Data publicării
01.04.1913
Volumul
34
Numărul
7
Turnul de veghe
"Shall a Nation be Born at Once?"
../literature/watchtower/1913/7/1913-7-2.html
(101-102) 
THE 
T17 
ATe 
TOW 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y. 
tenor 
of 
the 
Scriptures 
upholds 
the 
assertion 
that 
there 
is 
such 
being 
as 
Satan 
and 
that 
he 
is 
in 
opposition 
to 
God. 
If 
we 
were.. 
to 
suppose 
the 
everlasting 
continuance 
of 
Satan 
as 
being, 
as 
an 
adversary 
of 
God, 
the 
matter 
would 
seem 
strange 
to 
us, 
because 
irreconcilable 
with 
our 
conception 
of 
divine 
power. 
We 
have 
the 
statement 
of 
the 
Scriptures 
respect­ 
ing 
his 
reign 
and 
ultimate 
destruction. 
(Hebrews 
:14) 
With 
this 
information 
we 
have 
reasonable, 
logical 
thought 
on 
the 
subject. 
When 
we 
consider 
the 
Scriptural 
presentation 
further, 
that 
originally 
Satan 
was 
not 
an 
evil 
being, 
but 
that 
he 
made 
himself 
evil 
by 
the 
exercise 
of 
personal 
liberty 
and 
be­ 
came 
the 
enemy 
of 
God, 
the 
subject 
seems 
to 
be 
clear 
and 
reasonable. 
In 
fact, 
this 
is 
the 
only 
rational 
solution 
to 
the 
problem 
of 
his 
existence. 
To 
suppose 
that 
there 
is 
no 
Satan 
is 
to 
suppose 
that 
God 
has 
permitted 
his 
Word 
to 
deceive 
mankind 
in 
this 
respect, 
or 
that 
the 
devil 
is 
manifestation 
of 
God 
himself-a 
position 
which 
is 
unthinkable. 
or 
is 
it 
logiral 
to 
say 
that 
there 
is 
devil, 
an 
opponent 
of 
God, 
and 
at 
the 
same 
time 
to 
maintain 
that 
God 
is 
all 
in 
all, 
and 
omnipresent-everywhere 
present. 
But 
we 
do 
not 
fina 
this 
latter 
statement 
to 
be 
Biblical. 
The 
Scriptural 
proposition 
is 
that 
at 
the 
close 
of 
the 
Millennial 
age, 
when 
Christ 
shall 
have 
conquered 
sin 
and 
Satan, 
when 
Satan 
shall 
have 
been 
destroyed, 
and 
when 
the 
empire 
of 
the 
universe 
shall 
be 
in 
absolute 
harmony, 
then 
God 
will 
be 
all 
in 
all. 
(1 
Corinthians 
15: 
28) 
To 
all 
eternity 
there 
will 
be 
no 
opposition 
to 
his 
will. 
There 
is 
opposition 
now, 
however, 
in 
many 
places 
and 
at 
many 
times. 
But 
ultimately, 
God 
will 
have 
full 
control. 
THE 
OMNIPOTENCE 
OF 
JEHOVAH 
To 
say 
that 
God 
is 
all 
power 
is 
sophistry 
of 
language 
which 
often 
misleads 
the 
one 
questioning 
as 
well 
as 
the 
one 
attempt­ 
ing 
to 
answer 
him. 
The 
statement 
is 
not 
correct. 
If 
God 
is 
all 
power, 
then 
he 
is 
not 
love 
or 
justire 
or 
wisdom. 
He 
would 
thus 
be 
limited 
to 
the 
one 
great 
attribute 
of 
power, 
or 
force. 
Such 
cannot 
be 
the 
thought 
entertained 
by 
any 
logical 
mind. 
It 
is, 
nevertheless, 
form 
of 
statement 
that 
is 
often 
used, 
per­ 
haps 
unintentionally, 
but 
very 
injuriously 
to 
the 
reasoning 
faculties. 
The 
Bible 
nowhere 
says 
God 
is 
all 
power. 
There 
is 
marked 
difference 
between 
being 
power 
and 
exercising 
power. 
God 
is 
all-powerful. 
