Articles
Treat the Cause
As much as events change, they remain the same, as Solomon said, “That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
When we consider the condition of our civil and religious status, we ought not to be surprised, neither overly alarmed: it is what it is, and they are what they are, but rather follow the example of the Psalmist, who said, “In Jehovah do I take refuge: How say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain; For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart; If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do? Jehovah is in his holy temple; Jehovah, his throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. Jehovah trieth the righteous; But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For Jehovah is righteous; He loveth righteousness: The upright shall behold his face” (Psalms 11).
History records many atrocities that have befallen religion: many have sacrificed their lives in the name of religion. Where will the present trends regarding religion lead? Religious groups, Synods, Assemblies, and whatever else they may be called, that define and legislate doctrine for their perspective denomination are changing long upheld moral codes to bend to the trends of our society. The morally perverse are demanding that their way of life be “respected,” and those who oppose such immorality are wondering, “What can we do, and where will it all end?”
As it is in the medical field, there are two ways to approach any given illness, i.e., treat the cause, or treat the symptoms. When symptoms are treated, there is only a delay of the inevitable. When the cause is treated, there is hope of a cure.
The nation is rapidly sinking into an abyss from which it will not easily recover. God is the only true judge of the condition of society, and how it all works in the scheme of things, but, what can been seen with the natural eye is that the word of God is being set aside by the world in general, and the religious world is diminishing in fervor and conviction, i.e., the symptoms are being treated, and not the cause.
What needs to be treated is the cause, and the cause is ungodliness. The treatment was stated by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, saying, “preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Meditate on the words of Jehovah, by the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein. And I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it” (Jeremiah
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