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Vou XXXVIII BROOKLYN, N. Y M SEPTEMBER 15, 1917 No. 18 THE FINAL CONFLICT 'Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness m high places." — Eph. 6:11, 12. Darkness hatea the light. "Ye are the light of the world," said the great Master concerning his people. The church is near the end of its earthly pilgrimage and the hour of the final conflict is at hand. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The words of St. John now seem appropriate: "Look to yourselves , that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive the full reward." — 2 John 8. For more than Bix thousand years a great battle has been waged between good and evil — light and darkness. The fight has involved the entire human family. God in his wisdom has permitted the forces of evil to prevail for a time, but the time is near at hand when the tide of battle shall turn. The conflict has resulted in great carnage, thousands of millions having succumbed to the agencies of darkness. It has been attended with untold sorrow. The fight had its beginning when our first parents were driven from Eden. It will end only at the end of the Millennial age. When Jesug was on earth he fought the same good fight of faith, and for a time it seemed that the enemy had van* quished him, but shortly he proved that he had triumphed over death and the grave. His victory was complete — -his reward the highest of all. Through him God brought life and immortality to light, and has made known his purposes to all who have imbibed his spirit and sought to follow in his footsteps . Since Pentecost God has been selecting the church, the VII— 21 [6141] (271-265) (275-276) THE WATCH TOWER BCOOKLYN, N. Y. members of which are called to follow in the footsteps of the great Master, fighting as he fought, and they must gain the victory before receiving the "crown of life." THE GREAT ARMIES There are two great armies engaged in this conflict. On the side of evil is the army of darkness, marshaled by Satan, the prince of darkness. On the other side is the army of light with Jesus Christ as its Field-Marshal, leading his host on to certain victory. Every man and woman on earth is doing service this day for one or the other of these armies. There is no middle ground; as St. Paul clearly puts it, "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?" — Romans 6:16. The Lord's army on earth is composed of those who have turned away from the world of sin and darkness and are following the Master whithersoever he goeth because of their full consecration and love for him. All such manifest the spirit of Christ; all others are in the army of Satan. Who is on the Lord's side? On which side are you? The church this side of the veil is the church militant, meaning the church at war. It is both an individual and a collective warfare. Each one must fight the good fight of faith and be victorious before he can attain to the position of joint-heirship with the Lord, and each one having the Master's spirit will fight together with all the other members of the body to maintain the spirit of unity in the body. All Buch must fight under the leadership of their Captain. The same admonition St. Paul gave to Timothy applies to each member of the body: "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy , according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare." "Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou wast called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12) Again St. Paul said, "Only let the lives you live be worthy of the Gospel, that we may know who are standing fast in one spirit and one mind, fighting shoulder to shoulder for the faith and good news. Never for a moment quail before your enemies." — Phil. 1:27, 28. Weymouth. To a soldier* who engages in war it is of the greatest importance that he should know who his enemies are, their number and force. A good soldier will study to know what will be the method of attack by the enemy, and seek to strengthen his, position of defense that he may repel every assault. In the Christian warfare this is even more vital. Before we can successfully engage in the great and final conflict, the battle that must be decisive with us, it is of the utmost importance that we carefully consider the number, force and strength of the enemy, and his me£hod of attack. ENEMIES FOBESEADOWBD Gdliath pictured Satan and his cohorts. None of the host of Israel would attempt to fight him until David came upon the scene. Satan found none willing and able to cope with him until the antitypical David — Christ Jesus — championed the cause of righteousness on behalf of mankind. David represents the entire Christ, Head and body. Hie experiences foreshadowed the fight in which they must engage. In out text the Apostle Paul particularly warns the church concerning our enemies. Another translation renders it thus: "For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with spiritual beings in unseen places, despotisms, empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world, the spiritual host of evil [host of evil spirits] arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare." (Weymouth.) Our enemies or adversaries may be divided into four divisions, designated as the flesh, the world, the devil and the evil spirits. HOW JESUS OVSBOAMB That all the members of the new creation must fight these enemies is clearly shown from