He 
has 
the 
ability 
to 
exercise 
power 
in 
any 
dirertion 
to 
the 
extent 
that 
he 
wills. 
If 
he 
had 
chosen, 
he 
could 
have 
so 
created 
Satan 
that 
he 
could 
not 
think 
or 
do 
othpr 
than 
in 
harmony 
with 
the 
divine 
will; 
or 
he 
could 
have 
exercispd 
his 
power 
to 
crush 
the 
adversary 
and 
thus 
have 
des­ 
troyeil 
him 
long 
ago. 
But 
he 
has 
permitted 
Satan 
to 
exist 
for 
six 
thousand 
years, 
in 
the 
sense 
that 
he 
does 
not 
restrain 
the 
i1evil 
from 
doing 
evil. 
The 
Scriptures, 
however, 
tell 
us 
that 
Goil 
will 
eventually 
destroy 
him. 
The 
scope 
of 
the 
exercise 
of 
<livinp 
power 
is 
the 
universe, 
hilt 
it 
is 
difficult 
for 
our 
finite 
minils 
to 
comprehend 
the 
mean­ 
ing 
of 
this 
word----'universe. 
Astronomers 
tell 
us 
that 
by 
the 
airl 
of 
photo-astronomy 
they 
ean 
see 
nearly 
125,000,000 
suns­ 
the 
eenters 
of 
solar 
systems 
like 
0111' 
o",n, 
with 
supposeilly 
more 
than 
billion 
of 
planets 
more 
or 
less 
like 
our 
earth. 
These, 
we 
may 
assume, 
are 
in 
proeess 
of 
rlevelopment, 
arc 
in 
preparation 
for 
inhnhitants, 
whom 
the 
great 
Creator 
will 
in 
due 
time 
pro­ 
vide. 
From 
the 
Seriptnral 
stnndpoint, 
howevpr, 
the 
great 
work 
of 
human 
ereation 
began 
with 
our 
earth. 
What 
bound­ 
less 
thought 
we 
have 
in 
the 
mere 
suggestion 
that 
the 
billion 
worlds 
are 
to 
he 
peopled. 
and 
that 
the 
lessons 
of 
righteousness 
and 
sin, 
of 
life 
anrl 
denth 
dernnl, 
now 
being 
taught 
to 
human­ 
ity, 
will 
never 
Med 
to 
be 
repeated! 
We 
stnnd 
appalleil 
at 
the 
immensity 
of 
spnce 
anil 
at 
the 
law 
ani! 
orilpr 
which 
everywhere 
reign! 
We 
heartily 
assent 
to 
the 
words 
of 
the 
Prophet 
Dnvid, 
"Dny 
unto 
i1ay 
uttereth 
speech, 
and 
night 
unto 
night 
showeth 
knowleilge. 
Therp 
is 
no 
speeeh 
nor 
l:mguage 
wherr' 
thPir 
voice 
is 
not 
heard." 
(Psalm 
19: 
2, 
3) 
The 
person 
who 
enn 
look 
UDon 
this 
wonilerful 
i1is­ 
play 
of 
superhuman 
power 
anil 
believe 
that 
these 
worlds 
ereated 
themsclvps, 
shows 
to 
the 
majority 
of 
us 
that, 
if 
he 
has 
brains, 
they 
arc 
sadly 
disordereil. 
unhal:meerl. 
Whopver, 
after 
mature 
thought, 
eoneluileR 
that 
there 
is 
no 
nod, 
that 
everything 
eame 
to 
be 
what 
it 
is 
hy 
rhanee 
01' 
by 
the 
operation 
of 
some 
blind 
forre-that 
11('1'><011 
is 
!leseribrd 
in 
the 
Seriptures 
in 
the 
follow­ 
ing 
words. 
"The 
fool 
llath 
said 
in 
his 
IIPart, 
There 
is 
no 
God." 
-Psalm 
14:1. 
