1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

STUDIESIN THESCRIPTURES"The Path of the Just is as the Shining Light,Which Shineth More and MoreUnto the Perfect Day."Series VIITHE FINISHEDMYSTERY"The Winepress of God's Wrath" and the Fall of Babylon75,000 Edition"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea andupon the earth lifted up his hand to Heaven, andswear by Him that liveth forever and ever, whocreated Heaven and the things that therein are, andthe earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea,and the things which are therein, that the time shouldbe no longer delayed: but in the days of the voice ofthe seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, theMystery of God should be finished, as He hathdeclared to His servants the Prophets."— Rev. 10:5-7. "At the end it shall speak and not lie."— Heb. 2:3.INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTSASSOCIATIONBROOKLYN, LONDON, MELBOURNE, BARMEN,ELBERFELD, OREBRO, CHRISTIANIA1918.

IN TITE TNTPRPST OFWAITING FOB TISE ADOPTIONAND OF"ALL THAT IN EVERT PLACE CALL UPON THE LORD""TI-IE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH"AND OFTHE GROANING CREATION; TRAVAI1,ING ANDWAILING FOR TSIB MANIFESTATION OFTHE SONS OF GODPOSTHUMOUS WORE OF PASTOR RUSSELLHis Last Legacy to the Dear Israel of God. (Matt. 20 : 9)"To make 611 see what Is the fellowship of the mysteN which fromthe beginning of the world hath been hid in God." "WhereinIle hath abounded toward us in all wlsdom and pmdenct,,having made known unto us the mysteryof His will, according to Ilis good pleasurewhich He hath purposed in Hlmself;that in the dispensation of thefulness of the times He mmahtgather together in oneall things, underChrist."Iilph. 3:4, 5, 9; 1:8-10.COPYRIGHT 1917PEOPLES PULSPIT ASSOCIATIONGROOKLYN, N. Y., U. S. A.(British Copyright Secured)

FM3PUBLISHER'S PREFACESINCE the days of the Apostles, Christian peoplehave been looking for the coming of our Lord Jesusin great power and glory; for He said that He wouldcome again and receive His Church unto Himself. Hefurther pointed out that for some time prior to thecompletion of the Church He would be present,gathering out from Babylon and from the world thetruly onsecrated, and that during His presence "theMystery of God" would be finished.Through St. John the Lord Jesus revealed the fact thatthe Church would be developed during seven distinct

prefigured by the mighty wind shown to Elijah (1Kings 19:11), which rent the rocks. But God'sKingdom will not follow the epoch of war; the worldwill not thus be made ready for the Reign ofImmanuel. No; a further lesson will be needed andwill be given. It is represented in"(2) An earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures anearthquake seems always to represent revolution; andit is not unreasonable to expect that an era of generalwarfare would so arouse the lower classes of Europeand so discontent them with their lot (and especiallywith the conditions which would follow such a war)that revolution would be the next thing in order.(Rev. 16:18.) But, severe though those revolutionaryexperiences will be to the world, they are notsufficient to prepare men to hear the voice of God. Itwill require"(3) The fire from heaven--an epoch of Divinejudgments and chastisements upon a maddened butunconverted world, wild in anarchy, as otherScriptures show us. The results of their wars,revolutions and anarchy, in the failure of theirschemes, will have a humbling effect, and willprepare mankind for God's revelation of Himself in"(4) The still small voice. Yes; He who spoke to thewinds and the waves of the Sea of Galilee will, in duetime, ‘speak peace to the peoples.' He will speak withauthority, commanding the observance of His longneglected Law of Love. ‘And whosoever will nothear that Prophet shall be cut off from among Hispeople.' (Acts 3:23.)"— THE WATCH TOWER,July 1, 1898, p 208."Looking back to the prophetic testimony respectingthe Times of the Gentiles, we perceive that our Lord'swords, Jerusalem shall be trodden down of theGentiles until the Times of the Gentiles be filled full,'give the intimation that the determined times, oryears, in which the empire of earth would be in thehands of Gentile governments was a fixed one fromthe Divine standpoint. And if, as we believe theScriptures to teach. Gentile domination was providedfor up to October, 1914, it would seem but areasonable interpretation that Divine power wouldnot be exercised to their dethronement until after thetime allotted for their reign had ended— October,1914."— THE WATCH TOWER, July 1, 1904, p.198.

In 1879 Charles Taze Russell began the publicationof THE WATCH TOWER, of which he was the soleeditor as long as he remained on earth. THE WATCHTOWER was, and is, the first and only journaldeclaring the presence of the Lord Jesus. PastorRussell being the messenger to the LaodiceanChurch, and occupying the position of the Lord'sspecial servant to give the Household or Faith meat indue season, it was to be expected that he would bringforth from the Lord's great "Storehouse" the neededspiritual food for the Church, in harmony withFM5God's will. By the Lord's grace he wrote the sixvolumes of STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, whichwritings, aside from the Bible, have gladdened morehearts and thrilled Christians with greater hope andjoyful expectation than have any other writingsextant. These books have been properly designated"Keys to the Divine Plan of the Ages." These "keys"have been placed in the hands of thousands ofChristian people throughout the world, and haveenabled them to unlock the Lord's Treasure-house,the Bible, and there to see some of the "treasures ofwisdom" and knowledge of God! Some have beenable to use these "keys" more effectually than haveothers. "God hath set the members in the Body as ithath pleased Him."Time and again Pastor Russell said that the SeventhVolume of STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES wouldbe written; and it was expected that he would write it.The Scriptures show that the Seventh Volume mustbe published. Pastor Russell passed from the earth,and the Seventh Volume remained unpublished. Inhis last moments he said, "Some one else can writethe Seventh Volume." For any one to arrogate tohimself the authority to write and publish the SeventhVolume would, we believe, seem presumptuousbefore the Lord.Whom, then, would the Lord have to write it?Pastor Russell was a man of unusual modesty. Greatmen usually are modest. The examination of thecontents of this book will disclose the fact that itdeals with Revelation and Ezekiel; that the Lord longago caused to be recorded therein, in symboliclanguage, a history of the Church, particularly theclosing earthly experiences thereof; and therein setforth that He would uncover the many frauds,

