1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

adical Sons of Freedom minority group
that continues to spearhead the opposition.
As for the Sons of Freedom, their desire
to live in Christian unity is commendable.
However, the way of its attainment is not
by rebellion and destruction. Neither
Christ nor his disciples became insurrectionists.
Fire and sword was the pagan
way; Likewise, fire and nude parades bring
no credit to Christians.
It appears that the root cause of all
Doukhobor troubles
lies in their refusal
to accept the Holy
Scriptures as an inspired
guide (2 Tim.
3:16,17) and in their
teaching that Christ
is reborn in each in-
dividual so that the "voice within" becomes
the supreme authority, nullifying all government
and regulation. In this way each
person's private conclusions, or those of
their leader, become the infallible guide regardless
of all evidence to the contrary.
Could this be the difficulty? Let us see.
Delegated Authority
Of some Jews, Paul wrote: "I bear them
witness. that they have a zeal for God; but
not according to accurate knowledge."
(Rom. 10:2) That strikes right at the core
of the Sons of Freedom's problem. Their
sincerity stands beyond question, but their
misplaced zeal brings them endless suffering
to no purpose. A further Bible record
reads: "Let every soul be in subjection to
the superior authorities, for there is no
16
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authority except by God; the existing authorities
stand placed in their relative positions
by God." (Rom. 13:1) So it would
be well to recognize that human governments
do have relative authority permitted
by God to them, to be exercised in harmony
with his righteous principles pending
the time of their removal by Goq.'s
kingdom.-Dan. 2: 44.
By the same Word we are informed that
in due time all wrongful authorities, ex-
ploitation and wars
will disappear and the
illusive blessings so
often promised but
seldom enjoyed at the
present will become
the inheritance of all
integri ty-keepers
worldwide.-l Cor. 15:25; Isa. 2:4.
If all Doukhobors can bring themselves
to accept this inescapable situation, their
unswerving determination will stand them
in good stead and the Doukhobor question
will disappear. So why not face the inevitable,
even though it may seem disagreeable,
and ride it out in patience in view
of the good things to come when God will
cause men to "sit, each one under his vine
and under his fig tree, and there will. be no
one making them tremble"? (Mfc. 4:4)
God's Word sets the time for this within
this amazing generation. It will come true,
and it stands out as the only hope for fearstricken
humankind, including all Doukhobors
and any others who feel moved to
revolt against the secular authorities under
which they live.
Twenty-five years ago nylon stepped before the American public.
In 1938 women's hose gobbled up all tlle nylon. But today dress fabrics
eat up 75 million pounds of nylon, carpets take another 100 million
pounds, automobile tires use 210 million pounds, whIle hosiery uses
only 45 million pounds.
AWAKEI