As 
seientific 
instruIJH'nts 
demonstrate 
to 
us 
the 
immensity 
of 
the 
universe, 
we 
pereeive 
that 
the 
Prophet 
used 
very 
mod­ 
erate 
language 
indeed 
in 
his 
i1eseription 
of 
the 
majestie 
power 
anrl 
greatness 
of 
the 
Creator, 
when 
he 
represents 
.Tehovah 
as 
weighiug 
the 
mountains 
in 
his 
ba 
Innee 
and 
holilinsr 
the 
seas 
in 
the 
hollow 
of 
his 
hanil. 
(Isaiah 
40: 
12) 
From 
his 
stanilpoint, 
thousand 
years 
are 
bnt 
as 
wateh 
in 
the 
night. 
(PRalm 
90:4) 
How 
insignificantly 
small 
we 
an 
fep] 
in 
the 
prcspnee 
of 
our 
.r::."i1! 
No 
wonder 
some 
great 
men 
are 
inclineil 
to 
say 
that 
humanity 
is 
too 
insignificant 
from 
the 
divine 
standpoint 
to 
be 
worthy 
of 
the 
least 
consideration-much 
less 
to 
be 
objects 
of 
divine 
care 
and 
providence! 
THE 
OMNISCIENCE 
OF 
JEHOVAH 
To 
say 
that 
God 
is 
all 
knowledge 
is 
also 
an 
inaccurate 
statement. 
If 
God 
were 
all 
knowledge, 
how 
could 
he 
be 
all 
powed 
God 
has 
all 
knowledge, 
possesses 
all 
knowledge. 
But 
this 
is 
different 
matter. 
If 
we 
say, 
"The 
boy 
has 
hOOp," 
we 
do 
not 
mean 
that 
he 
is 
hoop. 
To 
be 
hoop 
and 
to 
have 
<>, 
hoop 
are 
not 
the 
same. 
God 
is 
omniscient; 
that 
is, 
he 
knows 
all 
things. 
This 
very 
fact 
proves 
that 
he 
is 
personal 
God. 
There 
can 
be 
no 
knowledge 
without 
personality. 
Knowledge 
implies 
cognizance 
of 
external 
things. 
Amongst 
the 
things 
outside 
the 
divine 
Person 
are 
things 
both 
good 
and 
evil. 
When 
we 
read 
that 
God 
created 
man 
in 
his 
own 
image 
and 
likeness 
(Genesis 
1: 
26, 
27), 
we 
may 
know 
that 
man 
is 
not 
God. 
Re 
was 
merely 
made 
in 
the 
image 
of 
God. 
Beeause 
God 
is 
perfect, 
therefore 
the 
human 
being 
made 
in 
his 
image 
would 
he 
satisfactory 
to 
God. 
That 
human 
being 
had 
knowledge. 
But 
he 
neglected 
the 
Word 
of 
God, 
and 
thus 
he 
learned 
some­ 
thing 
by 
his 
neglect. 
What 
he 
learned 
is 
mentioned 
in 
the 
Scriptures. 
"He 
is 
become 
as 
one 
of 
us 
[the 
Elohim], 
to 
know 
good 
and 
eviL" 
(Genesis 
3: 
22) 
This 
statement 
prove!' 
that 
God 
knows 
good 
and 
evil. 
If 
God 
did 
not 
know 
evil 
from 
good, 
then 
he 
could 
not 
be 
our 
Instructor. 
By 
his 
laws, 
his 
principles, 
God 
sets 
be­ 
fore 
our 
minils 
that 
which 
is 
right 
and 
that 
which 
is 
wrong. 
Adam 
knew 
how 
to 
discriminate 
between 
right 
and 
wrong, 
but 
his 
disobedience 
increased 
his 
knowledge 
of 
both 
good 
and 
evil. 
In 
his 
fallen 
condition 
man 
cannot 
always 
determine 
be­ 
tween 
them. 
Therefore 
God 
gave 
Israel 
law, 
and 
man's 
knowledge 
of 
that 
law 
assists 
him 
to 
discriminate 
between 
good 
and 
evil. 
One 
of 
old 
time 
said, 
"Thou 
art 
God 
which 
hidest 
thy­ 
self." 
(Isaiah 
45: 
15) 
How 
true! 
As 
result 
the 
world 
by 
wisdom 
knows 
not 
God. 