deceptions and blasphemous teachings and practicesof the church nominal— both Catholic andProtestant; that in the last days He would then makebare the unholy alliance between the unrighteousecclesiastical systems and the corrupt politicalelements of the earth, which religious systems haveprospered and grown fat in the name of Christ; thatthe Lord pronounces His indignation and wrathagainst all such Babylonish systems and marks theirutter destruction in a Time of Trouble such as theworld has never known and will never again know;and that the earthly creature made prominent thereinabove all others is the messenger of the LaodiceanChurch— "that wise and faithful servant of theLord"— CHARLES TAZE RUSSELL. In view ofthe facts stated, is it at all surprising that the Lordspared him the publication of the Seventh Volume?But the fact is, he did write it. This book mayproperly be said to be a posthumous publication ofPastor Russell.FM6Why? Because to him the Lord gave the "key", tohim was given the privilege of making clear to theChurch in its last years the "Mystery of God"; to himwas granted the privilege of hearing from the handsof the Lord to the Household of Faith "meat in dueseason" for the special development and sustenanceof God's dear little ones. This service he hasfaithfully performed. This book is chiefly acompilation of things which he wrote and which havebeen brought together in harmonious style byproperty applying the symbols which he explained tothe Church.By his last Will and Testament Pastor Russelldesignated George H. Fisher, of Scranton, Pa., as onewhom he would approve as a member of the EditorialStaff of THE WATCH TOWER— the mostimportant journal published on earth. For many yearsBrother Fisher has been consecrated to the Lord, acareful student of the Bible in the light of theMessage brought from the Lord by the messenger tothe Laodicean Church; and for some time he hasmade a careful and prayerful study of the Book ofEzekiel.When Pastor Russell was with us he gave directionthat the BIBLE STUDENTS MANUAL should beprepared by Clayton J. Woodworth, also of Scranton,

Pa. This Manual was published by this Society, andhas proven a great blessing to the Household of Faith.The preparation of that Manual required a criticalexamination of everything Pastor Russell had written;and thus Brother Woodworth was enabled to becomemore familiar, probably, than any one else with theexplanation of the Scriptures which had been givenby Brother Russell. In this manner the Lord seemedto have qualified him for some special work. Withthe "key" which Brother Russell, as the Lord'sservant, had placed in his hands, Brother Woodworth,by the Lord's grace, has been enabled to bringtogether everything that Brother Russell wrote onRevelation, and to explain and harmonize the otherparts of that book with the Divine Plan; also, to treatsimilarly, the Song of Solomon.It seemed pleasing to the Lord that Brothers C. J.Woodworth and George H. Fisher should prepare theSeventh Volume, under the direction of the WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY. Whileboth residing in the same city, they have workedseparate and apart from each other, not evencomparing notes. The reader will be able to judgehow fully the work of each harmonizes with that ofthe other and with the Divine Plan, thus givingfurther evidence of the Lord's direction in this matter.Pastor Russell long ago said, in substance, that theSeventh Volume would not be for the development ofthe Church; that the preceding six volumes ofSTUDIES INFM7THE SCRIPTURES contain the necessary spiritualfood for that purpose. Asked why, then, it would bewritten, he replied, "It will probably be given to theChurch in a time of direst need, for her comfort andencouragement.Who amongst the consecrated this side the veil doesnot realize that the Church is now in that time of "direneed of comfort and encouragement"? The hour offiery trial and great testings is upon God's people, andthere is need for their comfort and encouragement.The Lord has promised "grace sufficient" and helpfor every time of need for those who love Him andcome confidently unto Him. We believe that as theLord's dear children throughout the earth read thecontents of this book and see how wonderfully Hehas shielded them from the storms of human passionand from the snares of the great Adversary; and that

