1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
sheep's clothing." Among the wheat there are many tares; butwhen in "the harvest" ("the end of the age"), they are separated,then shall the righteous shine forth (be manifested) as the sun inthe kingdom of their Father--and then to the groaning creation(mankind) shall this "Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing inhis wings."But let us leave this bright and pleasant picture of the comingday, of which with the poet we could say:"Haste thee along, ages of glory,Haste the glad time when Christ appears," and turning, look at adark picture. Have you ever asked yourself, while rejoicing inthe glorious opportunities to be offered to mankind during theMillennial age,WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE DIEDbefore the plan of God has thus reached its fullness? There havelived on earth since creation (six thousand years), about onehundred and forty-three billions of human beings. Of these thevery broadest estimate that could be made with reason would be,that less than one billion were Saints of God--the Church-- theBride. What of the one hundred and forty-two billions who diedout of Christ? What is their condition?Atheism answers: They are eternally dead. There is no hereafter.They will never live again.Calvinism answers: They were not elected to be saved. Godforeordained and predestined them to be lost--to go to hell --andthey are there now, writhing in agony, where they will everremain without hope.Arminianism answers: We believe that God excuses them onaccount of ignorance, and that if they did the best they knewhow, they will be as sure of being a part of the "Church of theFirst-born" as is Paul himself.R257 : page 38To this last view the great majority of Christians of alldenominations hold, from a feeling that any other view would beirreconcilable with justice on God's part.But, we inquire, what do the Scriptures teach on this last point?That ignorance is a ground of salvation? No; the only conditionknown in Scripture is FAITH. "By grace are ye saved throughFAITH." Justification by faith is the ground-rock of the wholesystem of Christianity. When, on the day of Pentecost, Peter wasasked--"What must we do to be saved?" --he answered, "Believeon the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized, and thou shalt besaved."
Again he says, Acts 4:12, "There is none other name underheaven given among men whereby we must be saved," than thename of Jesus.Paul reasons that a man must hear the Gospel before he canbelieve: "How shall they believe on him of whom they have notheard?" This--God's plan--that men shall be saved on account offaith, Paul says was to the Jews a stumbling-block (because theyexpected salvation as a reward of keeping the Law) and to theGreeks (the worldly-wise) foolishness. But, nevertheless, it has"pleased God, by the foolishness (in the eyes of men) ofpreaching to saveTHEM WHICH BELIEVE."I want to Scripturally close you in to the thought, that all whohave not heard could not believe, and not believing, could not bea part of the Bride of Christ. But you object: Paul, in the firsttwo chapters of Romans, teaches, "that these having not the law,are a law unto themselves," and that this law, which theirconscience furnishes, is sufficient to justify them. No, I answer;you understand Paul differently from what he intended. Paul'sargument everywhere is that "all the world is guilty beforeGod." "For if I had not known the law I had not known sin.""For by the law is the knowledge of sin." The law given to theJew revealed his weakness, and was intendedR257 : page 39to show him that he was unable to justify himself before God."For by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his(God's) sight." As the law thus condemned the Jews, so Paulsays it is with the Gentiles also. Though ignorant of theR258 : page 39Law, they had light enough of conscience to condemn them.(All the light the Gentile could have would not justify sin; itwould all the more condemn them, as the written law did theJew.) "That every mouth may be stopped and all the world maybecome guilty before God," Rom. 3:19, in order that eternal lifemay be seen to be "the gift of God, through Jesus Christ, ourLord," to every one that believeth.Well, you answer, the Bible to the contrary, I believe and insistthat God won't damn the world for ignorance. Now, let us see.Do you practice what you declare? Why do you assist in sendingmissionaries to the heathen, at a cost of thousands of valuablelives and millions of money? If they will all be saved, or evenhalf of them, through ignorance, you do them a positive injury insending them a preacher to tell them of Christ, for we know thatonly about one in a thousand believes when the missionaries dogo to them. If your idea be correct, it were far better that nomissionary should ever be sent. Before, nearly all saved; now,
- Page 257 and 258: y human wisdom or knowledge, "not b
- Page 259 and 260: mercy endureth forever") but now du
