no
'The
WATCH TOWER
~
41. ·What was the purPOSl' of Paul's- reference to himself, as recorde<.l in EphesHllls ;): 1-9, and what is the applieation of verst' 10' ,.- 42. Describ.. the position of thl' apostles in the church, in 1'1'lation to Jesus, the lIeael of the ehureh, and to the ecdesia, as a bod;',
~
I3aoOr{LYN.
N. Y.
4:L Set'ing who eompoSt' the Society, and its relationship to the Lord and his work in the earth, what is clearly the privileg{' and duty of {'wry memb..r th..reoH Should an'y one differ with th.. Society as to th.. course it is pursuing, what is the proper proce,lure for such one' Being a member of Zion, where does each one owe his full alll'giance~
Tf1E LORD'S TABLE AND THE TABLE OF DEVILS [Fifteen-minute radio lecture]
A
DDRE8~[~(:
his letter to the "sanctified in Christ .h'sns", the Apostle Panl wrote: "Ye cannot drink the cnp of the Lord, and the cup of dl'yils: ye cannot hl' partakers of the Lord's table, and of til(' tahle' of de'ils." (1 Cor. 10: :21, :22) ~ince these words are addr('ssed to Christians, it bdlOOveS ('-er~' true Christian to know just what they mean. 'l'o haw no desin' to inYrstig-ate would elassif~' one a:5 llOt heing' a ('hristian nnd as h,'ing' no intl'rest in the Lord's tahll'. 'The apostle draws att(-ntion to two ta1>ll's, aile called "thl' Lord's tahle" and the other 'the de'ils' tahle', and tells ns that a Christian can not eat of both at the same time. 'This stateml'llt is l'lltirely in harmony with the words of Jesus, who said: "'.: man call sen'c two masters: for either he will hate the Olle, and lo'e the other; or else hl' will holu to the one, and despise thl' othl'1'." C~lntt. 6: 2.+) 'Thl'se words assure us that l'yen' one who ela ims to be a Christian is scr'ing eitlll'r the Lord or the Deyil. '1'hl're are onl~' two mastl'rs. '1'0 sene the Lord, 0 f ronrse, would mean to he inj(']'('sted in his Woru to the l'xtent of studying it ill onlL'r to know just what the Lord would have ns do. "'it hout su('h an intl']'l'st and stud~' and effort to please thc Lord no 01l(' eould CTn claim to be serving the Lord. '1'0 sene the Th,,il one will he doing the Devil's rill and work, OJ' at least he indifferent to the Lord's will and work. '1'h('re are man~' millions of people who think they are on thl' Lord's side, but who take no intl'l'l'St in (·ithl'r his ,Yol'll 01' his work. 'The~' are indifferent to yhat the Lord ,'onld have them do. Such people arc sening Satan, evell thoug'h they are lloing it ullwittingl~'. But vhat is meant h~' "the Lord's table" and' the .ll-vils' table'? In am'i('llt times it was customary for kings to in'i1L' those whom they desired to specially honor to a great fl'ast, prppared especiall~' for them, Tlte tahle was lade'n with all the bounties at the king's eommand; hospitalit~~ was unlimited, and eyery need supplied. This was the king's method of showing favor to his guest, of honoring' him and bestowing his approval upon him. 'l'o deeline sueh an im'itation 'ould mark olle as an ('nemy of t he king, and to ae· eept instead an invitation E'xtended b~' another would be a positive insult.
The apostle was using this illustration. lIe was showing that J(·hovah Cod is the greatest king in the universe; that he has invited certain ones to be his guests, so to speak; that he has specially prepared a table for them. On this table are all the bounties which God has to gin' to his creatures. 'These bounties eonsist of all the promises made to them; all the joys; all tlH' pri'ih'g-es of s('nice; all the hopes; all the doctrines and truths found in his Word; and all the blessings of his f,wor, approval and lo'e. It is an honor to be invit('(l to a fl'ast by the great Jehoyah. '1'0 refuse to accl'pt such an im'itation would marj{ surh a person as lIod's cnemy, and to sit down at tllP table of the Devil instead would be a gl'OSS insult to the God of the uniwrsl'. '1'lwse things ]H'ing true' and self·eYident, it heeomes an important matter to l'"ery one who claims to be a Christi:m to take time to inH'stigate and see whether he is sitting' at the Lord's table or at the table of Ul'Vils. Jf 'e arc sitting at the la11l'r table we are ClH'mi(·s of Cod, despisillg' his gracl' and fa'or, and treating him with eontl'mpt. 'l'he prophet, spl'aking- of thosl' who despise the Lord's tabll', says: ,. ¥ e say, 'The table of the Lord is eont(·mptihle.. , . 1y naml' shall he great among the heatlwn, ... saith the Lord of hosts. But ye haw }ll'ofall('d it, in that ye say, 'The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, eYrIJ his ml'at, is contemptible. "-I1Ial. 1: 7,11,12, But what is JlH'ant hy the table of devils? The table of devils rl'1'prs to all those lies ag-aillst ,Jpho,(lh nod and his Word of trnth, of whieh Satan is the father: it i]]('lndl's also all those false doetrinl'S which are not found in the Bible hut whieh Satan haB 1H'rslladpd the 1wople to bplieve arl' taug-ht therein. Speaking of thl'se ral'll' doctrines, Panl says: "?ow the spirit speakdh exprl'ssl~', that in the lattl'r timl's some shall dl'part from the faith, gi'ing heed to seducing spirits, ,md doetrinl's of dl'yils.' '-1 'Tim. 4: 1. 'The table of lk'ils is filled with slanders against Cod and against hi,., truth; it is sprl'ad with messagl'S that haw 110 eoml0rt in thl'm, that contain no hope of bIPssings to come and that are not a source of joy or p('nee or plp(sun" ('hief among the slanders against Uod is the doctrine of eternal torment of the wicked; that Cod has created a lake of fire and brimstone and also a wicked creature called the Devil, and appointl'd him to the task of tormenting some of the race for