when they see that the unrighteous, wicked systemsof Babylon are now crumbling under the mighty handof God— which bespeaks the early deliverance of thelast members of the Body from this vale of tears intothe glorious light and liberty of the saints— that thenthey will be greatly comforted; that then they willtake new courage and "gird up the loins of their mind,be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is tocome unto them quickly;" that with exceeding Joythey will lift up their heads, because the hour ofdeliverance is at hand! To all the truly consecratedwho read and appreciate this book we believe that thewords of the Master, "THE KINGDOM OFHEAVEN IS AT HAND!" will sound in their earslike clarion notes upon the clear morning air, givingcourage and strength to those who are growing weakin faith, and more courage to the stronger ones. Webelieve that every one who appreciates this volumewill have a burning desire to grasp his weapon and goforth to the smiting of the Jordan, giving praise to theLord for the privilege.Some will murmur and find fault with this book;some will grow angry, and some will join thepersecutors. But, we believe, every saint whoseheart is filled with love for God and for Hispeople will rejoice and give praise to the Lordfor this further evidence of His blessed favor.The publisher takes pleasure in presenting this,the Seventh Volume, to the remaining membersof the Church, and to all who may read withprofit to themselves and to the glory of the LordJesus and our Father. As the Lord has sent forththe other six volumes, His blessing hasaccompanied each. That His blessing may beupon this volume, to the comfort andencouragement of the dear saints in the hour ofdirest need, is our prayer!INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTSASSOCIATION.WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACTSOCIETY.

FM8TABLE OF CONTENTSPageRev. 1 THE MESSAGE FOR THIS DAY 11Rev. 2 PAUL— JOHN— ARIUS— WALDO 23Rev. 3 WYCLIFFE-LUTHER— RUSSELL 45Rev. 4 THE AUTHOR OF THE PLAN 73Rev. 5 THE EXECUTOR OF THE PLAN 97Rev. 6 SIX SEALS AND THE PAPACY 105Rev. 7 SEVENTH SEAL ANDTHE GREAT COMPANY 123Rev. 8 FOUR PRELIMINARYRev. 9REFORMATIONS 143TWO INEFFECTIVEREFORMATION WOES 155Rev. 10 THE TRUE REFORMATION WOE 167Rev. 11 THE TIME OF THE END 171Rev. 12 THE BIRTH OF ANTICHRIST 183Rev. 13 THE PAPAL AND PROTESTANTBEASTS 193Rev. 14 THE FIVE HARVEST MESSAGES 216Rev. 15 THE SONG OF THE SAINTS 231Rev. 16 ECCLESIASTICISM'SSEVEN PLAGUES 237Rev. 17 THE PAPACY'S LAST STAND 259Rev. 18 THE FALL OF ECCLESIASTICISM 273Rev. 19 THE OVERTHROW OF SATAN'SEMPIRE 289Rev. 20 THE THOUSAND YEARS' REIGN 299Rev. 21 THE DESCENDING KINGDOM 315Rev. 22 THE RIVER OF GRACEAND TRUTH 333Cant. THE BRIDAL ANTHEM 339Ezek. 1 GOD'S CHARACTER AND PLAN 367Ezek. 2 THE REBELLIOUS HOUSEAND THE BOOK 375Ezek. 3 PASTOR RUSSELL'S DIVINEORDINATION 381Ezek. 4 THE PAPAL AND PROTESTANTSIEGES 391Ezek. 5 THE SEVERED HAIR CALAMITIES 398Ezek. 6 SWORD— FAMINE— PESTILENCE 402Samples of "Christians" Preserved 402Ezek.7 DAWN OF THE EVIL DAY 404Ezek. 8 MOLECH THE TORMENT DEITY 409Ezek. 9 THE MAN WITH THE INKHORN 417Ezek. 10 SCATTERING COALS OF FIRE 421Ezek. 11 THE WICKED COUNSEL 424

Christendom the Caldron 424Ezek. 12 CHRISTENDOM'S BLIND FLIGHT 428Ezek. 13 THE GAPS IN THE WALL 432Ezek. 14 INSINCERE INQUIRERS 435God's Four Sore Judgments 436Ezek. 15 FIT FOR FUEL ONLY 438Ezek. 16 UNFAITHFULNESS OFGOD'S PEOPLE 439Ezek. 17 PARABLE OF THE EAGLES 447Zionism to Prosper 450Ezek. 18 THE SOUL THAT SINNETH 451Ezek. 19 THE LION'S WHELPS 454Ezek. 20 THE HYPOCRITICALECCLESIASTICS 456Ezek. 21 THE THRICE DOUBLED SWORD 464Twice Three Times and the Point 465Ezek. 22 THE MELTING POT OF WAR 470Ezek. 23 TWO APOSTATECHURCH SYSTEMS 474Protestantism's Pollution 475Ezek. 24 THE BOILING CALDRON 481Pastor Russell a Sign 483Ezek. 25 RECOMPENSE UPON THE TARES 486Ezek. 26 DOWNFALL OF PHILOSOPHY 489Ezek. 27 PHILOSOPHY'S UTTER RUIN 493The Ship Steered to Destruction 498Ezek. 28 DESTRUCTION OF THE DEVIL 500Churchianity to be Destroyed 503Ezek. 29 THE EGYPTIANS A TYPE 504Christendom's Future Condition 506Ezek. 30 PHARAOH'S TWO ARMS BROKEN 507Church and State Go Down Together 509Ezek. 31 CHRISTENDOM NOT TO ENDURE 511Ezek. 32 CHRISTENDOM'S UTTERDOWNFALL 514Ezek. 33 WHY ECCLESIASTICISMMUST PERISH 519Clerical Seeds of Anarchy 520Pastor Russell Head Again 530Ezek. 34 THE UNFAITHFUL SHEPHERDS 533The Good Shepherd 535Ezek. 35 EDOM A TYPE 540Ezek. 36 CHRISTENDOM'S EARLYRESTORATION 543Why God Will Restore Christendom 547Ezek. 37 THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES 551Two Sticks Made One 556A Great Religious Reformation 557Ezek. 38 FINAL OVERTHROW OF PRIDE 559Ezek. 39 DEATH OF PRIDE'S MULTITUDE 563Ezek. 40 THE TEMPLE AND RIVER OF GOD 569

