And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
The healing happened in two stages, with a first touch giving only partial sight of people as blurred walking shapes like trees, and a second touch giving full clear sight. It pictures unfinished seeing where a person sees but does not yet perceive clearly, as when scales are beginning to fall from the eyes. It describes spiritual eyesight too dim to discern spiritual things, so that even disciples fix on present humiliation and an earthly throne and cannot grasp rejection, death, and coming glory, and a church enclosed by unbelief walks in darkness and refuses light. A divine touch and the Holy Spirit are needed to see things as they are and as God sees and to work as Christ worked. Those who are beginning to perceive truth but still see unclearly must be labored with wisely, patiently and carefully so prejudice is not stirred and the heart is not shut to further truth, until clear sight grasps reliance on Christ's righteousness or be lost.
The Two-Stage Healing
The healing happened in two stages, with sight only partly restored after the first touch so that people could be seen but unclearly as tree-like walking shapes, and then made fully clear after the eyes were touched again. Blind eyes do not at once see everything clearly, for sight may return gradually. That middle condition illustrates the work needed for a church enclosed by unbelief, walking in spiritual darkness without recognizing where it stumbles and refusing light for fear of reproof. It also illustrates the need to labor wisely and patiently with people who are learning the truth.
To see in this way is to have partial, unfinished sight where one sees but does not yet perceive clearly, with people appearing blurred, indistinct and confused. It is the point when scales are beginning to fall from the eyes and truth is seen only dimly and still needs further light. Such dimness is spiritual sight too dim to discern spiritual things, and those who lack discernment need a divine touch so they can see as God sees and work as Christ worked. It describes a person who has not yet gained clear spiritual understanding and a religious experience in which sight is not yet clear. Clear sight by contrast means recognizing reliance on Christ's righteousness or be lost, and when a man like Brother Kilgore was freed and converted he no longer saw in this confused way and could give a clear message. The same partial understanding applies to those who grasp and promote some truth while also presenting ideas that contradict it. With those in this condition work must be very careful, lest truth be presented in a way that arouses prejudice and closes the door of the heart.
Dim Spiritual Eyesight
To see men as trees walking is to see only dimly like blurred shapes and not to comprehend Christ. The eyes remain fixed on the nearer view of present earthly life in poverty, humiliation and suffering, while His coming in glory seems far away. That coming will not be with the splendor of an earthly throne but with the glory of God and the hosts of heaven, when He shall reward every man according to his works, and some standing there would not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom. Clinging to glowing expectations of the Messiah's kingdom and of seeing their Lord exalted to the throne of David, it seems incomprehensible that the Son of God should live as a humble homeless wanderer, be despised and rejected, voluntarily go to Jerusalem to suffer cruel humiliation and be put to death. Sadness oppresses the heart through love for the Master, and doubt harasses the mind, questioning how He could resign Himself to such a fate and leave His followers in greater darkness than that in which they were groping before He revealed Himself to them.
The same blurred, indistinct sight marks teachers and educated men who are thought to know more than all other people yet err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. The lessons given to the prophets have been placed in false settings by human traditions teaching the commandments of men instead of the commandments of God, and truth is not distinct in the mind because there is no connection with the God of all truth who came to strip off tradition and place truth in its true setting. More broadly it is spiritual eyesight too dim to discern spiritual things, so that plans are framed after the order of the world. A church enclosed by unbelief walks in spiritual darkness and does not recognize where it stumbles, refusing light for fear it will bring reproof.