the fact that our Master was subjected to such trials, and further evidence thereof H the positive statements of the Apostle, It is important that we take heed to the Master's method of meeting these attacks. Alter our Lord had been fasting for 40 days and nights and was weak and emaciated, Satan approached him, first suggesting that he change stones into bread for the gratification of his own flesh. Jesus met this attack with the sword of the spirit, saying, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Then Satan suggested to him that while it was true he was to be the King, it would require a long time for hfrn to convince the people, therefore he should go up on the Temple and jump into the valley, that Jehovah would save him and thus he would demonstrate to the people that he was more than an ordinary creature. In the same manner Jesus met this attack, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Then Satan made a direct attack upon the Master, suggesting that if Jesus would join him, he (Satan) would turn over to him all the kingdoms of earth, only Jesus must recognize and give proper honor to Satan. Yielding to either one of these temptations would have been a violation of his covenant. Jesus met this attack with the words, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve." PEINCIPLE VEBSTTS PASSION God governs the entire universe by fixed principles, and everyone who is governed contrary thereto is governed by passion . This is clearly demonstrated in Jesus' method of defense against the adversary. Many seem not to he able to understand what is meant by "PRINCIPLE." Seemingly they think it is whatever they themselves may consider to be right when guided by their conscience, or by the argument of someone else. "Principle" means, a settled rule of action ; the governing law of conduct. This rule of action, or governing law of conduct, is set forth in the Bible, God's Word, and all who are governed by the Word of God are governed by principle. "Passion" means the capacity of being affected by external agencies; to be controlled by outside influence; susceptible to control from external influences. The new creature must avoid passion and be governed always by principle. If we are influenced or swayed in our judgment, or conclusion about anything, by reason of what others may say or do, we are governed to that extent by passion. If we prayerfully and diligently seek to know what is the Lord's will and what his Word says on the matter, and are governed by that, then we are governed by principle. Attack and temptation, within the meaning of the Scriptures , are one and the same thing. We have no power to turn stones into bread, but have received spiritual powers which may be used for selfish purposes contrary to God's will. For example, making merchandise of the Gospel; preaching for the applause of men or using our spiritual powers for any other selfish purpose. Concerning such, the Apostle Peter says, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking oversight thereof, not by constraint but willingly; not for filthy lucre's sake, but of a ready mind." — 1 Peter 5:2. The "spirit of the world" is to follow methods that make outward show of great piety to attract attention. Any attempt on the part of a Christian to attract attention to himself is a manifestation of the spirit of the world, and a violation of principle and out of harmony with God's methods. All temptations are the effects of the adversary's influence . He employs various methods in order ^hat he may deceive . He makes some believe that they are not receiving the proper consideration, notice, and honor to which they are entitled. This leads into a wrong course. METHOD OF ATTACK St. Paul emphasizes the fact that the conflict of the church in the end of the age will be particularly with the evil spirits. These evil spirits have been restrained since the great deluge , and their day of judgment is at hand. We therefore should expect that they would be able to exercise greater power over the human race now than at any time since their restraint. Many Scriptures clearly indicate that the real battle ground of the Christian is in the mind, therefore the attack of the evil spirit will be expected along this line. We learn from one who was long subject to the influence of these demons that their method of attack is as follows: First, by "Suggestion" : By this is meant that the demons intrude evil thoughts upon the mind. All Christians realize that they have a conflict in keeping out of the mind thoughts that are improper, and that it is a constant warfare to keep them out. But where one indulges in evil surmising, judging another, he is filling his mind with evil thoughts. Such are yielding to suggestions which, if persisted in, lead to the second stage, which is designated as "Abbreviation" : The word abbreviation means to cut short. It here means lack of continuity of thought, or lack of concentration of thought upon the Lord's Word. One who finds himself given over to evil surmising and evil thoughts will find great difficulty in concentration of mind upon the study of the Lord's Word, the "Sceiptttbe Sttjdies," or in prayer. Attempting either study or prayer, the one finds his mind suddenly turned away from his subject and turned to or set upon evil things. Thus continuing li« loses sight of principle, namely, the great truths of God's Word, and this leads to the third stage, designated