FM10EXPLANATORY NOTEThis posthumous work of Pastor Russell (arrangedfor use as a textbook) is much condensed, includingthe extracts from the pastor's pen, all of which arereferred back to his works. The abbreviations usedare:A, B, C, D, E, F. The six preceding volumes of"STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURE."(Citations to E in italic figures refer to old Editions,figures in ordinary type to later editions.)B.S.M "THE BIBLE STUDENTS MONTHLY."H "What Say the Scriptures ABOUT HELL?"P-D "PHOTO-DRAMA OF CREATION" Scenario.T "TABERNACLE SHADOWS."S "SPIRITISM" Pamphlet.Z "ZION'S WATCH TOWER," followed by year andpage.The citations to REVELATION and EZEKIEL referto the comments herein, as well as to the Bible text.Other abbreviations used are:Barnes = Barnes' "Revelation."Brit = "Encyclopedia Britannica."Buck = Buck's "Theological Dictionary."Coffin = Coffin's "Story of Liberty."Cook = Cook's "Revelation;" a compendium of thepresentation of seventy-two leading commentators onRevelation, in all languages and all ages of theChurch.Edgar = Edgar's "Pyramid Passages." Vol. II.McC = McClintock and Strong's Encyclopedia.Mosheim = Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History.S. B. D = Smith's Bible Dictionary.Smith = Smith's "Thoughts on Daniel andRevelation."Weym = Weymouth's New Testament in ModernSpeech.

FM11THE REVELATIONOF [ST.] JOHN [THE DIVINE]*REVELATION 1THE MESSAGE FOR THIS DAYRevelation 1:1The Revelation of Jesus Christ.— John theRevelator and the Prophet Habakkuk have foretoldthat the understanding of this revelation, given in 96A. D., is set for an appointed time, the end of the age;and that, at this time, now, when the predicted"Faithful and wise servant" would be present withGod's people the vision would be made plain.— Rev.1:10; Matt. 24:45; Hab. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 1:13.Which God gave unto Him .— "The declarationthat ‘the Son can do nothing of Himself,' if it werenot backed up as it is by a score of other testimoniesfrom the same interested and inspired Teacher, is acontradiction to the common thought of Trinitarians,that the Son is the Father."— Z.'99-45; John 5:20;12:49; 17:7, 8.To shew unto His servants SAINTS .** — "OurLord Jesus has promised us that, as the Elder Brother(of the Gospel House of Sons), whatsoever the Fathershall make known to Him He in turn will makeknown to us."— Z.'99-45.The things .— The shifting scenes of Church andState, the history of the Gospel and Millennial Ages.Which must shortly come to pass .— Which beganat once, in St. John's day, and will continue until thecompletion of all that he foresaw.And He sent .— He did not some Himself, but actedwith the dignity becoming Him who is now theexpress Image of the Father's person. "Dwelling inthe light which no man can approach unto, whom noman hath seen, nor can see."— Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16.* Words not in Sinaitic MS. are enclosed in brackets.The Sinaitic MS. is the oldest known copy of theScriptures, having been written, it is believed, in A.D. 331. The "Authorized" Version was made from

MSS. none of which were older than the tenthcentury.** Words in Sinaitic MS. which do not appear in"Authorized" Version printed in capitals.FN12And signified it .— "Our Lord's revelation, whichGod gave Him after He had passed into glory, Hesent and signified [signified told in signs, symbols,etc.] to His Church."— B203.By His angel .— The "angel" of Rev. 3:14represented this messenger who appeared to St. John.Our Lord's promise in Luke 12:14 is not limited toactivities on this side the veil.Unto His servant John .— "This simplicity,common to all the Apostles, commends them to us asmen of humble mind— the very kind we shouldexpect our Lord to use as special messengers to Hispeople."— Z.'16- 343; Rev. 19:10.Revelation 1:2.Who bare record .— Previously, in the FourthGospel, and in the three epistles bearing his name.Of the Word of God .— The Logos. St. John hashad more to say of the Logos than any other of theApostles."In olden times certain kings made addresses to theirsubjects by proxy, the king sitting behind a screen,while his word or spokesman, stood before thescreen, and addressed the people aloud on subjectswhispered to him by the king, who was not seen, andsuch a speaker was termed the King's logos."—E.94:85.And of the testimony .— The daily words anddeeds, during the three and and a half years of Hisministry.Of Jesus Christ .— "The Faithful and TrueWitness."— Rev. 3:14.[And of all] WHAT things [that SOEVER hesaw].— St. John's powers of observation were acute.His Gospel contains records of twenty-two events orteachings not mentioned by the other Evangelists.Revelation 1:3.Blessed is he .— Singular.