Vision becomes clouded and defective when charmed by flattering theories, so that something is perceived but people and matters are not seen clearly. Those captivated by flattering, destructive theories cannot recognize where the theories lead or that their own sight is defective. Diseased moral sight fails to distinguish truth from error, mistaking error for light and realities for phantoms. That partial understanding grasps and promotes some truth while also presenting ideas that contradict it. The same confusion appears when discussion of the dress question becomes so confused that people are seen only indistinctly. It appears in a paralyzed state where if one sees at all he sees only dimly and indistinctly and cannot sense how God regards his conduct, as in stubborn rejection of a good and faithful mother's counsel and in indifference, inattention and positive disrespect toward her that caused her pangs, tears and heartbreaking prayers, leaving need of earnest prayer as never before that God would show the true state as it has been and as it is. It appears in seeing in a confused or mistaken way that distorts the relation between God's law and Christ's righteousness, whereas God's law can be rightly upheld only by taking hold of Christ's righteousness.
Receiving Clear Vision
The dim condition needs a divine touch in order to see as God sees and to work as Christ worked, for without spiritual discernment plans are framed after the order of the world. That touch cures incomplete sight in which a person can see but does not yet perceive clearly, seeing indistinctly as men appearing like trees walking. When spiritual vision is clouded and defective, especially when charmed by flattering theories that prevent perceiving people and matters clearly, the Holy Spirit is needed to see things as they are.
Partial recovery comes after much labor, when a person begins to perceive the wrong in his conduct as one who could see but not yet clearly. Such a one sees some things but still needs to see many matters in a different light. To no longer see in this indistinct way means to be freed and converted so as to give a clear message. Clear sight means grasping and recognizing that one must rely on Christ's righteousness or be lost, whereas before the eyes are opened that necessity is not yet grasped clearly.
A deeper experience is needed to recognize the deceiver's snares, for incomplete discernment leaves even church members without the experience to detect them. With clear sight Zion's watchmen discern the sword coming and the danger in which God's people are placed, and sound the trumpet in clearer, louder notes to warn others clearly. When those in this dim condition are united in the unity for which Christ prayed, controversy ends. Those who are beginning to perceive truth but still see unclearly, with scales only beginning to fall from the eyes and sight only partly restored, must be labored with wisely, patiently and carefully, so that truth is not presented in a way that arouses prejudice and closes the door of the heart to further light.
The healing happened in two stages, with a first touch giving only partial sight of people as blurred walking shapes like trees, and a second touch giving full clear sight. It pictures unfinished seeing where a person sees but does not yet perceive clearly, as when scales are beginning to fall from the eyes. It describes spiritual eyesight too dim to discern spiritual things, so that even disciples fix on present humiliation and an earthly throne and cannot grasp rejection, death, and coming glory, and a church enclosed by unbelief walks in darkness and refuses light. A divine touch and the Holy Spirit are needed to see things as they are and as God sees and to work as Christ worked. Those who are beginning to perceive truth but still see unclearly must be labored with wisely, patiently and carefully so prejudice is not stirred and the heart is not shut to further truth, until clear sight grasps reliance on Christ's righteousness or be lost.
The Two-Stage Healing
The healing happened in two stages, with sight only partly restored after the first touch so that people could be seen but unclearly as tree-like walking shapes, and then made fully clear after the eyes were touched again. Blind eyes do not at once see everything clearly, for sight may return gradually. That middle condition illustrates the work needed for a church enclosed by unbelief, walking in spiritual darkness without recognizing where it stumbles and refusing light for fear of reproof. It also illustrates the need to labor wisely and patiently with people who are learning the truth.
To see in this way is to have partial, unfinished sight where one sees but does not yet perceive clearly, with people appearing blurred, indistinct and confused. It is the point when scales are beginning to fall from the eyes and truth is seen only dimly and still needs further light. Such dimness is spiritual sight too dim to discern spiritual things, and those who lack discernment need a divine touch so they can see as God sees and work as Christ worked. It describes a person who has not yet gained clear spiritual understanding and a religious experience in which sight is not yet clear. Clear sight by contrast means recognizing reliance on Christ's righteousness or be lost, and when a man like Brother Kilgore was freed and converted he no longer saw in this confused way and could give a clear message. The same partial understanding applies to those who grasp and promote some truth while also presenting ideas that contradict it. With those in this condition work must be very careful, lest truth be presented in a way that arouses prejudice and closes the door of the heart.