as "Impression" which means that one is moved to act from sources other than the Word of God. The word "Impression" means sensible result of influence exerted from without; in other words, to be controlled by passion, not by the Word of [6142] SSPTKKBBH IS, 1917 THE WATCH TOWER (277-278) God. For instance, one says, "I am moved to take this course because of what I have heard, or what influence another has brought to bear upon me," at the same time entirely ignoring the Word of the Lord covering the subject. This persisted in leads to the fourth stage, namely "Possession," whereby it i3 understood that the evil spirits take possession of the mind of the person and control his conduct. The Apostle tells us, "God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble-minded." From this we would understand that humility of mind and heart would be a special protection provided by the Lord; and that any one manifesting spiritual pride or ambition, the Lord would remove from such one this protection, and the evil spirits would have special power over him. Time and again through the columns of The Watch Toweb the Lord's servant to the Laodicean church gave warnings of these enemies. We quote here a few of hi3 sayings: WHAT WE MAT SHOETLT EXPECT "The letting loose of these winds, or air powers (evil spirits), would seem to show that God will let go his^ hand of restraint; that be will have to do with the permission of the terrible trouble that will come. This outside influence will exercise a baneful effect upon men, when finally granted the liberty. These fallen spirits have been under restraint for these many centuries, but they have exercised their influence to whatever extent they have had permission. If they had had unlimited power they would have wrecked the world long ago; but they have been restrained. Apparently God will soon cease to restrain the fallen angels, and they will then proceed to vent their fury upon humanity, so that the whole eartli will be full of violence, the same as in the days of Noah. The power manifested by the demons when loosed, will, we believe, be with a view to the injury of mankind. We do not know but that many of our readers will have a share in that . injury. We have every reason to suppose that if these fallen angels shall get loose, they will vent their first anger upon the Lord's people. "As soon as the power that is now controlling them shall be removed, we shall have a reign of evil all over the earth. The evil spirits will do all the evil that is in their power* and this will constitute the trial of all the fallen angels — the lifting of the restraints to see whether they will go. contrary to the divine will. All who thus manifest their alliance with evil . in any way will become subjects of the second death; while others who -show their loyalty to God will mark themselves ad worthy, presumably, of everlasting life. It may be something in connection with the saints that will constitute the test of these angels. This will be the key, the secret connected with the awful time of trouble which the Bible tells us will mark the conclusion of this age and whjch will constitute the forerunner or beginning of the new dispensation ." THE TEST IS HOW OK "Symbolically, the earth represents organized society; the sea represents the disorganized masses (Daniel 7 :2 ; Luke 21:25; Revelation 17:1,5) ; and the trees represent the household of faith. The letting loose suddenly of the fallen angels will account well for the suddenness of the coming trouble, which is mentioned everywhere in the Scriptures as one of its particular features — 'in one hour', 'suddenly, as travail upon a woman,' 'as in the days of Noah,' and 'as it was in the days of Lot/ There is only one way, so far as we can see, in which these fallen angels can have a trial, their trial consisting in having a fuller opportunity to sin, if they so desire, or in an opportunity to show, if they wish, that they are sick of sin and desire to return to harmony with God. We cannot think that God will allow this trial of the angels during the Millennial reign, for then nothing Bhall hurt, nothing shall destroy; Satan will be bound and all evil influences will be restrained. No; it cannot be then. And in order to be tried at all, tfcese fallen angels must have certain liberties granted, to prove them. Otherwise, where would be their trial? Consequently, reasoning along this basis (2 Peter 3:7), we reach the conclusion that the trial of these fallen angels is in the near future — perhaps to some extent already begun. In what way? 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.' " Another says: "It is evidently God's purpose soon to allow the minds of many of his little ones to become an open battle ground, upon which the fallen angels shall be judged, and the manner in which we meet the tests will prove our worthiness bf crowns at the same time that it proves these disobedient spirits unworthy of life on any plane. This is something with which some, but not many, are yet familiar. Truly, we know the Apostle in writing of this evil day says, *We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.' Truly we know the Lord Je«3U3 at the first advent began his ministry with forty days of conflict with the adversary, who all that time sought to sway his mind. Truly we have reason to believe he must have had other terrible battles when he spent 'all night in prayer, and especially when he was so