He 
is 
near 
in 
his 
wisdom 
and 
love, 
yet 
he 
can 
be 
seen 
only 
by 
those 
whose 
eyes 
of 
understanding 
have 
been 
opened. 
But 
we 
are 
glad 
that 
the 
time 
is 
coming 
when 
all 
the 
blind 
eyes 
shall 
see 
clearly. 
"As 
truly 
as 
live," 
says 
Jehovah, 
"all 
the 
earth 
shall 
be 
fillerl 
with 
the 
glory 
of 
the 
Lord." 
"The 
earth 
shall 
be 
filled 
with 
the 
knowledge 
of 
the 
glory 
of 
the 
Lord, 
as 
the 
waters 
eover 
the 
sea." 
(Num. 
14:21; 
Hab.2:14) 
Then 
all 
shall 
sep 
what 
God 
hath 
wrought, 
and 
our 
temporary 
blindnpss 
will 
hut 
accentuate 
the 
glorious 
brightnpss 
of 
his 
wisdom, 
justice, 
love 
and 
power. 
"GOD 
IS 
LOVE" 
God 
is 
love 
in 
the 
sense 
that 
the 
term 
love 
represents 
the 
central 
principle 
of 
the 
divine 
character. 
There 
is 
nothing 
contrary 
to 
love 
in 
God. 
The 
Scriptures 
do 
not 
teach 
that 
th!'re 
is 
nothing 
except 
love 
anywhere-that 
Goil 
is 
everywhere 
and 
love 
is 
everywhere. 
But 
they 
teaeh 
that 
God 
is 
loving 
eharacter. 
This 
dol'S 
not 
militate 
against 
the 
other 
statements 
that 
Goil 
is 
just, 
wise 
and 
powerful. 
But 
this 
quality 
of 
love 
hest 
of 
all 
represents 
the 
divine 
Being-. 
All 
of 
his 
justiee 
is 
in 
harmony 
with 
his 
love. 
There 
is 
no 
exercise 
of 
justiee 
or 
power 
in 
an 
evil 
spnse, 
for 
all 
his 
attributes 
work 
together 
fOT 
good 
to 
aU 
his 
creatures. 
The 
Scriptures 
encourage 
us 
to 
reason 
from 
the 
known 
to 
the 
unknown. 
They 
tell 
us 
that 
although 
God 
is 
so 
great, 
so 
wise, 
so 
powerful, 
he 
is 
also 
just 
and 
lovin~. 
Anil 
the 
more 
we 
consiiler 
the 
matter, 
the 
more 
reasonahle 
the 
Bihle 
descrip­ 
tion 
of 
the 
Almighty 
appears. 
His 
power 
we 
see 
i1pmonstrated. 
The 
wisdom 
of 
One 
so 
great 
cannot 
be 
doubted. 
When 
we 
Come 
to 
consider, 
Could 
One 
so 
wise 
and 
so 
powerful 
be 
unjust 
or 
ungenerous' 
Our 
hearts 
answer, 
Nol 
No 
one 
is 
reany 
great 
who 
is 
dpvoid 
of 
justiee 
and 
love. 
So 
surely 
as 
our 
God 
is 
.Tehovah, 
he 
must 
posspss 
these 
qualities. 
When 
we 
came 
in 
contact 
with 
the 
Bible, 
Rnd 
particularly 
after 
we 
learned 
something 
of 
its 
teaehings 
and 
got 
rid 
of 
the 
misrepresentations 
which 
gathered 
abcmt 
it 
during 
the 
dark 
ages-then 
we 
began 
to 
reeognize 
it 
as 
the 
mpssage 
of 
.Jehovah 
to 
his 
('reatures. 
It 
informs 
us 
that 
the 
great 
Creator 
of 
thp 
universe 
is 
not 
only 
almighty 
and 
all-wise, 
but 
loving 
and 
kind, 
with 
Justice 
as 
the 
foundation 
of 
his 
empire. 
(Psalm 
89: 
13, 
14) 
From 
the 
Bible 
WI' 
learn, 
too, 
that 
our 
Creator 
has 
been 
pleaseil 
to 
make 
us 
in 
his 
own 
image, 
in 
his 
own 
moral 
likeness, 
to 
the 
intent 
that 
we 
may 
enjoy 
him 
and 
the 
fruits 
of 
his 
righteousness 
to 
all 
eternity. 
