;;t once recognized Abel as the piv im-eil seed, and immediately injected int < the mind of Cain a desire to murder his brother, which Cain did. From that time on, Satan sought to destroy every person who seamed to have the favour of God, even as Saul songnt to destroy David who. the Scriptures Sl. jw. was a type of the real Seed, according tc t e promise.

In due time. Jesus was born, as a num-child. All the prophets of Israel had iore-told the birth of the new King. He was the heir of promise. Satan recognized Him as the Seed and immediately put it into The mind of King Herod to kill the young child ; and to accomplish this purpose, the k^;ng caused all the children in Bethlehem, under two years of age, to be slaughtered.

THE SEED OF PROMISE

God made promise that the “ Seed < f the woman” should not only bruise the serpent’s head, but should ultimately d. -tr >v the “ Seed of the serpent,” establish a g< • >. Loment of righteousness in the earth, ana ' nng blessings to all the groaning creation. He specifically made this promise to Abra 1;am, saying. “ In thy seed shall all the natic- ; ot the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22 : 1-18). Th? Apostle Paul particularly identifies this promise with Jesus and the Church—trie members of His body—denominating such as the “ Seed of the woman,” as promise;! (Gal. 3 : 16. 27-29). The. development of th s Seed began when Jesus consecrated t»e Jordan and was there baptized. He immediately went into the wilderness and S-tu. Tecopnizinsr lesus .?$ the ‘S- <-*d ”. first opportunity to destroy Him (Matt. 4 : i-ii). When Jesus died upon the cross, Satan doubtless thought he had succeeded in his purpose to destroy the “ Seed.” Subsequently, however, Jesus arose from the dead and ascended on high. That was a surprise and disappointment to Satan.

At Pentecost, the body members, composing the remainder of the “ Seed of promise,” began to be selected and developed, which work has progressed until now. The body members of this “ Seed” are designated in the Scriptures under various names, such as, the Church, the bride class, the wheat, the Lord’s jewels, etc. Some of these have been found in the Catholic and Protestant Churches all through the age. The great Master gave a parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-40), showing that the “wheat” represents those who will be of the kingdom of God; while the “tares” are the children or offspring of the devil. He stated that both would grow in the same organizations until the end of the Gospel age, at which time the separation would-take place. During the Gospel age, millions have been brought into the various church svstems. but the Lord definitely states that only 144,000 will be in the body of Christ, constituting the “Seed” according to the promise (Rev. 7: 4 ;   14: 1-3). To this

class God gives His exceeding great and precious promises ; and only to those who are overcomers of the world, the flesh and the devil will He grant a share with Him in His kingdom. Satan and his cohorts have ever sought to destroy this “Seed” of promise ; but God has safeguarded that “ Seed” as the “apple of His eye.”

SATAN’S SEED

Development of the spiritual “Seed” according to the promise began with the baptism of Jesus at the J ordan. Satan understood that the “Seed” of promise was a seed only according to the flesh, and continued in this thought until Jesus arose from the dead. Then he began to get more light upon God’s purposes. At Pentecost he saw the beginning of the selection of men to whom it was declared that if they would prove faithful unto death they should be of the “Seed” according to the promise, this “ Seed ” being designated as the Church, or body of Christ. Thereupon Satan set about to devise ways and means to offset the “Seed” of promise by developing a “Seed” of his own ; and in due time he had his “ Seed” in full operation.

Antichrist means against Christ, or instead Of Christ. The Christ—Jesus, the Head, and the members of the Church, His body—being the “Seed” according to the promise, it follows that Satan’s “ Seed,” which claims to be in place of Christ, is against Christ, therefore Antichrist. Even in the days of the apostles Satan was perfecting his plans to establish the Antichrist—his “Seed.” (See

THE BIBLE STUDENTS MONTHLY.

International Bible Students Association, 34, Craven Terrace, Lancaster Gate, London, W.2.

An Independent. Untectarian Religious Newspaper. Specially Devoted to the Forwarding of the Laymen’> Home Missionary Movement for the Glory of God and Good of Humanity.