depressed in the Garden of Gethsemane. But without actual experience it is quite impossible to conceive of the intensity of such struggles as are here indicated. { Eph. 6:12) The base of the brain is seized as in a vise. Interpretations of Scripture, ingenious but misleading beyond description, are projected into the mind as water might be projected through a hose. Visions may be tried, wonderful illuminations of the mind as by a soft but glorious greenish or yellowish haze. Seductive suggestions may be made, based on circumstances of the environment. Offers of inspiration may be made. The privilege of sleep may be taken away for days at a stretch. All this is with the object of forcing the unfortunate into at least temporary insanity so as to destroy his influence and, if possible, his faith in God. Failing in all other attempts, the mind may be flooded with thoughts that are vile beyond description. Then remember the Vow." — Scbiptttbe Studies. Vol. VII. WICKED SPIRITS USE HITMAN AGENTS The evil ones use human agencies to attack members of the body. We may reasonably expect that all of the Lord's servants who are actively engaged in the closing hours of the harvest will he attacked through human agencies by these evil spirits. Time and again the enemy assaulted the reputation of our dear Brother Russell. He was taken away, however before the evil spirits were permitted to exercise their full power. Now we may expect that all manner of charges and attacks will be made by them through human agencies against the reputation, character and standing of others who are engaged in the harvest work, which will constitute a test to all the brethren, as to whether they will be governed by "pas* sion" [outside influence], or whether they will be governed by the "principle" of God's Word. The more prominent position occupied by one in the harvest work, the more venomous will be the attacks. Let each one examine his own heart carefully and see to it that his own conclusions are based upon right principles, namely, the Word of God, and not upon outside influences. No other course is safe. As an example of the methods of the evil ones and as a warning to the brethren, we deem it proper to here call attention to the fact that we have just learned that a man living in Enterprise, Alabama, who was once actively engaged in the truth but now seems to be the victim of evil spirits, is organizing and vigorously conducting a definite campaign against the International Bible Students Association and its officers , particularly its president. We learn that he is publishing and proposes to send out a pamphlet charging many criminal things against the president of our Society, all of which are without foundation in truth. A brother in the truth who is firm and steadfast and who recently came in contact with the one who is now fomenting this trouble, writes us concerning him as follows: "I judge from statements he himself has made to me, he has made the Bible House no end of trouble in the past. He ia, by nature, a trouble-maker. He has made it his cnief business for eight years to fight the ecclesia of Enterprise. Now he is engaged in circularizing the friends far and near, drawing as many as possible to his notions. He was' once in harmony with present truth and very zealous and effective in its ministry, but has become sour because the friends did not endorse some of his unloveliness; and he has allowed this sourness to wreck his Christian character. He has practically abandoned his business and is putting in all of his time carrying on a voluminous, seditionary correspondence. He denounces the 7th volume as a humbug, both in the streets of his town and in his letters. He is shrewd enough to correspond with pilgrims, then to use their letters to his own advantage. When I first came South he wrote me that he felt called of the Lord to write the 7th volume himself (or words to that effect, and calculated to ^ive that impression) ; but that because of his lack of education and ignorance, he felt that a smarter brother ought to do it, and he therefore welcomed my coming. He would give me the ideas and let me frame them into choice language. I held a service in his neighborhood one Sunday, under his direction, hoping to be able to influence him against the evil of his course; but soon I saw it was no use — that he was determined to influence my course rather than allow me in the slightest to influence him. So I called off all further intercourse, and he regards me as a hopeless child of the devil. He is in very poor health, almost a nervous wreck, and [6143] (278-279) THE WATCH TOWER Brooklyn, N. Y, 1 think that in this unfortunate condition the evil spirits have obsessed his mind and are in full possession of him. He has avoided fellowship so long, constantly studying and meditating and brooding by himself, that he has become the most self -centered man I ever met. He seems to be unconscious of this and not guilty of deliberate selfishness, but irrationally so. He states in a letter I read last night, that he is organizing a definite rebellion against the I. B. S. A.; that thousands throughout the land are joining his cause, as he can prove by letters in hand, and that he will be the Moses of these poor, oppressed people." The Lord Jesus laid down the only method of procedure against a brother who has done wrong. (Matt. 18:15-18) Any other course pursued against a brother is out of harmony with the fixed principles of God's Word* We deem it only necessary to call attention to these things that the dear brethren everywhere may be warned against the wily methods of attack by the adversary and his coadjutors against the work of the harvest and those who are engaged in it. HOW TO REPEL ATTACKS All the Scriptures bearing upon the point indicate that the conflict will be more severe as we near the end. Referring to this time St. Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" — Ephesians 6:10. The clear inference here is that each soldier of the cross must have special strength in order to stand at this time, and to repel the combined attack of Satan and his coadjutors. If we look at it from one standpoint, we would become dismayed and despair of winning, but looking at it from another viewpoint , we know that he who is for us is greater than all who can be against us; and he being for us, none can prevail against us. We are now in the evil* day. How then may we have the strength needed? The Apostle tells us of the armor of God provided for us, which will prove invulnerable to all attacks of the adversary. "Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand [resist ] in the evil day, and having" done all, to stand [remain a victor]." (-Ephesians 6:13) The assurance here is that he who has this armor on, keeps it on and learns to use it properly, will be able to stand. While the Apostle used as an illustration the human warrior , clothed in the proper and complete accoutrements of war, yet he did not mean that the Christian needs this kind of armor . The armor of the Lord is for the new creature because his warfare is not a carnal warfare, but a spiritual warfare. — 2 Corinthians 10:4,5. WHAT IS THE ABHOR? God is the maker of this armor through human instrumentalities . The armor consists of his Wtfrd, the message of truth, put into proper Bhape to be used for the benefit of the new creation. Describing this armor in detail, the Apostle "Having your loins girt about with the truth." The girdle is a symbol of servitude, and suggests that no one is safe at this time unless he is a servant of the truth. Those engaged in evil surmising, faultfinding, backbiting, slander, libel or other works of darkness are not servants of the truth. On the contrary, let each one of us see to it that he guards himself against such wiles of the adversary, and that he possesses the zeal peculiar to the house of the Lord and earnestly and zealously follows in the Master's footsteps by serving his cause at this time. "And having on the breastplate of righteousness." The breastplate was used to cover the vital organs of the body, par* ticularly the heart. A proper condition of heart is vital to the new creature. A righteous heart indicates purity, righteous motives, righteousness of character. "Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov. 4:23) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8) "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throxighout the whole earth to show his strength in behalf of him whose heart is pure." — 2 Chronicles 16:9. "And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace." The soldier who engages in warfare must keep well his feet. If they are not shod they become sore, and his attention is directed more to the soreness than to his duties. The new creature has now many rough roads to travel. Therefore the feet members should be clothed with the message of peace and see to it that all anger, malice, hatred and strife, ill will, backbiting, faultfinding, accusations of the brethren, be put aside. None other will be able to stand. "Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. 12:14} Those who hunt trouble now will surely find it; they will find little else. Those who avoid trouble find it necessary to be diligent in keeping themselves in the^eace and love of God. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." The enemy is constantly firing wicked darts at the soldiers of the cross. These darts are liable to stir up in your mind doubts, fears, skepticism. The shield of faith is the protection. Faith means the intellectual understanding and appreciation of the Word of God' — true principles — and a confident reliance upon that Word. Without faith it is impossible to please God." 'This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith." "And take the helmet of salvation." The helmet is fitted over the head and represents the intellectual understanding and appreciation of the divine plan. This knowledge of God's Word, and his methods and his information concerning the methods of the adversary, is absolutely essential in order to protect ourselves against the evil ones of this day. If we had no knowledge of the demons and their methods of attack , we could not be forearmed against them. "And the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." This is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. We must have it and know how to use it. Jesus wielded it successfully to each attack made upon him. He said, "It is written," and such must be our battle cry. We are not to use carnal weapons, nor such weapons as Satan uses. We are to use the truth and let the truth do the cutting. It is noticed that the Apostle names only six parts of the armor, whereas the armor of the ancient soldier was in seven parts. Seven is also a symbol of perfection. The seventh part, the one not named by the Apostle, was the greaves, and was a metal shield fitting over the front part of the foot to protect it from the darts of the adversary. The feet members of the church are now engaged in the fight. The greaves, therefore, would properly and fittingly represent the Vow. When it was promulgated our attention was called to this Scripture: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."