1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

aR4988 : page 87SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONSFEAR THE ADVERSARY'S TACTICSQuestion.--"Your Adversary, the devil, as a roaringlion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whomresist, steadfast in the faith." (I Pet. 5:8.) In whatsense does the Adversary go about as a roaring lion?Answer.--The Scriptures give us various illustrationsof Satan, the "angel of light." He is compared to a serpent,a roaring lion, etc. Of course, he does not fill all ofthese pictures at one moment, nor does he go about as aroaring lion all the time. It is the custom of the lion toroar when in pursuit of food. The roar of the lion makeshis prey--including human beings--semi-paralyzed. Frompersonal observation, we see that fear is one of the mostdisastrous things for the Lord's people to have--except"fear of the Lord," which is proper fear. As God incitesby love, so Satan incites through fear, through false doctrines,the root of error, which so terrorizes mankind asto the future. This kind of influence from the Adversaryis what is meant by the Apostle. But we are to resistSatan.Once the Apostles were under threat from the JewishSanhedrin; and they prayed, "Now, Lord, behold theirthreatenings." This statement, however, does not provethat the men of the Sanhedrin were devils, nor that theywere viciously inclined of themselves. So today there aresome people more or less beclouded by the threatenings ofthose who are seeking to intimidate the Lord's people.We are to be of good courage. When we hear the roaringof the lion we are to remember that the Lord is on ourpart and that He does not cause us to fear. The thoughtthat Satan opposes us and that we are contending, notmerely with the fallen flesh, but also with wicked spiritsin high positions of power, would appal us if we did not,by positiveness of decision, acquire great help from otherunseen powers. From the instant that we resist temptationand stand up for the Lord and His cause we become strongin the Lord and in the power of His might. "If God befor us, who can be against us?"LIGHT INCREASES RESPONSIBILITYQuestion.--"If I had not come and spoken unto them,they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for theirsin."--John 15:22. Please explain.Answer.--Our Lord explained to the Scribes andPharisees that the light of His teaching gave a greaterresponsibility to those who heard it than to those whohad not heard it. If they had never come in contact withthe light, they would never have sinned against the light;R4989 : page 87