Octaman's Octablog: Satan—Is He Bound Yet?

Satan—Is He Bound Yet?

"The fourth stage of Satan's binding will be during the reign of Anarchy"

"so much Truth as will make it impossible for Satan to rule mankind by the Socialistic government"

Answered in 1937 by P.S.L. Johnson

Posted May 23, 2019 [This is a consecutive narrative, formatting ours for emphasis]

Satan—Is He Bound Yet.

Question (1937)—How can we think of Satan as bound now, if he is instrumental in the destruction of the Great Company’s flesh?

Answer: To see daylight through this question we must realize that the binding of Satan, the individual, and the Satan system does not mean their inactivity, and that it is not an instantaneous act, but that it is a progressive matter, going through several stages. The binding of the individual Satan respects the fallen angels and means that our Lord gave the fallen angels so much Truth between 1874 and 1878 that Satan from then (1878) onward could no more control them as he had been doing before; yet he has otherwise continued very active among them. Again, the binding of the Satan system as respects the world is a progressive one, going through four stages, amid each one of which he displays great activities, as the following will show:

1st Stage:

The first stage was from 1874 to 1914 and thus preceded the World War.

It gave the world so much Truth against the foundation errors of Satan's empire, the Divine right of kings, clergy and aristocracy, and against its supporting errors, eternal torment and the consciousness of the dead, as made it impossible for Satan longer to control mankind with those errors;

yet he was very active while thus being bound.

2nd Stage:

The second stage is now going on. It began at the end of the War and will be completed by Armageddon.

It will give the world so much Truth as against dictatorships as will make it impossible for Satan to rule mankind by dictators, proven by the outbreak of Armageddon;

yet during this stage of his binding Satan has been very active.

3rd Stage:

The third stage of his binding will be between Armageddon and Anarchy, beginning at the end of the former and ending at the beginning of the latter.

It will give the world so much Truth as will make it impossible for Satan to rule mankind by the Socialistic government that he will establish after Armageddon,

which third stage of his binding as complete will be evident by the outbreak of Anarchy;

yet Satan will be very active during that period.

4th Stage:

The fourth stage of Satan's binding will be during the reign of Anarchy, and will be active into its last phase, i.e., during the plundering expedition against the Jews of Palestine,

which reign of Anarchy the Lord will destroy by overwhelming the plundering hosts of anarchists in Palestine through a mighty display of retributive justice.

This stage of his binding will complete it from every standpoint, but amid each part of it Satan will be very active.

When Anarchy will have been overthrown, Satan will not only have been completely bound, but he will then be spirited away from this earth and imprisoned, unable for the rest of the 1,000 years to tempt the people or to learn what is going on among them.

The above five features of Satan's binding, one as to the fallen angels, the other four as to mankind, prove that his binding is a progressive one, stretching through five stages over a period of more than 80 years,

and that his binding process does not mean that he is rendered therein inactive, but it does mean that

as each stage is completed he will no longer be able to control through the errors whereby he controlled before such stage of his binding set in.

Hence during each stage he has activity and power enough to destroy the fleshly minds of Levites.

Present Truth Question Book—(1918-2000)

[Op Ed. It's quite possible that we are in the 4th Stage, in my view, and that Armageddon began many years ago building in a long crescendo.

Therefore we may now be in at least the early stages of the Anarchy if not later, and that the "Grand Smash" Pastor Russell expected can very well occur at any time under current social, political, financial and religious conditions. RB]

THIS IS THE MANNA FOR MAY 23

Ye also ought to wash one another's feet-John 13: 14.

This would signify that the disciples of Christ should have a mutual watch-care over one another's welfare; to keep each other clean, holy, pure, and to assist one another in overcoming the trials and temptations and besetments of this present evil world, arising from the three sources of temptation, "the world, the flesh and the devil." Only as we cultivate the various graces of the Spirit-meekness, patience, gentleness, brotherly kindness, love-can we hope to be specially helpful to others in putting on these adornments of character and purities of life, and to get rid of defilements of the world and the flesh-Z '97, 243 (R 2200).

Certainly in exhorting us to wash one another's feet, the Lord did not mean our literal feet, for this under present conditions would be the reverse of the spirit He manifested in washing His disciples' feet. As the washing of their feet by Jesus made them comfortable and thus served them, so His exhortation to us to wash one another's feet would signify to serve one another in love, even in the humblest ways-P '35, 62.