1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

11.07.2015 Views

invitation is extended to all who love the Lord in sincerityand truth and who are trusting in the merit of His blood andare fully consecrated to His service. Others who are seekingsuch a fellowship Divine are also invited.Those desirous of accommodations will please address theSociety, the London Tabernacle. An opportunity for symbolizingconsecration unto death by water immersion will beafforded. Robes and everything else necessary will beprovided.A large attendance is confidently expected. It is to be hopedthat all present will receive a heavenly benediction and beenabled to carry home with them refreshment to those notprivileged to attend.To those who cannot attend this convention we suggest afellowship of spirit during the days of the convention--thattheir thoughts be with the convention and their prayers also;that thus bearing up the interests of the brethren at the throneof grace they may have a share also in the refreshments ofthese seasons.==========BETHEL HYMNS FOR JULYAfter the close of the hymn the Bethel Family listens to thereading of "My Vow Unto the Lord," then joins in prayer. Atthe breakfast table the MANNA text is considered. Hymns forJuly follow:--(1) 205; (2) 105; (3) 129; (4) 238; (5) 60;(6) 67; (7) 120; (8) 325; (9) 214; (10) 20; (11) 145; (12) 198;(13) 127; (14) 106; (15) 182; (16) 75; (17) 7; (18) 126;(19) 22; (20) 333; (21) 229; (22) 107; (23) 217; (24) 78;(25) 170; (26) 30; (27) 320; (28) 313; (29) 50; (30) 109;(31) Vow.====================R5043 : page 191HOW JESUS PREACHED TO SPIRITS IN PRISON"Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust,that He might bring us to God, being put to death in theflesh, but quickened in the spirit, by which [twoexperiences--death and resurrection] He preachedunto the spirits in prison."--1 Peter 3:18,19.THIS TEXT has been made the basis for somepeculiar presentations. From it some havededuced an intermediate state lasting betweendeath and the resurrection. Othershave claimed it as an authority for thedoctrine of Purgatory. The difficulty inevery case seems to be the failure to rememberthat the Bible always and everywhereteaches that the dead are really dead, thatthey know nothing, and that, therefore, it

would be impossible to do any preaching to the deadhumans. Undoubtedly the theory that people are morealive after they die than when they were alive is responsiblefor nearly all of the foolish things which we haveall at some time professed to believe.Before dismissing the thought that these "spirits inprison" are human spirits, let us note the fact that to say,"human spirits," is an absurdity of itself, because humanbeings are not spirits and spirit beings are not humans."Who maketh His angels spirits," is the Scriptural proposition.True, we do sometimes speak of humans aspossessing a spirit of life, but by this we merely meanthat they possess the power or energy of life, and thesame would be equally true of the lower orders of creation,beasts, fish, fowl, etc.Again, we sometimes speak of the Church as spiritbeings--begotten of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Apostlespeaks of the natural man in contrast with the NewCreature, a spirit being. To appreciate this statement wemust remember that the Church class receive the begettingof the Holy Spirit to the end that, if faithful, theymay attain unto a spirit resurrection and become spiritbeings, like unto the angels and like to the Redeemer.But we are not spirits yet, except by faith--by hope. However,the context shows the Apostle had no referenceto the Church, either: we were not in prison; we receivedthe message of salvation through the Apostles.SPIRITS ONCE DISOBEDIENTThe spirits to whom the message was given had proventhemselves disobedient, says St. Peter. He even tells usthe time of their disobedience, namely, that it was "in thedays of Noah, while the ark was preparing." Surely, ifnoticing these particulars mentioned in the context, noone would be excusable for misunderstanding this Scriptureand considering it in any way applicable to humanityof our day or to humanity in general. However, it ishelpful to us to learn the full particulars of the matter.What was their disobedience, and when and how werethey imprisoned?Turning to Genesis 6:1-5, we find there the cause ofthe disobedience of those angels, who for a time had beenpermitted to see what they could do for the uplift ofhumanity, or, rather, permitted to demonstrate that thedownward tendency of sin is incurable except in themanner which God has already arranged throughMessiah and His glorious reign of a thousand years.Instead of those angels helping mankind out of sinthey helped themselves into sin, and by so doing they increasedthe depravity amongst humanity until the astoundingrecord is that "the wickedness of man was greatin the earth, and that every imagination of the thought ofhis heart was only evil continually." The particular sinof those angels was that when they were granted theprivilege of materializing--of taking human bodies for

invitation is extended to all who love the Lord in sincerityand truth and who are trusting in the merit of His blood andare fully consecrated to His service. Others who are seekingsuch a fellowship Divine are also invited.Those desirous of accommodations will please address theSociety, the London Tabernacle. An opportunity for symbolizingconsecration unto death by water immersion will beafforded. Robes and everything else necessary will beprovided.A large attendance is confidently expected. It is to be hopedthat all present will receive a heavenly benediction and beenabled to carry home with them refreshment to those notprivileged to attend.To those who cannot attend this convention we suggest afellowship of spirit during the days of the convention--thattheir thoughts be with the convention and their prayers also;that thus bearing up the interests of the brethren at the throneof grace they may have a share also in the refreshments ofthese seasons.==========BETHEL HYMNS FOR JULYAfter the close of the hymn the Bethel Family listens to thereading of "My Vow Unto the Lord," then joins in prayer. Atthe breakfast table the MANNA text is considered. Hymns forJuly follow:--(1) 205; (2) 105; (3) 129; (4) 238; (5) 60;(6) 67; (7) 120; (8) 325; (9) 214; (10) 20; (11) 145; (12) 198;(13) 127; (14) 106; (15) 182; (16) 75; (17) 7; (18) 126;(19) 22; (20) 333; (21) 229; (22) 107; (23) 217; (24) 78;(25) 170; (26) 30; (27) 320; (28) 313; (29) 50; (30) 109;(31) Vow.====================R5043 : page 191HOW JESUS PREACHED TO SPIRITS IN PRISON"Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust,that He might bring us to God, being put to death in theflesh, but quickened in the spirit, by which [twoexperiences--death and resurrection] He preachedunto the spirits in prison."--1 Peter 3:18,19.THIS TEXT has been made the basis for somepeculiar presentations. From it some havededuced an intermediate state lasting betweendeath and the resurrection. Othershave claimed it as an authority for thedoctrine of Purgatory. The difficulty inevery case seems to be the failure to rememberthat the Bible always and everywhereteaches that the dead are really dead, thatthey know nothing, and that, therefore, it

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