— Isaiah 59:19. HOW TO PUT OK THE ABM OR The words of the Apostle assume that the persons addressed have renounced the world and enlisted under the banner of the Lord! by making a full surrender of their will to do God's will. Hence he says by illustration: — { 1 . ) Girdle — Servitude, Be a zealous and faithful servant of the truth. Let there be but one motive for service — love for God and his righteous cause. "By love serve." (2.) Breastplate — Righteousness. Having on the robe of Christ's righteousness now, study to be approved of God. Learn the great and vital ^principles of his Word and apply the,m to daily living; be controlled by these and let them work out in you a righteous character. Keep a pure heart. (3.) Sanaa Is—Peace. Do not hunt trouble. Live in peace with all so long as God's law is not sacrificed. Accept your part of suffering with joy. (4.) Shield — Faith. Maintain an abiding faith in God and in his sure Word of promise. Rely upon his Word and not upon the advice or influence of others. Stand, leaning only on the Lord. (5.) Helmet — Salvation. Strive to increase in heart appreciation of God and the Lord Jesus. Continue in the study of the Word. Feed upon the food provided. Keep always before your mind the- strong hope of salvation and the high position to which you have been called. (6.) Sword — Word of ^ God, Know God's Word, in letter and spirit. Be able to give a reason for the hope you have. Use it deftly in repelling the adversaries. Let your battle cry be, "It is written." (7.) Vow. Daily put in practise the Vow in letter and spirit. Take the Lord Jesus with you in all things. Be filled with his Spirit. If you do these things you shall be strong in the Lord and have the power which his supreme strength imparts and shall be a certain victor. THE ITNAIi OOKFUOT OT THE "EVIL DAY" This is the evil day; the time when every man's work is being tried in the fiery furnace; these are perilous times of which we have been warned; it is the last battle, the great and final conflict. The enemy is advancing from every quarter . Shall we quail before our adversaries? No, thank God, for he has made ample provision for his people. The whole armor of God is now supplied. It was never so much needed as now. Those who have it on and keep it on will stand. Others will not. Let us not be discouraged, dear soldiers of the cross; let us arise to the importance of the time and face the perils [6144] SSpr«MBi£R 15, 1917 THE WATCH TOWER (280-283) of the hour with confidence in our Commander and Lord. The history' of ages is looking down upon us. The holy angels of heaven are beholding the final conflict. Jesus and the members of the bride who have passed beyond the veil are watching our course, how we are quitting ourselves. It is the greatest battle of the ages, and the enemy is making his final' onslaught. God's little band of soldiers, now clothed with the complete armor of the Lord, are marshalled for the last time upon the battle field. We hear the encouraging words of our Captain, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life!'* Soon this army will emerge from the smoke of battle, clothed in wreaths of victory. Soon it will be asked, "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning , fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" (Canticles 6:10) Soon the answer from heaven shall ring out, "This is triumphant Zion, whose great Leader has forever put to flight the armv of darkness." She is pure, just, holy, good, and now stands in the glorious light of heaven with her glorious Captain. Terrible has been The Christ, and will continue to be, in the conquest of evil. The dawn of his glorious reign is here, the new government is now to be put in operation. Soon all men will have full opportunity to stand in the light of truth and be able by the grace of the Lord to free themselves from all the influences of evil and darkness. Be brave, be valiant soldiers, now! "Hear the call, gird your armor on, Grasp the Spirit's mighty Sword. Take the helmet of salvation, Pressing on to battle for the Lord ! " BLESSING GOD AND CURSING MEN [This article was a reprint of that published in issue of April 1, 1899, which please see.] PSALMS OF DELIVERANCE October 7. — Psalms 85, 126. ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE FROM CAPTIVITY TO LITERAL BABYLON — THE APPROACHING DELIVERANCE FROM MYSTIC BABYLON THE GREAT — CHRIST THE ANTITYPICAL CYRUS — WIIY THE CHURCH CAN SING " SONGS IN THE NIGHT " OT EARTHLY SORROW — THE TRUE SOURCE OF THEIR REST OF HEART — THEIR JOY IN THE FULFILMENT OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT— THE LONG-PROMISED BLESSING OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH. "They that sow in tears shall reap in jsy. M — Psalm. 