Dim Spiritual Eyesight
To see men as trees walking is to see only dimly like blurred shapes and not to comprehend Christ. The eyes remain fixed on the nearer view of present earthly life in poverty, humiliation and suffering, while His coming in glory seems far away. That coming will not be with the splendor of an earthly throne but with the glory of God and the hosts of heaven, when He shall reward every man according to his works, and some standing there would not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom. Clinging to glowing expectations of the Messiah's kingdom and of seeing their Lord exalted to the throne of David, it seems incomprehensible that the Son of God should live as a humble homeless wanderer, be despised and rejected, voluntarily go to Jerusalem to suffer cruel humiliation and be put to death. Sadness oppresses the heart through love for the Master, and doubt harasses the mind, questioning how He could resign Himself to such a fate and leave His followers in greater darkness than that in which they were groping before He revealed Himself to them.
The same blurred, indistinct sight marks teachers and educated men who are thought to know more than all other people yet err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. The lessons given to the prophets have been placed in false settings by human traditions teaching the commandments of men instead of the commandments of God, and truth is not distinct in the mind because there is no connection with the God of all truth who came to strip off tradition and place truth in its true setting. More broadly it is spiritual eyesight too dim to discern spiritual things, so that plans are framed after the order of the world. A church enclosed by unbelief walks in spiritual darkness and does not recognize where it stumbles, refusing light for fear it will bring reproof.
Vision becomes clouded and defective when charmed by flattering theories, so that something is perceived but people and matters are not seen clearly. Those captivated by flattering, destructive theories cannot recognize where the theories lead or that their own sight is defective. Diseased moral sight fails to distinguish truth from error, mistaking error for light and realities for phantoms. That partial understanding grasps and promotes some truth while also presenting ideas that contradict it. The same confusion appears when discussion of the dress question becomes so confused that people are seen only indistinctly. It appears in a paralyzed state where if one sees at all he sees only dimly and indistinctly and cannot sense how God regards his conduct, as in stubborn rejection of a good and faithful mother's counsel and in indifference, inattention and positive disrespect toward her that caused her pangs, tears and heartbreaking prayers, leaving need of earnest prayer as never before that God would show the true state as it has been and as it is. It appears in seeing in a confused or mistaken way that distorts the relation between God's law and Christ's righteousness, whereas God's law can be rightly upheld only by taking hold of Christ's righteousness.
Receiving Clear Vision
The dim condition needs a divine touch in order to see as God sees and to work as Christ worked, for without spiritual discernment plans are framed after the order of the world. That touch cures incomplete sight in which a person can see but does not yet perceive clearly, seeing indistinctly as men appearing like trees walking. When spiritual vision is clouded and defective, especially when charmed by flattering theories that prevent perceiving people and matters clearly, the Holy Spirit is needed to see things as they are.
Partial recovery comes after much labor, when a person begins to perceive the wrong in his conduct as one who could see but not yet clearly. Such a one sees some things but still needs to see many matters in a different light. To no longer see in this indistinct way means to be freed and converted so as to give a clear message. Clear sight means grasping and recognizing that one must rely on Christ's righteousness or be lost, whereas before the eyes are opened that necessity is not yet grasped clearly.
A deeper experience is needed to recognize the deceiver's snares, for incomplete discernment leaves even church members without the experience to detect them. With clear sight Zion's watchmen discern the sword coming and the danger in which God's people are placed, and sound the trumpet in clearer, louder notes to warn others clearly. When those in this dim condition are united in the unity for which Christ prayed, controversy ends. Those who are beginning to perceive truth but still see unclearly, with scales only beginning to fall from the eyes and sight only partly restored, must be labored with wisely, patiently and carefully, so that truth is not presented in a way that arouses prejudice and closes the door of the heart to further light.