I am able by the law to dispense above the law. and of wrong to raake justice in correcting laws and changing them.” Satan' would havi the people believe that rhe Pope is an abso-

and to ignore all laws of others, even God's

COUNTERFEIT MILLENNIUM

The Pope, as the head of the system, together wit^i his “little flock”—the clergy -—-asserts that the Millennial reign began in a.d. 800 and continued until the year 1800, when the system received a severe blow’ at the hand of Napoleon Bonaparte. 'Die Scriptures show that at the end of Christ's Millennial reign there is to be a “ I it tie season ” when Satan is to be loosed. Papacy claims that the little Reason” is Irani the year 1800 until now. In fact, a comparison shows that the Papal system is a counterfeit of Messiah’s kingdom and that it constitutes the “ Seed ’ ’ of Satan, being designated in the Scriptures under the title “ Babylon, the mother of harlots ” ; and that the Protestant systems, dominated by the clergy, constitute the “ daughters.” —Rev. 17: 5.

TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD CONTRASTED

The fact that God has designated these systems as Babylon does not mean that all the people in the systems are bad. On the contrary, the Lord shows that in these systems manvof His true saints have been developed, it is the system, dominated by an ambitious clergy, that the Lord designates as the “ Seed ’ ’ of Satan. It is the clergy who promulgate and teach the doctrines. For many centuries the clergy have supported Satan’s Ue: “ Ye shall not surely die ’ “ There is no death,” etc.

Both Papal and Protestant clergy have taught the doctrine of inherent immortality of all souls and the doctrine of eternal torment. The Lord’s Word teaches that when a man dies he is dead. “The wages of Hu is death” (Rom. 6:23). “The soul that sinneth it shall die ” (Ez.ek. 18:20). When a man is dead, he is unconscious. “ There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest ” (Eccles. 9: 10). “ His breath goeth forth ; he returneth to his earth ; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Ps. 146:4). The " hell ’ of the Bible Is the grave, the tomb ; and all who die go to hell and remain there until the resurrection. Even Jesus went to hell (the grave, the tomb), as plainlv stated in

Witbout the lie of Satan it wonid have been absolutely impossible ever to fasten upon thinking people the doctrine of purgatory, which has been such a fruitful source of revenue for Papacy ; likewise the doctrine of the. mass, which the Lord Himself styles as an abomination (Matt. 24: 15), would have been unquestionably rejected; the doctrine of eternal torture, and other kindred doctrines, would never have been believed. By these, false doctrines Satan has deceived millions and “ blinded the minds of them Which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”—2 Cor. 4 : 4.

limiting the use <>f the Bible to the clergy class. The people were, not permitted to think independently and knew nothing of

Bible

studv. The result was that darkness

filled the earth and gross darkness settled down upon the people.

WAR BETWEEN THE “SEEDS”

Jehovah’s Prophet, referring to the “ Sood ” of. Satan, particularly the Papal head, said : “ He shall speak great words against Jehovah, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High”

(Dan.

Every means that could po¹

In the course Of time, ambitious clergymen tffe woman drunken with the blood of the in pH the Protestant systems were teaching saints and with the blood of the martvrs of Satan’s first and famous lie—the doctrine Of Jesus.” Throughout the greater part of the inherent immortality and the kindred doctrine Gospel age, the “Seed of the woman,” the of eternal torture, mixing politics and religion, saints, have been in captivity to Babylon.

civil with ecclesiastical powers ; and thus Satan developed his “ Seed ’ ’ in the Protestant system amongst the true saints of God. The perseention of others in the name of religion is too well known to our readers to need repetition here. God permitted all this persecution for a good purpose. Lt resulted in the development of true and loval servants of

and manifest a character pleasing

a thousand years,

through his “ Seed,” the Papacy. The. rapid development of Protestantism after a.d. iS'oo

year 1878 marked the time when Christ Jesus

year that the gathering together of the truly consecrated began—the harvest of the Gospel age!* That, faithfirt and wise servant of the Lord. Pastor Charles T. Russell, then began boldly to proclaim, the truth as it had not been proclaimed since the days cf the apostles. The very keynote to God’s wonderful plan of salvation is the ransom sacrifice—that Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man (1 Tim. 2 : 5, 6; Heb. 2:0). L’astor Russell plainly' proved from the Scriptures that death is the result of sin ; that the only way that leads to life is through the merit of the sacrifice of our Lord; that the “ Seed ” of promise, the Church, has been in course of development during the. Gospel age, and when finished, restitution blessings will be offered to all the remainder of mankind through this “ Seed.” God used him to turn thousands of people back to the Bible and to bring comfort to their hearts. Since then. Pastor Russell and those joining with bint in this work have gladly, at a sacrifice to themselves, sent the Gospel message to all narts of the world. This has greatly angered Satan ; and for the past twenty years he has.specially pitted his “ Seed ” against these faithful followers of the great Master, Satan has united practically all denominations in persecuting Pastor Russell and his associates. He has diligently employed the Clergy, a

Catholic Secret Order, and other similar ganizations in this persecution throughout earth.