That readeth.— Correctly interprets thesymbolisms. And they.— Plural.That hear the [words] WORD of this prophecy .—"All who have read and understood even a part of theteachings of the book were blessed as promised. Itwas an Important aid to Luther in deciding that thePapacy, of which he was a conscientious minister,was ‘Antichrist.'"— A28.And keep .— Keep the eyes upon, observe (so theGreek indicates).— Rev. 22:7.Those things which are written therein .— "Thereis a blessing upon those who read this revelation,even though they do not understand, and a specialblessing upon those who hear and understand thewords of this prophecy, and who conform their livesto the things therein written."— Z.'16-343.For the time is at hand .— The fulfilments began atonce, in St. John's own day.FM13Revelation 1:4John to the seven churches .— Not merely theseven literal congregations mentioned in Verse 11and elsewhere, but to the epochs of the Church as awhole, from Apostolio days until now.Which are in Asia .— In the Orient, the East, theearly path of the sun. Before the Sun ofRighteousness can illuminate the world of mankind,its rays must first have passed through the Church,the first to greet and welcome the New Day.Grace be unto you .— May favor, unmerited, beyour happy portion.And peace .— The Lord's special legacy to HisChurch.— John 14:27.From Him .— Our glorified Lord and Head.— Rev.1:8.Which is .— Now self-existent, like the Father.—John 5:26.And which was.— The Logos, the Father's Agent in the creation ofall things (John 1:3), and subsequently, asman's Redeemer, "made a little lower than the angelsfor the suffering of death."— Heb. 2:9.And which is to come

.— In glory and great power at His Second Advent."until He shall have set judgmentin the earth."— Isa. 42:4.And from the seven spirits.— Lamps of fire, or eyes. (Rev. 6:5. 6.) "In thissymbolical picture the eye ofthe Loerd is represented as seven or complete, allseeing,everywhere, all-knowing. This is ourconfidence, thisis our rejoicing."— Z.'05-318; Zech. 3:9, 4:10.Which are before His Throne.— Which are "sent forth into all the earth."— Rev.5:6.Revelation 1:5And .— Kai, even. For a similar use of the word seethe expression. "God Himself and our Father" (1Thess, 3:11), which, in the Diaglott, is rendered,"God Himself, even our Father."From Jesus Christ the faithful Witness .— "Whobefore Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession."(1 Tim. 6:13.) Our Lord's admission to Pilate, "I am aKing; to this end was I born, and for this cause cameI into the world" (John 18:37), was the direct cause ofHis death. The accusation set up over His head was."This is Jesus the King of the Jews." (John 19:19;Matt. 27:37.) Similarly faithful admissions may endthe earthly careers of the feet-members of His Body.The First Begotten of the dead .— "The First-Bornof the dead ones." (Diaglott.) (1 Cor. 15:20; Col.1:18; Acts 26:23.) "This verse clearly teaches whatthe creeds of Christendom ignore; namely, that ourLord was the first to experience a resurrection toperfection and eternal life in the full sense of theword."— Z.'16-343; Acts 13:33.FM14And .— Even.The Prince .— The King-Elect, now ruling in theirhearts.Of the kings of the earth .— His associate kings."The kings of the East." (Rev. 16:12.) "All are to beawakened from the Adamic death, as though from asleep. They will then be under the care of the RoyalPriesthood, whose experience with sin, and withvictory over sin, well fitted them to be helpful toward

those over whom they will reign, as Kings as well asPriests. (Rev. 5:10.)"— E487, 478.Unto Him that [loved] LOVETH us .— Our Lord'slove for us is ever-present.And [washed] FREED us from our sins [in] BYHis own blood .— "That it was the death of the ManChrist Jesus. His ‘blood,' that secured our releasefrom sin and death is most unequivocally stated inmany Scriptures. See 1 Pet. 1:2; Acts 4:12; 20:28;Rev. 5:9; Rom. 5:9; Heb. 13:12."— E458, 446; Matt.20:28; 1 Tim. 2:6; Rev. 14:4.Revelation 1:6And hath made us .— And will make us during theMillennial Age.[Kings and] A KINGDOM, priests .— The work ofa priest is that of intervention and of instruction inrighteousness. It logically implies subjects and afuture work of salvation.— 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5:10;20:6; 22:5.Unto God and His Father .— "Unto the God andFather of Himself."— Diaglott. Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor.1:3; Eph. 1:3.To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.Amen .— "He shall have dominion also from sea tosea and from the river unto the ends of the earth; . . . .and let the whole earth be filled with His glory;Amen, and Amen." (Psa. 72:8, 19.) "For ever andever" is literally "for the ages of the ages." TheMillennium and subsequent ages are the ages of theages.Revelation 1:7Behold, He cometh with clouds .— "While theclouds of trouble hang heavy and dark, when themountains— kingdoms of this world— are tremblingand falling, when the earth— organized society— isbeing shaken and disintegrated, some will begin torealize that Jehovah's Anointed is taking to HimselfHis great power and is beginning His work of layingjustice to the time and righteousness to theplummet."— Z.'16:344; Matt. 24:30.And every eye shall see Him .— "He will not bevisible to natural sight, but to the eyes ofunderstanding, as these shall open to an appreciationof the punishments and blessings which will flow tomankind from His Reign. Our King will revealHimself gradually. Some will discern the new Ruler

