and 
federations. 
This 
pessimistic 
utterance 
was 
made 
at 
a 
conference 
of 
The 
trouble 
seems 
to 
be 
that 
it 
is 
not 
the 
right 
kind 
of 
re- 
clergy 
and 
church 
workers 
at 
Blandford 
b)" 
the 
Bishop 
of 
Salis- 
ligion 
that 
is 
being 
promulgated 
and 
"compassing 
sea 
and 
bury, 
who 
added 
that 
there 
had 
been 
revealed 
to 
them 
the 
terri- 
land." 
The 
fear 
of 
a 
hell 
of 
torment 
has 
for 
so 
long 
been 
the 
ble 
fact 
that 
a 
great 
many 
were 
giving 
up 
public 
worship, 
and 
basis 
of 
all 
religious 
effort 
that 
now, 
when 
sensible 
people 
can 
that 
a 
large 
proportion 
of 
the 
people 
of 
England 
paid 
little 
at· 
no 
longer 
swallow 
it, 
and 
when 
it 
is 
no 
longer 
preached 
in 
in· 
tention 
to 
religion 
at 
all. 
telligent 
communities, 
there 
is 
little 
left 
as 
a 
basis 
for 
Chris- 
• 
• 
• 
t,ill,n 
life. 
The 
press 
states 
that 
when 
at 
the 
last 
convention 
of 
the 
The 
public 
in 
general 
are 
ignorant 
of 
the 
faith 
and 
hopes 
"Young 
People's 
Society 
of 
Christian 
Endeavor" 
at 
Baltimore, 
set 
forth 
by 
the 
Bible; 
they 
are 
but 
"babes," 
and 
the 
majority 
[3660] 
(335-339) has called us, who also will do it,” (1 Thess. 5:24)—he will do all he has promised to do, exceedingly more abundantly than we could have asked of him or expected. The whole matter is with us: if our consecration is based upon faith in the redemptive work of our Lord, if it is a full and complete consecration, and if we live it out day by day, the results will be all and more than we ever expected, ‘“‘LET EVERYTHING BE DONE DECENTLY AND IN ORDER’’ Our lesson shows that Ezra divided the wealth contributed by the Jews throughout Babylonia and Persia and by the king amongst twelve prominent men of the Levitical tribe, strict count being kept of what each received and he being held responsible for the delivery of that amount to the properly constituted representatives of the Jews at Jerusalem. Thus our Lord, who is the Captain of our journey and who is bringing us to the heavenly kingdom, gives to every one of his followers pounds and talents for which they must ultimately give account, In verse 28 Ezra said to these twelve men, “Ye are holy unto the Lord and the vessels are holy, and the gold and silver are a freewell offering unto God, the God of your fathers. Watch ye and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites and the princes of the fathers’ houses of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord.” The chambers of the Temple were the little rooms of the court, separate from the Temple yet connected therewith. In these the officiating priests lived, and in them were stored the treasures belonging to the Temple and its service; they were, therefore, the safety deposit vaults of that time for the Lord’s treasury. We can see the responsibility that rested upon those men, yet still greater responsibility rests upon us who have received of the Lord’s spiritual gifts and treasures, his great truth. If it was required of those men handling earthly treasures that they should be faithful and watchful, diligent, much more may this be reasonably required of us—‘A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify.” All of these lessons should come to us as fresh reminders of our responsibility, not for our discouragement, but reversely to make us more watchful, more careful, more zealous, more appreciative of the riches of God’s grace committed to us. Those of old time were to hide their treasure, but we are commanded to show ours on every oceasion—“Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works may glorify your Father who is in heaven.” The more we let our light shine, the brighter it will shine; the more we use and display the riches of God’s grace entrusted to us, the more valuable will be our treasure and the more safe we will be, for it is a treasure which our enemies will not really covet, and our faithfulness in acknowledging the Lord in all our ways will assure us of his protection and care. AT THE JOURNEY’S END Ezra and his company, after a four months’ journey, arrived safe at Jerusalem, the Lord having indeed kept them and delivered them from the marauding bands of enemies on the journey. Then it was that Ezra’s real work began. He found matters at Jerusalem and throughout Judea in a much worse condition than he had anticipated, and was used of the Lord in instituting a very radical national reformation which proved a great blessing to the people, though it sifted out some of their number. Ezra magnified the Law, showing the people how the calamities that had befallen them as a nation were all foretold in the Law and were all the result of a failure to keep the Law, and the proper course now was not only to rebuild the Temple, as they had done, but to go back to the Law and seek ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEcHENY, Pa. to keep it inviolate to the best of their ability. He pointed to the fact that they had made unlawful unions with the tribes and nationalities surrounding them, and that the only course remaining was to separate themselves from all heathen people. This involved special trouble and trial in cases where