1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

flourish and "evil doers shall be cut off"--"in His day"--theMillennial day.Generosity, benevolence, and good will, are beautiful andcommendable traits of character when centered on proper objects,but if extended towards the enemies of God, they becomeobnoxious in his sight, and worthy of condemnation. When the lawof God condemned a guilty criminal to death, all Israel wascommanded to stone him, thus expressing their acquiescence andapproval of God's judgment. (Deut. 13:9.)To claim a generosity and benevolence beyond that expressed in theWord of God, is to assume superiority to God, and is very un-Christlike. He who sympathizes with the evil doer whom Godcondemns, is partaker of his evil deeds. (2 John 11; Psa. 15:4.)Let us seek God's will in God's way and it will speedily reprove andcorrect the vanity of frail humanity, should it attempt to be eitherwise or benevolent above and beyond what is written. "The meekwill he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach His way."Psa. 25:9. Let all the meek answer with assurance, "Great andmarvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thyways."R764 : page 5===================="BEFORE honor is humility; and before exaltation is humiliation.Pride is a besetting sin of this age, and spiritual pride is one of thedevil's strongest snares. Beware of these pitfalls."R764 : page 5====================EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION."It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation tothem that trouble you: and to you who are troubled, rest, [together]with us; when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven withhis mighty angels [agencies], in flaming fire, taking vengeance onthem that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our LordJesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction[aionion--not limited, i.e., upon which destruction no limit has beenplaced,] from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power:When he shall [have] come to be glorified in his saints and to beadmired in all them that believe (...) in that day." 2 Thes. 1:6-10.This passage positively contradicts two classes of theorists.Those who claim that all will be saved eternally, are contradictedby the Apostle's statement that a class will merit and receivedestruction, in harmony with Jesus' statement relative to the same"goat" class in Matt. 25:46. The large class which claims on thecontrary that the punishment of the wicked is everlasting torture,are equally contradicted by the Apostle. He declares that the capital