1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us thereforecast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor oflight. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in riotingand drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness,not in strife and envying."--Romans 13:12,13.THE SCRIPTURES call attention to the factthat there is a night of weeping in contrastwith a day of joy. (Psa. 30:5.) The"night" is that period of darkness whichset in after Adam fell. By one man's disobediencesin entered into the world, anddeath as the result of sin. (Romans 5:12,19.)Evil has brought sorrow and thedarkness of ignorance and superstitionamong mankind until human affairs havebecome demoralized. As the Prophet Isaiah says, "Darknessshall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people."--Isa. 60:2.There is however a morning promised. That morningis to be ushered in by the Sun of Righteousness, risingwith healing in His beams. (Mal. 4:2.) That Sun ofRighteousness is Christ and the Church with Him."Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in theKingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43)--Christ as theHead and the Church, which is His Body.Another Scripture speaks of the present as daytime:"I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it isday; the night cometh when no man can work." (John 9:4.)While for many centuries there has been a periodof darkness, nevertheless since the First Advent of ourLord the glorious light of Truth has had more effect uponthe world than at any previous time; for with the comingof our Lord Jesus a blessing came upon the world.At that time so much light came in, that the Gospel Agemay be called day in contrast with previous experiences.This day, in turn, gave place to a long period known asthe Dark Ages. Then, since the Reformation, a measureof light came in again, through certain influences whichhave brought blessings to the Lord's people. Now it istime for the Sun of Righteousness to rise with healingin His beams."THE MORNING COMETH"We believe that the day is actually at hand; that weare living in the early dawn of a New Dispensation, andthat as soon as the Harvest of the Gospel Age shall havebeen garnered, "the kingdoms of this world" shall, duringa great time of trouble, "become the Kingdom of ourLord and of His Christ."--Rev. 11:15.The Scriptures inform us that the period of time duringwhich the present dominion of Satan shall becomethe Kingdom of God's dear Son, will be a specially evilday. It will be a season in which all the children of