- Page 261 and 262: and, like the paschal lamb, affecte
- Page 263 and 264: lifetime subject to bondage" --Let
- Page 265 and 266: and praying be the reason of the ke
- Page 267 and 268: "Well, are you redeemed?""Yes, I am
- Page 269 and 270: R247 : page 7WHAT WE EXPECT.The hop
- Page 271 and 272: heads, "standards" and "authorities
- Page 273 and 274: THE NEW VERSION.The revised version
- Page 275 and 276: the destruction of our globe, and t
- Page 277 and 278: occur in 1880 and 1881. But though
- Page 279 and 280: page iFOODFORTHINKING CHRISTIANS.--
- Page 281 and 282: among the good? Could he not have p
- Page 283 and 284: B.--But did not God implant in his
- Page 285 and 286: should disobey God, death would hav
- Page 287 and 288: in the forfeit of the sinner's life
- Page 289 and 290: The character and exclusive applica
- Page 291 and 292: nor by work he has since accomplish
- Page 293 and 294: C.--Now, another point: Are all our
- Page 295 and 296: Jesus is the head, is intended for
- Page 297 and 298: word of God true and Satan's statem
- Page 299 and 300: evil with good, we are misunderstoo
- Page 301 and 302: These evidently overlook the fact t
- Page 303 and 304: he were dealing by a rule of chance
- Page 305 and 306: SEPARATE AGES.The Patriarchal, last
- Page 307: complete, then the plan of God for
- Page 311 and 312: Another is: "There is one God, and
- Page 313 and 314: accomplished.--Vs. 28 to 33. The pr
- Page 315 and 316: THEIR FORMER ESTATE,"--restitution.
- Page 317 and 318: ighteousness to such a degree that
- Page 319 and 320: for the same reasons. But when God'
- Page 321 and 322: now they die for their own willful
- Page 323 and 324: Millennial reign. The glory of the
- Page 325 and 326: illustrated by angels--spiritual bo
- Page 327 and 328: the disciples did not see Christ's
- Page 329 and 330: the glory that shall be revealed (1
- Page 331 and 332: PRESENCE OF CHRIST BEFORE THERAPTUR
- Page 333 and 334: The Greek word generally used in re
- Page 335 and 336: will, viz., in oppressing and oppos
- Page 337 and 338: Some other powers of angels can be
- Page 339 and 340: execute from God, (Job 1:12), is it
- Page 341 and 342: expressed his belief that many of t
- Page 343 and 344: God, that ye may be able to withsta
- Page 345 and 346: of the old nature and newness of li
- Page 347 and 348: period of the judges until Samuel,
- Page 349 and 350: When the new Prince takes control,
- Page 351 and 352: mountains, [place of power], and sh
- Page 353 and 354: 15:28), whose will then will be "in
- Page 355 and 356: illion four hundred million) could
- Page 357 and 358: poured on the head ran down over th
sheep's clothing." Among the wheat there are many tares; butwhen in "the harvest" ("the end of the age"), they are separated,then shall the righteous shine forth (be manifested) as the sun inthe kingdom of their Father--and then to the groaning creation(mankind) shall this "Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing inhis wings."But let us leave this bright and pleasant picture of the comingday, of which with the poet we could say:"Haste thee along, ages of glory,Haste the glad time when Christ appears," and turning, look at adark picture. Have you ever asked yourself, while rejoicing inthe glorious opportunities to be offered to mankind during theMillennial age,WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE DIEDbefore the plan of God has thus reached its fullness? There havelived on earth since creation (six thousand years), about onehundred and forty-three billions of human beings. Of these thevery broadest estimate that could be made with reason would be,that less than one billion were Saints of God--the Church-- theBride. What of the one hundred and forty-two billions who diedout of Christ? What is their condition?Atheism answers: They are eternally dead. There is no hereafter.They will never live again.Calvinism answers: They were not elected to be saved. Godforeordained and predestined them to be lost--to go to hell --andthey are there now, writhing in agony, where they will everremain without hope.Arminianism answers: We believe that God excuses them onaccount of ignorance, and that if they did the best they knewhow, they will be as sure of being a part of the "Church of theFirst-born" as is Paul himself.R257 : page 38To this last view the great majority of Christians of alldenominations hold, from a feeling that any other view would beirreconcilable with justice on God's part.But, we inquire, what do the Scriptures teach on this last point?That ignorance is a ground of salvation? No; the only conditionknown in Scripture is FAITH. "By grace are ye saved throughFAITH." Justification by faith is the ground-rock of the wholesystem of Christianity. When, on the day of Pentecost, Peter wasasked--"What must we do to be saved?" --he answered, "Believeon the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized, and thou shalt besaved."
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