All 
the 
power, 
all 
the 
justice, 
all 
the 
wisdom, 
of 
God 
must 
be 
used 
in 
accordanee 
with 
his 
own 
character, 
whieh 
is 
love. 
rt 
will 
therefore 
be 
loving 
wisdom, 
loving 
justice, 
whieh 
he 
will 
use 
toward 
all 
creation 
in 
the 
exercise 
of 
his 
loving 
powl1r 
for 
their 
good. 
He 
created 
man. 
He 
permitted 
Adam 
to 
disobey 
[5210J 
THE (101-102) tenor of the Scriptures upholds the assertion that there is such a being as Satan and that he is in opposition to God. If we were.to suppose the everlasting continuance of Satan as a being, as an adversary of God, the matter would seem strange to us, because irreconcilable with our conception of divine power. We have the statement of the Scriptures respecting his reign and ultimate destruction. (Hebrews 2:14) With this information we have a reasonable, logical thought on the subject. When we consider the Scriptural presentation further, that originally Satan was not an evil being, but that he made himself evil by the exercise of personal liberty and became the enemy of God, the subject seems to be clear and reasonable. In fact, this is the only rational solution to the problem of his existence. To suppose that there is no Satan is to suppose that God has permitted his Word to deccive mankind in this respect, or that the devil is a manifestation of God himself—a position which is unthinkable. Nor is it logical to say that there is a devil, an opponent of God, and at the same time to maintain that God is all in all, and omnipresent—everywhere present. But we do not find this latter statement to be Biblical. The Scriptural proposition is that at the close of the Millennial age, when Christ shall have conquered sin and Satan, when Satan shall have been destroyed, and when the empire of the universe shall he in absolute harmony, then God will be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28) To all eternity there will be no opposition to his will. There is opposition now, however, in many places and at many times. But ultimately, God will have full control. THE OMNIPOTENCE OF JEHOVAH To say that God is all power is sophistry of language which often misleads the one questioning as well as the one attempting to answer him. The statement is not correct. If God is all power, then he is not love or justice or wisdom. He would thus be limited to the one great attribute of power, or force. Such cannot be the thought entertained by any logical mind. It is, nevertheless, a form of statement that is often used, perhaps unintentionally, but very injuriously to the reasoning faculties. The Bible nowhere says God is all power. There is a marked difference between being power and exercising power. God is all-powerful. Hfe has the ability to exercise power in any direction to the extent that he wills. If he had chosen, he could have so created Satan that he could not think or do other than in harmony with the divine will; or he could have exercised his power to crush the adversary and thus have destroyed him long ago. But he has permitted Satan to exist for six thousand years, in the sense that he does not restrain the devil from doing evil. The Scriptures, however, tell us that xod will eventually destroy him. The scope of the excercise of divine power is the universe, hut it is difficult for our finite minds to comprehend the meaning of this word—-universe. Astronomers tell us that by the aid of photo-astronomy they ean see nearly 125,000,000 suns— the centers of solar systems like our own, with supposedly more than a billion of planets more or less like our earth. These, we may assume, are in process of development, are in preparation for inhabitants, whom the great Creator will in due time provide. From the Scriptural standpoint, however, the great work of human creation began with our earth. What a boundless thought we have in the mere suggestion that the billion worlds are to he peopled, and that the lessons of righteousness and sin, of life and death eternal, now being taught to humanity, will never need to be repeated! We stand appalled at the immensity of space and at the law and order which everywhere reign! We heartily assent to the words of the Prophet David, ‘‘Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.’’ (Psalm 19:2, 3) The person who can look upon this wonderful display of superhuman power and believe that these worlds created themselves, shows to the majority of us that, if he has brains, they are sadly disordered, unbalaneed. Whoever, after mature thought, coneludes that there is no God, that everything came to be what it is by chanee or hy the operation of some blind foree—that person is deserihed in the Seriptures in the following words, ‘‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.’’ —Psalm 14:1. As scientific instruments demonstrate to us the immensity of the universe, we perceive that the Prophet used very moderate language indeed in his description of the majestic power and greatness of the Creator, when he represents Jehovah as weighing the mountains in his balance and holding the seas in the hollow of his hand. (Isaiah 40:12) From his standpoint, a thousand years are but as a watch in the nicht. (Psalm 90:4) How insignificantly small we all feel in the presence of our Gad! No wonder some great men are inclined to say that WATCH TOWER Brooktyn, N. Y, humanity is too insignificant from the divine standpoint to be worthy of the least consideration—much less to be objects of divine care and providence! THE OMNISCIENCE OF JEHOVAH To say that God is all knowledge is also an inaccurate statement. If God were all knowledge, how could he be all power? God has all knowledge, possesses all knowledge. But this is a different matter. If we say, ‘‘The boy has a hoop,’?’ we do not mean that he is a hoop. To be a hoop and to have ° hoop are not the same. God is omniscient; that is, he knows all things. This very fact proves that he is a personal God. There can be no knowledge without personality. Knowledge implies cognizance of external things. Amongst the things outside the divine Person are things both good and evil. When we read that God created man in his own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26, 27), we may know that man is not God. He was merely made in the image of God. Because God is perfect, therefore the human being made in his image would be satisfactory to God. That human being had knowledge. But he neglected the Word of God, and thus he learned something by his neglect. What he learned is mentioned in the Scriptures. ‘‘He is become as one of us [the Elohim], to know good and evil.’’ (Genesis 3:22) This statement proves that God knows good and evil. If God did not know evil from good, then he could not be our Instructor. By his laws, his principles, God sets before our minds that which is right and that which is wrong. Adam knew how to discriminate between right and wrong, but his disobedience increased his knowledge of both good and evil. In his fallen condition man cannot always determine between them. Therefore God gave Israel a law, and man’s knowledge of that law assists him to discriminate between good and evil. One of old time said, ‘‘Thou art a God which hidest thyself.’’? (Isaiah 45:15) How true! As a result the world by wisdom knows not God. He is near in his wisdom and love, yet he can be seen only by those whose eyes of understanding have been opened. But we are glad that the time is coming when all the blind eyes shall see clearly. “‘As truly as I live,” says Jehovah, “all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Num. 14:21; Hab. 2:14) Then all shall see what God hath wrought, and our temporary blindness wil] but accentuate the glorious brightness of his wisdom, justice, love and power. “GOD IS LOVE”’ God is love in the sense that the term love represents the central principle of the divine character. There is nothing contrary to love in God. The Scriptures do not teach that there is nothing except love anywhere—that God is everywhere and love is everywhere. But they teach that God is a loving character. This does not militate against the other statements that God is just, wise and powerful. But this quality of love best of all represents the divine Being. All of his justice is in harmony with his love. There is no exercise of justice or power in an evil sense, for all his attributes work together for good to all his creatures. The Scriptures eneourage us to reason from the known to the unknown. They tell us that although God is so great, so wise, so powerful, he is also just and loving. And the more we consider the matter, the more reasonable the Bible description of the Almighty appears. His power we see demonstrated. The wisdom of One so great cannot be doubted. When we come to consider, Could One so wise and so powerful be unjust or ungenerous? Our hearts answer, No! No one is really great who is devoid of justice and love. So surely as our God is Jehovah, he must possess these qualities. ‘When we came in contact with the Bible, and particularly after we learned something of its teachings and got rid of the misrepresentations which gathered abeut it during the dark ages—then we began to recognize it as the message of Jehovah to his ereatures. It informs us that the great Creator of the universe is not only almighty and all-wise, but loving and kind, with Justice as the foundation of his empire. (Psalm 89:13, 14) From the Bible we learn, too, that our Creator has heen pleased to make us in his own image, in his own mora] likeness, to the intent that we may enjoy him and the fruits of his righteousness to all eternity. All the power, all the justice, all the wisdom, of God must be used in accordance with his own character, which is love. It will therefore be loving wisdom, loving justice, which he will use toward all creation in the exercise of his loving power for their good. He created man. He permitted Adam to disobey [5210]

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