sooner than will others. But ultimately every eyeshall see [Greek, horao, discern] Him.'"— Z.'16:344.FM15And they also which pierced Him .— "And I willpour upon the House of David, and upon theinhabitants of Jerusalem [the Jewish people], theSpirit of grace and of supplications: and they shalllook upon Me whom they have pierced, and theyshall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his onlyson."— Zech. 12:10.And all kindreds of the earth shall [wall becauseof] BEWAIL Him .— "At the time of our Lord'sSecond Advent the world will be far from convertedto God; for ‘all kindreds of the earth shall wailbecause of Him.' Christ comes before the conversionof the world and for the very purpose of convertingall mankind."— Z.'16-344.Even so, Amen .— We cannot stop the clouds of theTime of Trouble, or the tears of disappointment, andlater, of repentance; and we would not if we could.The trouble and the tears are a necessary preparationfor the blessings which follow.Revelation 1:8I am THE Alpha and I AM ALSO THE Omega.— Alpha is the first letter, and Omega the last letter,of the Greek alphabet.The Beginning and the Ending .— "Our Lord'sgreat honor is shown in that He was not only the firstof God's creation, but the last. From this we are tounderstand that the great Jehovah did not directlyemploy His own power in creating either men orangels; but that He delegated His power to His OnlybegottenSon."— Z.'93-115.Saith the Lord GOD .— But not the clergy; theywill have none of this doctrine.Which is, and which was, and which is to come,the Almighty .— "It is since His resurrection that themessage has gone forth— 'All power in Heaven andin earth is given unto Me.' (Matt. 28:18.)Consequently it is only since then that He could becalled the Almighty."— Z.'93-115; Rev. 1:4; 16:5.Revelation 1:9I John, who [also] am your brother .— "Instead ofadding titles to his name, as Reverend, Bishop,Overseer of all the Churches in Asia Minor, we find

John introducing himself as ‘your brother.' "— Z.‘01-187.And companion in tribulation .— "He was sharerwith Christ, as a member of His Body, in Hisafflictions, in endurance; and the brother of allfellow-disciples, sharers of the same sufferings, andprospectively of the same glory."— Z. ‘01-187; Matt.20:3.And [in] the kingdom .— Now, while "the Kingdomof Heaven suffereth violence;" and later, when "theKingdom and dominion, and the greatness of theKingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given tothe people of the saints of the Most High."— Matt.11:12; Dan. 7:27.FM16And patience [of] IN Jesus [Christ].— When Saulpersecuted the saints, he persecuted Jesus. When St.Paul suffered as a Christian, it was as part of the"dying of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 9:5; 2 Cor. 4:10.)What St. John cheerfully endured was endured byJesus.Was in the Isle that is called Patmos .— "At thetime of this vision St. John was a prisoner, exiled tothe Isle of Patmos, a penal colony of those days [aconvict quarry]— a rocky, barren island in theAegean Sea. The crime for which he suffered thisbanishment was his faithfulness as the Lord'smouthpiece. St. John, the beloved disciple, In somemeasure, or degree, represented the last livingmembers of the Body of Christ (John 21:20-23)— aclass that see with the eyes of their understanding thevisions and revelations which the beloved disciplesaw in symbol in a trance. If, then, St. John's exile inany degree represents ostracism which the Lord'sfollowers may expect in the close of this Age— acomplete isolation from others and a treatmentimplying that they are prisoners— they may takecomfort from the thought that our Lord's favor andrevelation to St. John more than offset hispersecutions."— Z. ‘16-343.For the Word of God .— "St. John, with remarkablemodesty, passes over his previous service for theTruth (Rev. 1:2), which had brought him hispersecution, and lightly passes over the persecutionitself, merely noting that he was in the island becauseof his fidelity to the Word of God."— Z. ‘01-187.

And for the testimony of Jesus .— As recorded inthe Gospel according to St. John and the threeJohannean epistles.Revelation 1:10I was in the spirit .— "Visions are not realities,although symbolically representing them. (Dan. 7:1;Matt. 17:9.) The visions granted to St. John, recordedin the Revelation, are in no sense to be understood asrealities."— Z. ‘16-343; Acts 10:10.On the Lord's Day .— "According to ourunderstanding of Bible chronology we today areliving in the early dawn of this Day of Christ; and itis here, property enough, that was begin to see thewonderful things of the Divine Character and Plan.But to see and to understand must be ‘in the spirit.'Only those who have become New Creatures inChrist can be expected to appreciate spiritual things;and this is the class which the Apostle Johnrepresented."— Z. ‘16-343.And heard behind me a great voice, as of atrumpet .— "The fact that its location is mentionedimplies that it has a symbolic meaning. It signifiesthat the beginning ofFM17this Message was not in St. John's day, nor in thefuture, but that the things revealed had already werealready to some extent in the past. As some featuresof the Revelation show, the voice from behind wentback to the time of our Lord's earthly ministry." (Z.‘16-344.) "As John heard a voice behind him andlooked in that direction, so we who now are havingthe realities find that the Message is behind us, andturn and look toward the past to see the fulfillment ofthe various features of the Divine Plan and to hearand understand Message given to His people by therisen Lord."— Z. ‘05-168.Revelation 1:11Saying, [I am Alpha and Omega, the First and theLast: and] What thou seest, write in a book andsend it unto the seven churches which are In Asia.— "There are many reasons for concluding thatwhile the messages were given to the seven churchesspecified and were applicable to them, they shouldproperly have a still wider application to the wholeChurch of Christ, the number seven representingcompleteness, and the order representing differentepochs in the history of the Church. To think