THE

Twenty dared his

KAISER AND THE POPE years ago, Emperor William

or-the

de-

____ purpose of restoring the Pope to his original power. His Statement at that

w<is published bv Pastor

Watch Tower, as follows :

" Emperor . Wilhelm of

publieation by the pre

Russell in Tne

Germany in

recent speech is reported to have said :

“‘The Pope is the spiritual ruler of the largest communion on earth, and he is by far the most powerful and authoritative of

ordained guardians

and emperors are the divinelv

social order and

directors of social well-being, just as the loaders of religious bodies arc the divinely ordained moderators of conscience.

“ * I think it imperative therefore that he be put in a position to freely accomplish all the good of which he is capable. He must be liberated from his self-imposed imprisonment in the Vatican. All the trammels that surround and harass him in his daily life must be removed, so that he will then be at liberty to fight the common enemies, Socialism and irretiglon.

“ ’ l havij meditated long and deeply c.n this subject. The fact, that ir preoccupies me so much convinces me that I am inspired to take action in the matter. It is like one of the voices that Socrates had about with him which whispers in my ear that this also is my mission to remedy the Pope’s position and open np the field for his range of welldoing. It daily urges me to act.

“‘The small preternatural voice unmistakably spurs me on, and 1 think than this no better augury of success could be desired.

“‘ For this moment I can say no more, and it does not behove me to be too explicit about my plans. They are already laid, and my immediate actions will be a development .of them. Their result will be their justifica-

sibly be thought of has been employed by the “ Seed ” of Satan to crush out the very spirit of true Christianity and to substitute the doctrines and forms of the Antichrist. This persistent worrying and wearing out are well illustrated in the institution of the. confessional, the inquisition, secret spying systems, and other means of persecution.

Exactly in conformity to Jehovah’s state- f_{ion> atl}R r will also be the justification of ment, there has ever been enmity between _manv acts in the         ' ' '

ihe “ Seed “ according to the promise and the “ • ₃  . .

“ Seed of the serpent.” Papal ecclesiastic ism, backed by the State, or civil power of Koine, began an open and relentless persecution of the saints in the sixth century. The escutcheon of history is blackened by what fol-

seemed strange and unaccountable to my good Protestant subjects, but which had

lowed. In 1204,

fiendish inquisition

came into vogue -and, in the name of religion, murder stalked about in the earth, and the blood of Christians flowed freely. This wicked persecution can be accounted for only according to the Scriptural statement as ihe effort of Satan to destroy the “Seed” of promise that would bring blessings to mankind. Satan used Ins own “Seed” in the attempt to wear out and destroy the “ Seed ” ■ of promise.

THE REFORMATION

In the vear 1517, the good and great Martin Luther vehemently protested against the unrighteous course pursued by the “ Seed ’’ of Satan. All students of history are familiar with the persecution that followed and how the Lord blessed Luther’s efforts in establishing many of the saints of God in the true faith. The Protestant Church was established ; but with its establishment the Adver-sary again sowed his seeds ot wickedness, and

accomplish great and enduring events.

“ ‘ I shall not die until my ends in this regard are attained. Death otherwise would ligfd a void in my existence ; and I feel within me that I have not been born in vain.’ ”

WHAT IS BABYLON?

The word “Babylon” originallv meant gateway to God. Afterward, in derision, it came to signify confusion, because at Babel tin* language of men was confused. The ancient city of Babylon typed Mystic Babvlon. Mystic. Babylon is described in Rev. 17: t-6 as “ Babylon the great, the mother of harlots

and abominations of the

The Papal

“mother of harlots” signifies her daughters arc likewise harlots. In the larger sense, then, the word applies to eeelesiasticism as

a. whole—the Catholic and Protestant systems ; Harlotry means the unlawful relationship between ecclesiastical

—not

the people.

Matiy are still there,-and to these we sound this warning. The Lord foretold that the separation and deliverance would take place at the end of the Gospel age, which is designated as a harvest time. 'This harvest began, according to the Scripture chronologv.

