1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
SPIRITUALISM.WHEREVER we find a counterfeit we may rest assured thereexists a genuine. If there were no genuine gold dollars, therecould be no base imitations or counterfeits. Then, too, the baseor spurious article must appear very much like the genuine, or itwould not be a counterfeit.This is what we claim relative to what is at the present timecalled "Spiritualism"--that it is a counterfeit of the true, as taughtin the Bible.Whoever has carefully searched the Scriptures cannot havefailed to see that, while God throughout all past ages hascondemned evil and sin in their various forms, and warned hischildren, both "Israel after the flesh" and also the spiritualchildren (the Gospel age Church), of the danger and bad resultsof evil, yet he has nevertheless permitted evil and good to standR265 : page 75side-by-side before the people for their choice. If we take heedto his Word we may discern which is evil, and, by obedience tothat Word, shun the evil and choose the good.God is the head and fountain of goodness and truth, and theScriptures teach that Satan is the head and fountain of all eviland error--"the father of lies" (deceptions). Both of these arespiritual beings. "God is a spirit," and Satan, as we haveheretofore shown, was once an angel of God--the chief or princeof "those angels which kept not their first (sinless) estate."These, though cast out from God's presence, are not yetdestroyed; they still possess their angelic nature, though throughsin they have become evil "angels;" consequently they still arespiritual beings (not human), and have the same powers as theyever had, and as good angels have, except that God has put themunder certain limitations and restraints which we shall morefully discuss farther along.If we trace them through the Scriptures we shall find that thesefallen spiritual beings have continually made use of theirspiritual--supernatural--powers to lead mankind astray intodisobedience of God and injury to themselves.Spiritual beings, as we have heretofore shown, possess powersgreater and higher than humanity. We have seen, from thestatements relative to good angels, that they can be present inour midst without our being conscious of their presence. (Theangel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.--Ps. 34:7. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth tominister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?--Heb. 1:14.)These, we have seen, have power to appear as a flame of fire(the angel of the Lord so appeared to Moses in the bush--Exod.3:2), and they can and have appeared as men.
Some other powers of angels can be discovered by examiningthe record; for instance, the angels who delivered Lot and hisfamily from Sodom had power to smite the rioters of Sodomwith blindness.--Gen. 19:11. An angel "did wondrously beforeManoah;" another performed a miracle before Gideon.--Judges6:21,R265 : page 76and 13-19. The angel of the Lord delivered the apostles fromprison, and yet left the prison-doors unmolested; again, an angeldelivered Peter from prison, the doors opening of their ownaccord.--Acts 5:19-23, and 12:8. On many occasions they madeknown to men things which were about to come to pass, etc.Now, the evil angels--"the devil and his angels"--have by naturethe very same powers, but are restrained. So much of evil as canbe overruled for good, and tend to the development ofexperience and the education and discipline of the "heirs of God,joint heirs with Jesus Christ"--is permitted, and the remainderrestrained. As God through his Spirit and influence works in andthrough men who give themselves up to his control, so doesSatan operate in and through those who "yield themselves asinstruments of unrighteousness unto sin." "His servants ye are towhom you render service." As Jesus said to some, "Ye are ofyour father the devil, for his works ye do."As "God in times past spake unto the fathers through theprophets," who were his mouthpieces, so Satan spake throughhis agents and agencies. His first agent was the serpent--itbecame his agent in beguiling Eve into disobedience. Satanmanifested his powers through the Magicians and Soothsayersof Babylon, and remarkably in those of Egypt, where God'spowers were manifested through Moses and Aaron beforePharaoh, while Satan's powers, of a similar kind, were used tooppose the truth for a time. Here these two spiritual powers werestrikingly manifested; both did miracles--things which menalone could not do, but which men possessed of evil and goodpowers did do.--Exod. 7:11-22, and 8:7-18. "There were falseprophets also among the people," who evidently spoke by aninspiration, or power in them almost like the real prophets ofGod; these were the counterfeits. (See 2 Peter 2:1; Jer. 23:21.)We are aware that to the worldly mind it seems superstitious tobelieve that men and women may be so given over ofthemselvesR265 : page 77to Satan, and so controlled by him as to be wizards and witches;but they are recognized as such in the Scriptures, and we believeit. Israel was commanded to put such to death.-- Exod. 22:18;Lev. 20:27, etc. Manasseh, king of Judah, made Judah to err,
- 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 and 308: complete, then the plan of God for
- Page 309 and 310: Again he says, Acts 4:12, "There is
- 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: will, viz., in oppressing and oppos
- 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
- Page 359 and 360: PART VI.----------THE PLAN OF THE A
- Page 361 and 362: The "HARVEST" at the end of the Jew
- Page 363 and 364: But Paul, surely God would not acce
- Page 365 and 366: (f) represents the (fire) trial thr
- Page 367 and 368: But remember that while justificati
- Page 369 and 370: shrink from the death of the human
- Page 371 and 372: in his due time become his Bride an
- Page 373 and 374: chief nation of earth--at the head
- Page 375 and 376: (ruach--the same breath said to be
- Page 377 and 378: the dead to the perfect new nature,
- Page 379 and 380: R277 : page 130 ago, the body very
- Page 381 and 382: learn that the texts referred to (a
- Page 383 and 384: perfectly, and filled with life. He
- Page 385 and 386: (and thus), lay hold on eternal lif
Some other powers of angels can be discovered by examiningthe record; for instance, the angels who delivered Lot and hisfamily from Sodom had power to smite the rioters of Sodomwith blindness.--Gen. 19:11. An angel "did wondrously beforeManoah;" another performed a miracle before Gideon.--Judges6:21,R265 : page 76and 13-19. The angel of the Lord delivered the apostles fromprison, and yet left the prison-doors unmolested; again, an angeldelivered Peter from prison, the doors opening of their ownaccord.--Acts 5:19-23, and 12:8. On many occasions they madeknown to men things which were about to come to pass, etc.Now, the evil angels--"the devil and his angels"--have by naturethe very same powers, but are restrained. So much of evil as canbe overruled for good, and tend to the development ofexperience and the education and discipline of the "heirs of God,joint heirs with Jesus Christ"--is permitted, and the remainderrestrained. As God through his Spirit and influence works in andthrough men who give themselves up to his control, so doesSatan operate in and through those who "yield themselves asinstruments of unrighteousness unto sin." "His servants ye are towhom you render service." As Jesus said to some, "Ye are ofyour father the devil, for his works ye do."As "God in times past spake unto the fathers through theprophets," who were his mouthpieces, so Satan spake throughhis agents and agencies. His first agent was the serpent--itbecame his agent in beguiling Eve into disobedience. Satanmanifested his powers through the Magicians and Soothsayersof Babylon, and remarkably in those of Egypt, where God'spowers were manifested through Moses and Aaron beforePharaoh, while Satan's powers, of a similar kind, were used tooppose the truth for a time. Here these two spiritual powers werestrikingly manifested; both did miracles--things which menalone could not do, but which men possessed of evil and goodpowers did do.--Exod. 7:11-22, and 8:7-18. "There were falseprophets also among the people," who evidently spoke by aninspiration, or power in them almost like the real prophets ofGod; these were the counterfeits. (See 2 Peter 2:1; Jer. 23:21.)We are aware that to the worldly mind it seems superstitious tobelieve that men and women may be so given over ofthemselvesR265 : page 77to Satan, and so controlled by him as to be wizards and witches;but they are recognized as such in the Scriptures, and we believeit. Israel was commanded to put such to death.-- Exod. 22:18;Lev. 20:27, etc. Manasseh, king of Judah, made Judah to err,
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