Jews had married heathen wives, and Ezra’s course would be toundly denounced by the entire civilized world today; but evidently he did the proper thing at the proper time in God’s estimation, and was the divine instrument in sharply separating between the Jews and other peoples. This spirit has persisted amongst the Jews ever since, and the effect has been what the Lord desired, the keeping of that nation and people comparatively separate and distinct from all others. True, it wrought great hardship upon the wives who were put away and the children who were thus alienated, though much the same course is today prescribed by law against the Mormons, and the wives of plural marriages and bigamists. A lesson for spiritual] Israelites may be found herein, though not according to the exact letter of Ezra’s teaching. The spiritual Israelite is directed by the Captain of our Sa vation, through the Apostle Paul as his mouthpiece, to be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers in marriage, and to have as little as possible to do with the world in general, Nevertheless the spiritual Israelite is enjoined that if the unbelieving husband or wife remain and it be possible to live together in unity even under trying circumstances, they should do it; but if the unbelieving one depart, let him depart, consider it to be of the Lord’s providence that the Israelite should be free from a vexatious alliance, though he would not be free to remarry. “HOW LOVE I THY LAW!’’ The call of Ezra’s teaching, enforced by the word of the Lord through the Law upon the Israelites who had gotten into worldly conditions and alliances, must have been very similar to the proclamation of present truth today amongst Protestants. After having come out of Babylon to the extent of leaving Roman Catholicism, they have become involved with the world in a system which may very properly be termed Babylonish—churchianity. The Lord’s people have entered worldly alliances through worldly sects and parties, contrary to the divine injunction and the spirit of the divine law, which commands us to be subject in religious matters to the Lord and to him alone. These misalliances with the daughters of Rome are so general in our day that only the Israelites indeed will have the spiritual ears to hear the message or the spiritual courage to break off the improper union, to stand out separate from all earthly alliances as the people of God, recognizing one Head of the one church whose names are written in heaven—recognizing as brethren all who are united to that one Head, and repudiating all false bodies of Christ (churches) as well as the false heads to which they are united. This is the particular trial apparently of our day. The voice of the Lord is being sounded forth in every quarter of Christendom, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen. Come out of her, my people, that ye partake not of her sins and receive not of her plagues.” The churchianity of Protestantism is but a transplanting of the spirit of Babylon to new ground, and brings into bondage all those who will associate with these sects and parties; and all who would be in full accord with the Lord and have his fullest blessing must be faithful to his message and stand firm and loyal to him at any cost. To such and such alone the message of the Lord is now going forth, proving a glorious blessing and uplift, bringing them nearer to the Lord and into closer fellowship with those who are truly his and most completely under the blessing and provisions which he has made for his faithful. Vou. XXVI ALLEGHENY, PA., NOVEMBER 15, 1905 No. 22 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER A BISHOP’S GLOOMY SURVEY “The growth of divorces and suicides, the trying controversy with regard to the education question, and many other things, had made many people anxious as to the future of the country, not to speak of the church.” This pessimistic utterance was made at a conference of clergy and church workers at Blandford by the Bishop of Salisbury, who added that there had been revealed to them the terrible fact that a great many were giving up public worship, and that a large proportion of the people of England paid little attention to religion at all. . The press states that when at the last convention of the “Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor” at Baltimore, the reports were read, showing the great growth of the Society in recent years, a delegate caused consternation by inquiring why every form of evil seems to be growing proportionately more rapidly. The same question would apply to nearly all the reports of Babylon’s expansion and federations. The trouble seems to be that it is not the right kind of religion that is being promulgated and “compassing sea and land.” ‘The fear of a hell of torment has for so long been the basis of all religious effort that now, when sensible people can no longer swallow it, and when it is no longer preached in intelligent communities, there is little left as a basis for Christian life. The public in general are ignorant of the faith and hopes set forth by the Bible; they are but “babes,” and the majority [3660]

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