otherwise would be to attach more importance tothose comparatively small churches of Asia Minorthan they would seem to have deserved, and wouldhave implied an ignoring of other churches morenumerous and more for influential; as, for instance,the churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Colosse,Philippi, Thessalonica, etc.Futhermore, the details of the messages given tothese seven churches apply to and fit historically theone Church of the living God, over every memberand branch of which the Lord has a care. Thisthought, that the seven represented completeness, wefind emphasized in the other symbolicalrepresentations— in the seven golden candlesticks,the seven stars, etc." (Z. ‘05-168.) Colosse (Col. 1:2),Miletus (Acts 20:17) and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13) werechurches in Asia, not here mentioned. The Asiamentioned is the westernmost province of AsiaMinor.Unto Ephesus .— The Apostolic Age of the Church.And unto Smyrna .— The Church during the periodof persecution by Pagan Rome.And unto Pergamos .— The Church during theperiod of the rise of Antichrist.And unto Thyatira .— The Church during the DarkAges, the period of Antichrist's glory, andpersecution by Papal Rome.And unto Sardis .— The Church in the dawn of theReformation.And unto Philadelphia .— The Church in the periodof reformation by sects.FM18And unto Laodices .— The Church in the time ofthe Lord's Second Presence 1:12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.— "The Apostles saw in symbol what the Lord'speople may now see with the eye of faith andunderstanding. He saw One like a son of man— likea man, like a priest, as implied by the clothesdescribed— walking amongst seven goldencandlesticks, caring for them, trimming the wicks,seeing to the supply of oil, etc. Thus our Lord Jesus,our glorified Master, has directed respecting Hispeople's affairs, inspecting and caring for the Churchas a light-bearer, a candlestick. Alas, how poor theewicks have sometimes been! How feeble the light

that has sometimes shone out! How much trimminghas been necessary!"— Z. ‘16-344.And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.— "The Golden Candlesticks, or Lamp-stand, whichstood opposite the Golden Table, and gave light to allin the ‘Holy,' was of gold— all of one piecehammered out. (Exod. 25:31-37.) It had sevenbranches, each or which held a lamp, making sevenlamps in all— a perfect or complete number. Thisrepresented the complete Church, from the Head,Jesus, to and including the last member of the ‘littleflock' that he is taking out from among men, to bepartakers of the Divine (gold) nature."— T. 115; Rev.1:20; Zech. 4:2; Matt. 5:14-16. 1:13and in the midst of the seven candlesticks .— "Theunion, the relationship between them, being suppliedby our Redeemer, the antitypical High Priest."— Z.‘16-344.One like unto the son of man .— "This symbolicalpicture has precious lessons for us, more valuablethan an attempt to describe to our minds theappearance of our Lord as a Spirit Being, ‘dwellingin light which no man can approach unto,' and whichwe cannot appreciate until we shall be changed to belike Him and see Him as He is.'— 1 John 3:2; 1 Cor.15:50-53."— Z. ‘16-344; Dan. 7:13.Clothed with a garment down to the foot .— "Theglory of Christ was manifested in His own person, inHis own ministry, and in that of His TwelveApostles, His representatives— St. Paul taking theplace of Judas; with their death the body of Truth wasalmost veiled throughout the eighteen centuriesintervening, until now."— Z. ‘16-344.And girt about the breast .— The support of thegarment at the breast, instead of the neck, left thearms and shoulders uncovered, representing that theearly Church was favored with the light of the trueGospel for a considerable time after our Lord andHead had completed His earthly ministry.FM19With a golden girdle .— Gold is a symbol of theDivine nature; the girdle a symbol of service. (Rev.15:6.)Throughout the Age the Lord has been serving HisChurch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lordwhen He cometh shall find watching; verily I sayunto you that He shall gird Himself, and make them

to sit down to meat, and will come forth and servethem." "I am among you as he that serveth."— Luke12:37; 22:27.Revelation 1:14His head and His hairs were white like wool, aswhite as snow.— "The head, with its white hair, isnot to teach us that our Lord in glory has the form ofa man, with white hairs, but merely suggestive andsymbolic of knowledge, experience, wisdom."—Z.'01-188; Matt. 17:2.And His eyes were as a flame of fire.— "His eyeslike a flame of Hell tell us in symbol that our Masteris all-seeing, omniscient that He is not deceived byoutward forms and ceremonies; but that He can, anddoes, read every thought and intent of the heart."—Z.'16-344; Rev. 19:12. 1:15And His feet like unto fine brass.— "The feet,described as like furnace-refined copper, seem to saythat those who belong to the Body of Christ, andwhom the Lord would use in His service, ‘the feet'members of the Body, must, in their contact anddealings with the world, be refined, purified, clean—'Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord'shouse.'"— Z.'01-188; Ezek. 1:7.As if they burned in a furnace .— "In the end of theAge, the feet members of the Body of Christ will beilluminated by the Truth and will shine forth— notlike the Head, but as polished brass. We have shiningupon us with almost burning brightness the focusedrays of Divine inspiration and revelation from thepast 6,000 years. How it should consume in us all thedross of selfishness! How it should purify us! Howhumble it should make us!"— Z.'16-344.And His voice as the sound of many waters.—"The many waters signify peoples, nations andlanguages, as elsewhere explained in this book. Thusour Lord, present with His Church, speaks to her andthrough her by many tongues, in many languages."—Z.'01-188; Rev. 19:6.Revelation 1:16And He had in His right hand.— "This One whomwe thus know, thus recognize, as the Instructor andCaretaker of the candlesticks, we are also torecognize as having in His right hand— in His favoras well as His power— seven stars, the angles, themessengers, of the seven Churches. That they are inHis right hand seems to teach us that these should be