126: 5. Psalm 85 may properly have several applications. The first of these would be to Israel's deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, when Cyrus, king of Persia, gave permission that all who desired to return to Palestine might do so. About fifty-three thousand availed themselves of this privilege and of his assistance. The Israelites rejoiced in this manifestation of the turning away of divine disfavor and the return to them of divine blessing. The pardon of their transgressions as a nation was evidenced in this privilege of returning to God's favor. A secondary application of this song of deliverance is just before us. During the past eighteen centuries Israel has been in a far greater captivity to Christendom. She has the promise, nevertheless, of a mightier deliverance. The Cyrus who gave them permission to return from literal Babylon was a type of the great Messiah who is about to give full liberty for the return of God's ancient people to divine favor — to Palestine. In Romans 11:25-29 the Apostle Paul refers to this coming deliverance. The great Deliverer will do more than merely regather Israel. He will do that which is predicted in Psalm 85; for, as the Apostle says, "This is my covenant with them when I shall take away their sins." See also Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-11. Israel's sins have not yet been taken away, even as the world's sins have not been taken away. The great Redeemer has indeed died for sin, and he is the sinner's friend. But as yet he has appeared in the presence of God only for the church— not for the world. (Hebrews 9:24) He is the Advocate for the church alone. He advocates for none except those who desire to approach to God; and these are the saintly only — those who love righteousness and hate iniquity. The world is enslaved by Sin and Death, the twin monarchs which are now reigning and which are causing mankind to groan. The Adamic race was born in this enslaved condition , as the Scriptures declare. {Genesis 3:20; Psalm 51:5) Groaning under the weaknesses and imperfections thus inherited — mentnl, moral and physical — mankind long for the promised deliverance from the bondage of Sin and Death. Undoubtedly the majority of the race feel the gall of their slavery, and will rejoice to be set free. "HE GIVETH SONGS IN THE NIGHT" The great Deliverer of mankind is the antitypical Cyrus. Soon he will be victorious and will establish his kingdom under the whole heaven. (Daniel 7:27) Soon the church class, the saintly, the elect, will be glorified; and then the time will come for the blessing of the non-elect — for their restitution to human perfection and to a world-wide paradise , which Messiah's power will produce. "He must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:25-27) Death will be destroyed. Sheol, hades, the grave, will be destroyed, by the resurrection of the dead therefrom — "every man in his own order." While the whole creation groans under its load of sin and sorrow, the saintly few may sing, may rejoice, even in the midst of all the sorrows of life, and even though they share the results of sin as fully or more fully than do others. The secret of their joy is twofold : ( 1 ) They have experienced reconciliation to God; (2) they have submitted their wills to his will. They obtained this new relationship by the way of faith in the fcedeemer— faith in his blood of atonement. They entered by the "strait gate" and the "narrow way" of consecration to God — surrendering their own wills, and covenanting to do the divine will to the best of their ability. This submission to the divine will and the realization that all of their life's affairs are in God's keeping and under his supervision give rest to the heart. In this surrendered condition they have a rest and peace which they never knew when they sought to gratify self-will and ignored the right of their Creator to the homage of their hearts and the obedience of their lives. Similarly, these .have joy, peace and songs of thankfulness to God because to them he grants a knowledge of his divine purposes, and shows them things to come. These see, beyond the trials and tribulations of the present time, the glories which will follow the sufferings of the present. These see that the church, the saintly few of all denominations and of all nationalities, are prospective heirs of God — heirs of glory, honor, immortality and association with the Redeemer in his glorious kingdom. This prospect encourages them. They also see the outlines of the divine program for the blessing of all the families of the earth. When they thus perceive that God is interested in their dear ones who are not saintly and in the whole human family, very few of whom are saints, it causes them rejoicing. When they perceive that God has arranged that through Christ and the glorified church all the families of the earth shall be blessed, it makes them "joyful in the house of their pilgrimage" — while waiting for their own change from human to divine nature. "YE SHALL GO FdBTH WITH SINGING" The second part of today's study is Psalm 126. This Psalm seems to picture the return of the Jewish exiles from the Babylonian captivity. A writer thus describes the scene of their departure from Babylon: "Forth from the gates of Babylon they rode, to the sound of joyous music — a band of horsemen playing on flutes and tabrets, accompanied by their own two hundred minstrels and one hundred and twenty-eight singers of the Temple (Ezra 2:41-65), responding to the Prophet's voice as they quitted the shade of the gigantic walls and found themselves in the open desert beyond: ^'Go ye out of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, telJ this, ntter it even unto the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.'" — Isaiah 