1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

mire of sin and death. According to the Scriptures, weare near the time when Satan will be bound, when all theinfluences of evil amongst humanity will be restrained.According to the Scriptures, also, this binding of Satanwill be accomplished in a great "time of trouble such asnever was since there was a nation," and humanity willbe left in an almost dead condition. The pride, the hopes,the ambition of men will perish in that awful troubletime, but the Master will be present in Kingdom power touplift them.Messiah's Kingdom will not only bind the Adversaryand forbid him to re-enter humanity and interfere withtheir affairs, but the power of the Kingdom will for athousand years do an uplifting work amongst the fallenand degraded members of our race, lifting them up, up,up, until they will be fully up to the Divine standard, asrepresented in Father Adam--from which condition heoriginally fell through disobedience, and return to whichcondition has been secured for all through the merit ofJesus' sacrifice accomplished at Calvary.The disciples asked Jesus why they could not castout this demon. And so God's people many a time haveasked themselves, Why cannot we do more than we aredoing in the way of opposing Satan and Sin, and theirreign of evil? The answer of Jesus is applicable hereas well as there: "This kind cometh not out save by fastingand prayer." Undoubtedly God's people could accomplishmuch more in their own conflicts with Sin andSatan, and in helping others to get free from the powerof Sin, if we would always exercise full faith in theLord, and if we would continually live more in the spiritand less according to the flesh. This would mean fasting,or self-denial, and prayer, or fellowship with God. Tohim who believeth, every blessing belongs which God haspromised to His faithful ones, but we have the conditionsexpressed elsewhere by Jesus: "If ye abide in Me,and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,and it shall be done unto you."====================R5130 : page 346GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM--DECEMBER 8.--MATTHEW 18:1-14.--"In Heaven their angels do alwaysbehold the face of My Father."--V. 10.PERHAPS IT WAS the fact that Peter,James and John had been favored morethan the others on several occasions that ledto the query which opens today's study:"Who, then, is the greatest in the Kingdomof Heaven?" They knew, of course, as St.