Since then, the

saints of the

Lord, whether in the Papal or Protestant systems, have been fleeing out of Babylon

<lition of closer lellowship with Him.

DEMONS IN BABYLON

The Scriptures also indicate that will be marvellous activity amongst demons at the end of the Gospel age. are now in that time. Jesus declared

there

We

deceptions would be such that, if it were possible, even the elect (the promised “ Seed “) would be deceived. But God will not permit this deception to prevail. Referring to the close of the age. the Kevelator said, “ Babylon the great is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils” (demons) (Rev. 18:2). These demons, working under Satan, the chief of devils, have found a fertile field of operation in Babylon. It is a well-known fact, that the Czar of Russia was under the wicked influence of the demons, who operated on his mind for years .through Rasputin the pro-Gcrman medium to betray and wreck

Accepting the devil’s falsehood, many men of great mental capacity have been deceived ; among them such men as Sir Oliver Lodge,

Sir A. Conan Doyle. Stead. Funk. Crookes, Meyers, Gurney, Hodgson, and many others. Without a doubt thev see and hear, but they are not communicating with the spirits of dead men. They are communicating with the evil demons above described. The honesty of these men is not questioned, yet their “proof” falls flat if we accept the Bible as true. The great majority of the clergy of Babylon, however, are higher critics and evolutionists, and therefore repudiate the the inspiration of the Scriptures and refuse the Bible’s testimony. The Bible says that death is an enemy : “ He [Christ] hum reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet ; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15: 25. 26). The dogmas ol the vicarious atonement and the forgiveness of sins are overthrown by Spiritualism. Satan

their course. The Scriptures clearly, indicate that Satan and his cohorts, the demons, inhabiting Babylon, will use his Seed — the willing ones of Babylon—to bruise the heel of t he “ Seed ” of promise.

But again Satan will be defeated'; because the death of the saintly oiies will bo their triumph. As the Apostle declares, they shall not sleep, but shall be changed in a nfoment, in the twinkling of an eye. They,shall be “caught away” (literally, removed by violence) to meet the Lord and be for'ever with Him.—1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 17.

The last members of the Church having been taken away, the peoples of the world will awaken to the fact that the nominal church system (Babylon) is the “Seed” 6f Satan ; and then, as shown by the Scriptures, “ a mighty angel took up a stone like a great , millstone and cast it ipto the sea” (overwhelmed eeelesiasticism in a great 'tirhe of destruction). This is the final cataclysm or time of trouble to which the Prophet Daniel referred and which Jesus also mentioned.— See Dan. 12 : 1 ; Matt. 24 : 21.

CAUSE OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

Once understanding the two seeds—the “Seed of the woman” and the “Seed of the serpent ”—and that there has been eniriiTvdind conflict between~theni from Eden ', until now. all religious intolerance and perse* cution In the name of religion Is made clear. Millions of honest people have been duped by. Satan's deceptive schemes. These facts are set forth calmly and dispassionately, and not with any feeling of enmity; they are not stated to injure any one, but that the people may be enlightened at this time of great crisis. Every Christian will put away any feeling of animosity and hatred, and realizing the cause of conditions in the earth, will rejoice at the evidence of the near complete

triumph of the “Seed” of promise—The The Kingdom of heaven is at hand I

Christ.

Turn

GLIMPSES OF GLORY your mind away from the scenes of

carnage and destruction, persecution, wickedness and sorrow, and by the eye of faith behold the longed-for kingdom of God coming into power. Looking ahead a little, we see Satan bound; the demons for ever destroyed; . wickedness and crime no more permitted. The law goes forth from The Christ and the word of God from Jerusalem. The people are turned to peaceful vocations; they beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. No more shall they know war. The dead are being resurrected and are returning from the land of the

has alwavs sought to overthrow this vital truth. The majority of modern clergymen reject the doctrine of the vicarious atonement, .-------~                            ’ a

denying that the blood of Jesus bought the ^u£^on.^lheir heads and sorrow and stglnng human race. Satan is playing his last card              avav (Isa. 2.2-4, Sa-i-io)’

in his effort to deceive and to destroy the / he grand Ima e of this wonderful drama marks “Seed ” of promise. Satan knows we have , ^ie _r‘!°'^e °. ^lhV, /hllenntal reign of Chn-t. reached the end of the world. He is making" h man in al the earth, or that has ever

enemy—the condition of death. They are coming to Christ with songs of everlasting

reached the end of the world. He is making hip last desperate stand to control the earth.

