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(Cont. from Page 31/8/86A).
"THE SERVANT OF THE LORD… (From Wisdom of Solomon 2:1 to 3:5. The Apocrypha NEB). "They said
to themselves in their deluded way: 'Our life is short and full of trouble, and
when a man comes to his end there is no remedy; no man was ever known to return
from the grave. By mere chance were we born, and afterwards we shall be as
though we had never been, for the breath in our nostrils is but a wisp of smoke;
our reason is a mere spark kept alive by the beating of our hearts, and when
that goes out, our body will turn to ashes and the breath of our life disperse
like empty air. Our names will be forgotten with the passing of time, and no one
will remember anything we did. Our life will blow over like the last vestige of
a cloud; and as a mist is chased away by the sun's rays and overborne by its
heat, so will it too be dispersed. A passing shadow 'Down with the poor and honest man! Let us tread him underfoot; let us show no mercy to the widow and no reverence to the grey hairs of old age. For us let might be right! Weakness is proved to be good for nothing. Let us lay a trap for the just man; he stands in our way, a check to us at every turn; he girds at us as law-breakers, and calls us traitors to our upbringing. He knows God, so he says; he styles himself "the servant of the Lord". He is a living condemnation of all our ideas. The very sight of him is an affliction to us, because his life is not like other people's, and his ways are different. He rejects us like base coin, and avoids us and our ways as if we were filth; he says that the just die happy, and boasts that God is his Father. Let us test the truth of his words, let us see what will happen to him in the end; for if the just man is God's son, God will stretch out a hand to him and save him from the clutches of his enemies. Outrage and torment are the means to try him with, to measure his forbearance and learn how long his patience lasts. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for on his own showing he will have a protector.' So they argued, and very wrong they were; blinded by their own malevolence, they did not understand God's hidden plan; they never expected that holiness of life would have its recompense; they thought that innocence had no reward. But God created man for immortality, and made him the image of His own eternal Self; it was the devil's spite that brought death into the world, and the experience of it is reserved for those who take his side. But the souls of the just are in God's hand, and torment shall not touch them. In the eyes of foolish men they seemed to be dead; their departure was reckoned as defeat, and their going from us a disaster. But they are at peace, for though in the sight of men they may be punished, they have a sure hope of immortality; and after a little chastisement they will receive great blessings, because God has tested them and found them worthy to be His." YES, WE DO STYLE
OURSELVES AS SERVANTS OF THE LORD. As regards persecution from the Godless, we have exercised patience, for the reason that we have come to know the Way (Isaiah 35:8) and the opportunity for immortal life through "God's hidden plan"; that immortality is the recompense for holiness, and that recompense will begin as described in Joel 2:18-32 and Revelation 11:18 after the spiritual cleansing work of the "locusts" has been completed. (Joel 2:25. Rev 9:3-6). 31/8/86B. |
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