1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

After the giving up of the fleshly house, especially during thethree and a half years following, or the last half of their covenantweek [the 70th, Dan. 9:24], favor was still shown to all who leftit and accepted of the fact that Jesus Christ had come, etc.; sohere there will be special favor shown to all who separate inheart from the cast-off Church, and receive the presence of theLord during the three and a half years from 1878 to 1881, andafter that to those who become part of "the great company," forsome shall glorify God in this "day of visitation and wrath." [1Pet. 2:12.]The number of Scriptures which speak of the Gospel Churchafter being cast off from God's favor, and of her rapid declineand fall are somewhat wonderful. In Rev. 3:14 to 21, the wholepicture is vividly presented. The Lord is addressing the lastphase of the Church, the seventh. [We in common, with nearlyall expositors of the Apocalypse, understand the seven Churcheshere addressed to represent seven phases or conditions of theentire nominal Church, from the days of the apostles to the endof the Gospel age, in the order mentioned.] To this seventhChurch, Jesus says: "I know thy works," [the works are greaterfar than the faith] "that thou art neither cold nor hot; so, then,because thou art lukewarm I will spew thee out of My mouth."What a description this is of the present condition of her, whomGod calls "Babylon"--confusion--mixture-- lukewarm.Babylon says she is "rich, increased in goods and has need ofnothing;" that she is in a more prosperous condition than everbefore, and she boasts of fine churches, high steeples, eloquentpreachers, wealthy members, splendid music, large salaries andworldly popularity, and knows not that she is "poor andmiserable and blind," (stumbling over present truths) andremembers not that her worldly popularity is an evidence of herdisfavor with the Bridegroom. "For the friendship of the worldis enmity against God." She is therefore given up, as was thefleshly house--she is "spewed out of His mouth." She has beenHis mouthpiece, and through her He has spoken to the world,but it shall be so no longer. "The voice of the Bridegroom andthe Bride shall be heard no more at all in thee." Rev. 18:23.To our understanding this "spewing" and "falling" dates from1878, the exact parallel of time to the giving and "leavingdesolate" of the fleshly house. And now the call is "Come out ofher, my people! that ye be not partakers of her sins and receivenot of her plagues," and while we expect that most of the secondcompany will not be freed from her bondage until afterward, wedo expect that all who constitute part of the bride will beseparated before the Autumn of 1881, then "the voice of theBride will no more be heard in her."The fall of Babylon is not only the subject of a large portion ofthe book of Revelation, but also of many of the prophecies. Asfleshly Israel went into captivity to literal Babylon, so did the