He is using all the members of his “ Seed ” in this titanic effort. Through the Pope and the Kaiser he seeks to overrun the world. He plays his children, the clergy, to deceive and draw away the minds of the people from the Bible. His subjects, the demons, now being loosed from prison, and inhabiting Babylon, will produce a great cataclysm ; and every nation that is controlled by Satan’s “ Seed ” will fall into the “ great tribulation ” foretold by our Lord.

lived on the earth, shall have had a fair and impartial trial for life; the wilfully wicked destroyed for ever ; and the obedient ones fully restored to health, strength, perfection of body and mind, and their hearts filled with

The enmity Satan and the almost reache

“ Seed ”

?limax. The demon:

finding a habitation in the minds of those who control Babylon and who constitute the “Seed” of Satan, will exercise their every power to destroy the “Seed” of promise. Many will be surprised that the orthodox clergy of our dav are thus ensnared. The ecclesiastics of the Jewish system, the scribes and Pharisees, are duplicated In the clergy of the ecclesiastical systems of our time. These have denied the words of the Master, the blood of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. They say the dead are not dead, and therefore cannot be resurrected ; and since man is a creature of evolution, as they claim, they thereby deny the necessity of a ransomer. Thev have accepted Satan’s lie in preference to God’s truth. Jesus said, therefore : “Why do you not understand my speech ? Even because yon cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the

and civil powers. The Lord here foretold that the “ Seed of the serpent” would spill

truth, When

(John

because there is no truth in him. he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his for he is a liar, and the father of it ”

8:43, 44). Here Jesus definitely the class composing the “ Seed ” r f

WHY THE CHURCHES FAILED

The peoples of earth are now in the great transitory period. The greatest crisis of all time is upon the human race. Many are asking, Why has Christianity failed ? Why should this great war come when we have so many churches and like organizations ? The answer is found in the fact that Christians In the church systems have been overreached by Satan, and his “Seed” has there predominated and controlled. The clergy have repudiated the Bible, they have turned the people away from it; their religion has been merely a veneer and could not regenerate the heart. The spirit of Christ alone can bring regeneration.

But let no true Christian at this hour be discouraged or dismayed. It is a time, for all such to be calm and sober-minded, to watch and pray. Be strong in faith, and remember the .Master’s words: “ He’that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” To the order-loving people of the world the Prophet of the Lord says : “ Seek meekness, seek righteousness ; it may be that ye shall be bid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Go quickly to your Bible and prove that the foregoing statement is true ; and learning it to be true, yon will be able to see, shining beyond the darkness that now enshrouds the earth, the light of hope, the Messianic Kingdom.

THE

Jehovah

HEEL TO BE BRUISED said that the “Seed of the

Serpent ” would bruise the heel of the “ Seed of the woman.” The “heel” means the last members of the body of Christ on earth --the last to pass within the vail of death.

The world has now ended.

The last members

of the body of Christ soon will have finished

FREE LITERATURE!

Send post-card request to the editor for free copies of this paper. Some, of the interesting subjects you may have for the asking are:

Spiritism is Demonism!

Where are the Dead ?

The Rich Man in Hell.

Thieves in Paradise.

Church of the Living God.

Distress of Nations Preceding Armageddon.

Clergy Ordination Proved Fraudulent.

Ui us u us

Uj

Ui

U5

Ui

STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.” By PASTOR RUSSELL |

10,000.000 COPIES IN CIRCULATION , NOW OFFERED AT ALMOST COST. B

19 LANGUAGES—

IV.

Handsome Embossed Cloth.

“The Divine Plan of the Ages ” “The Time Is at Hand ”

“Thy Kingdom Come”......

“ The Battle of Armageddon ” “Atonement Between God and

Man ”...............

“ The New Creation ” ......

3S4 pp. ’

384 pp.

384 pp.

658 pp.

Entire Set 12/- post paid.

Order Direct from the Publishers—

International Bible Student* Association,

Craven Terr., Lancaster Gate, London, W.2.

fife

the blood of the true saints, saying, “ I saw

Printed by Hazell, Watson S; Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury —155172,

640 pp.

750 pp.

’ Special Offer.—Fer the stun of 15/- we-Sr i will include one year’s subscription of , The Watch Tower (Pastor Russell’s semi- &

1 monthly journal) with the purchase of the He : Sets of Studies shown above. Order at once. §3