48:20. We are interested in this narrative sympathetically, and also because we realize that the Lord's providences control in respect to all the affairs of his chosen people, Israel. But we have a greater and more profound interest in the events here related now that our eyes have been opened to see that the seventy years of desolation of the promised land represent the seventv jubilee cycles appointed to them, in the time of the fulfilment of which we are now living. (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 2 Chronicles 38:21; Leviticus 26:14-34) Our interest is still further awakened when we remember that during [6145] (284 287) THE WATCH TOWER B*OOM,YH, N. Y. this long interim of "seven times more" — 2520 years — God's favor was transferred from the Jewish house of servants to the Gospel house of sons; and that an antitypical Babylon has carried away captive the Lord's people and all the golden vessels of truth. See Studies in the Sckiptures, Vol. 2, Studies 4, 6. Spiritual Israel in captivity to mystic Babylon has long waited for the glorious deliverance to be brought about by Immatouel, the Deliverer greater than Cyrus the Persian king. Since our Lord's return in 1874 the cry has gone forth, "BabyIon the Great is fallen, is fallen!" and again, "Home out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:1-5) A comparatively small number of them have had such love for the Lord, such reverence for his promises, such desires to be inheritors of those promises as to lead them to sever the earthly ties and the bonds which hold them satisfied in Babylon. But some have heard, some have rejoiced, some have stepped out and some are still leaving. Our antitypical Cyrus, our present Lord, has permitted us to bring back the golden vessels, the golden truths which for so long have been misappropriated , misapplied, misunderstood, misused in Babylon. RETURNING FROM CAPTIVITY i This article "as a reprint of that published in issue of August 1, 1899, which please see.] INTERESTING LETTERS ENGLISH PRISON AS NEAB HEAVEN AS ANY OTHEE PLACE Dear Brethren: — Loving greetings in our dear Redeemer's name! You are aware that the younger brethren in Great Britain have been called upon to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. The largest work center for the employment of Conscientious Objectors to military service in this country is at Princetown , S. Devon, where v the Conscientious Objectors are housed in Dartmoor Convict Prison — the most famous of British Prisons — which was built more than 100 years ago for the accommodation of prisoners of war in the time of Napoleon. It is also interesting to recall that American prisoners taken during the War of Independence were confined here, and the cemetery where some of them were buried is still preserved. At the present time there are between sixty and seventy brethren here. The number is constantly varying, as some are sent to work in other parts of the country, and others are arriving from Wormwood Scrubs Prison, London, where they have been serving terms of imprisonment for refusing to bear arms. I am sure you will be glad to know that 51 of us met together on April 5 to celebrate the "Memorial." We assembled in the Koncon for mist Chapel for the occasion. The Baptists , who had the use of the room for that evening, very kindly curtailed their meeting so that we were enabled to commence our service at 8 o'clock. The wine we obtained at a local store. The proprietress manifested some curiosity as to who we were, and the brother making the purchase apparently answered to her satisfaction; for she kindly loaned us cloths and vessels. In return, our brother gave her a copy of Volume I. It seemed, dear brethren, as if the dear' Lord had arranged everything to enable us to concentrate our minds on the purpose for which we had assembled. Over the head of the brother who conducted the meeting was the picture of our Lord on the cross. On his left were pictures of Jesus before Pilate and the Institution of the Memorial; and on his right were two pictures of the Lord's resurrection. The meeting opened with Hymn 62, the Lord's blessing being then invoked upon up. We especially remembered our dear brethren who were still in prison, and unable to partake of the Memorial. Hymn 28 was then sung, followed by a short discourse based "upon Luke 22:1-30. We then joined in singing Hymn Ko. 2, after which we partook of the emblems, a blessing being asked upon each; the service closing with Hymn 277. The service was very impressive. We felt keenly the fact that we were not able 'to meet with our loved one3 in the classes from which we have been drawn; but we remembered that Dartmoor is as near heaven as London, or any other place of our earthly pilgrimage. We" are thankful that we have been accounted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake. It is a proof that our sacrifice is being consumed, and that we are making our calling and election sure. We realize that under these conditions it is very difficult indeed to maintain that high moral standard which is set before us, it being so easy to get loose in our ways and actions. A thought which has been expressed, and which has proved very helpful to us, is that when St. Stephen was stoned for his fidelity to the truth, he cried with a loud voice, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"; or, as a footnote in the Diaglott expresses it,