Oldal:W01.1936 Samson 5.djvu/6 forrásának megtekintése

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&fie WATCHTOWER.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
14 The beastly governing power, of which the mod¬
ern Philistines were a part, had caused the “two wit¬
nesses” to lie dead “in the street”. The modern Philis¬
tines had been the chief movers in this assault upon
Jehovah’s witnesses. In 1918 the Samson class had
permitted themselves to be inveigled into a position
of indifference resulting in partial blindness. They
did not see and appreciate the true issue and on that
issue taking a firm stand and holding that position
regardless of eonscquences. The Samson class did not
voluntarily seek that position, but from weakness found
themselves in that place. On the seventh day of May,
1918, the official members of the Society were arrested,
and many others of the Society were arrested before
and immediately thereafter, and the work of the So¬
ciety was effectively stopped. That there was a partial
blindness on the part of the Samson class is supported
by the following: At that time The Watchtower was
edited by a committee, different members writing the
different articles that were published. In The Watch¬
tower of April 15, 1917, and before the arrest of the
Society’s officers, this was said concerning the sup¬
port of the governments in the war: “There is no
middle ground for a Christian. He can be true to the
Lord and faithful to bis consecration vow only by tak¬
ing one course, namely, a refusal to engage in the
war. . . . Since he is the ambassador of the heavenly
kingdom he should sec to it that his time and strength
and energy arc devoted to peaceful pursuits, and to
the declaring of the message of the kingdom of Christ.”
Immediately following the arrest above mentioned, in
May, 1918, The Watchtower became less bold in pro¬
claiming the kingdom truths, and in the very same
issue which announced such arrests the statement was
published that the president of the United States had
issued a proclamation naming May 30, 1918, “A day
of prayer and supplication.” That “prayer meeting”
was for the successful termination of the war, of course,
which the country had then entered. Commenting up¬
on that proclamation The Watchtoivcr of June 1, 1918,
said of America and this prayer meeting: “This is
the land divinely 'shadowed with wings’, overshad¬
owed by the providential watcheare of God’s Word,
. . . And they [God’s people] will be of all people
the most ready to embrace an opportunity of gath¬
ering in an additional service of prayer and suppli¬
cation. . . . Let there be praising and thanksgiving to
God for the promised glorious outcome of the war, the
breaking of the shackles of autocracy, the freedom of
the captives (Isa. 61:1) and the making of the world
safe for the common people.” That publication was
largely induced by blindness, the result of fear. One
“eye” of the Samson class was about out, and a little
later the Philistines bored out the other “eye”, but
with a different result. (See verse 28.) The Watchtower
takes this occasion to acknowledge the wrongful course
taken by this journal in publishing the above state¬
ment, and to confess that wrong before God and be¬
fore witnesses.
15 The Philistines must have led the blind Samson
in a public procession, that they might display him
and their triumph over him; and the peoples support¬
ing the Philistines joined in their shouts of triumph.
The Philistines must have reasoned that Samson is
done for. Likewise in 1918 the modem Philistines con¬
cluded that the Samson class was now dead and they
would not be bothered with them any more: “ And they
of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations,
shall see their dead bodies three days and an half,
and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in
graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall re¬
joice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts
one to another; because these two prophets tormented
them that dwelt on the earth.”—Rev. 11:9,10.
18 The modern Philistines felicitated one another and
rejoiced that the Samson class was done up. Samson
was bound with fetters and held firmly, which fetters
in former times could not have held him at all. The
events of 1918 brought about by the World War and
the treachery of “Delilah” and the action of the
“Philistines” made the Samson class a much prized
prisoner. Samson was made to grind in the prison
house; and likewise the Samson class was made to
“grind in the prison house”, some actually grinding,
and all being restrained from activity in public serv¬
ice of Jehovah, and forced to render service to Satan’s
organization, and thi,s caused the modern Philistines
to greatly rejoice. The Samson class, now blind and
restrained by the modern Philistines, then really awak¬
ened to the situation and with absolute confluence in
the Most High prayed God for their release that they
might do his service to his glory regardlc'-s of conse¬
quences; and the Lord did not let that prayer go un¬
heeded. “For he hath looked down from the height
of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold
the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to
loose those that are appointed to death [doomed by
the Philistines to die in prison] ; to declare the name
of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem.”
—Ps. 102:19-21.
” That the Lord heard the prayer of his people
is evidenced by the overwhelming corroborative facts
that follow, and his spirit was given to the faithful
Samson class in “a double portion”, and this was
foretold by the growing out again of Samson’s hair
while he was in prison. “Howbeit the hair of his head
began to grow again after he was shaven.” (Judg.
16:22) The hair on his head again becoming long
was symbolic of the reproach that would come upon
and continue upon the Samson class because of faith¬
fulness to Jehovah. The modern Philistines thought
they were rid of the Samson class, even as the
Philistines thought Samson was for ever bereft of
his strength; but neither the modern Philistines nor
their prototype knew about the law of the Nazarites.<noinclude><references/></noinclude>