considered as in some special sense under theMaster's guidance, protection and care in the interestof the Churches which they represented."— Z.'16-345; Jer. 22:24.FM20Seven stars.— ''Apparently the stars representspecial ministers, or servants of the Church. InRevelation 12: the Church is pictured as a Womancrowned with twelve, stars. These stars evidentlyrepresent the Twelve Apostles as the special lights ofthe Church. Similarly, in the picture before us, theseven stars which the Lord holds in His right handseem to represent special light bearers in theChurch— in each of its seven phases, of stages,development. It will be noticed that the messages tothe various Churches are sent by these starsmessengers, angels, as though our Lord would haveunderstand that the appropriate message for eachappropriate epoch in the Church's experience wouldbe sent by the Lord through a particular star, ormessenger, whom He would especially commissionas His representative Our Lord Himself is representedby the great light of and sun; and His specialmessengers in the Church throughout' the entireperiod of the Gospel Age are consistently enoughrepresented as stars."— Z. ‘16-345; Rev. 1:20.And out of His mouth went a sharp two-edgedsword.— "No part of the description could morethoroughly convince us that the desciption of ourLord given here is symbolic As a symbolic picture, itspeaks to us of the Word of the Lord, the Sword ofthe Spirit, ‘sharper than any two-edged sword.'(Eph.6:17; Heb. 4:92.) It reminds us that our Lord's wordsare not one-sided, not directed merely against sin inone class, but that His Word is sharp, cutting in everydirection; that sin is reproved by Him as much whenfound in His most earnest followers as when foundelse that where. It assures us that none need attemptto pluck out the mote from his brother's eye withoutfirst getting rid of the beam in his own eye; and thatif we do not show mercy to those who are our debtorswe must not expect mercy from Him who haspurposed to extend His mercy toward How us. Howheart-searching is God's Word when we understandit— not merely as a compendium of rules andregulations, but when we catch the spirit of it! Thenwe come to see that its requirement is love out of apure heart, first, to the Heavenly Father; secondly, toour Lord and Head; thirdly, to all His brethren;

fourthly, to the world in general, groaning andtravailing in pain, waiting for the blessings of thecoming Day of Christ; and fifthty, toward ourenemies also, sympathetically realizing that arewarped, twisted and blinded through the deceitfulnessof sin through the machinations of the greatAdversary.— 2 Cor. 4:4."— Z.'16-345; Rev. 2:12,16; 19:15, 21; Isa. 11:14FM21And His countenance [was as the sun] shineth ASTHE SUN in his strength.— "And his face was as itwere the sun."— Rev. 10:1; Acts 26:13. 1:17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.—"So great was the splendor that St. John fell as dead,just as Daniel did in the presence of the mighty Onewhom he saw, and just as Saul of Tarsus did beforethe majesty presented to him. (Dan. 10:4-11; Acts9:3-9.) So it is symbolically with the Christian, whenonce he gets a glimpse of the glories of the DivineCharacter. When once we get a true view of Himwith whom we have to do, as the great Heart-searcherand Caretaker of His Church, we fall before Him,humbled to the dust, realizing that we are imperfect,that we cannot stand before our Master, that we areunworthy of His blessing."— Z.'16-344; Ezek. 1:28.And He laid His right hand upon me.— "As ourLord touched St. John gently, raising him up, so Hehas spoken to us comfort, peace and love, assuring usthat we have a High Priest that can be touched with afeeling of our infirmities, One who is able tosympathize and mercifully to assist."— Z. ‘16-345.Saying [unto me, Fear not]; I am the First and theLast.— "We must recognize that our Lord is the Onewho was the beginning of the creation of God and theend of it, the One by whom are all things, next to theFather in everything pertaining to the affairs of theUniverse.— Col. 1:15; Rev. 3:14; John 1:1-3; 1 Cor.8:6."— Z.'16-345; Rev. 1:11; 2:8.Revelation 1:18I am He that liveth, and was dead— "The Lordnow liveth, and in order to appreciate this weunderstand that He was dead for parts of three days—not merely apparently dead, but actually dead— Hissoul poured out unto death, made an offering forsin.— Isa. 53:10-12." (Z.'01-189.) "It was becauseChrist's soul (being) was dead that the Apostles coulddeclare that unless His soul, being, were made alive

again by a resurrection there could be no hope in Himas a Savior and a Life-giver."— Z. ‘01-122.And behold, I am alive for evermore, [Amen].—"Death has no more dominion over Him. (Rom. 6:9.)Neither sacrifices of the Mass nor death in any senseor form ever will be needed. His work is perfect, ‘It isfinished!' "— Z. ‘16-345; John 19:30; Rev. 5:14.And have the keys of [hell] DEATH.— "He has thekey, the power over death, in order that those whohave not yet gone into the tomb, but who are underthe death sentence, may all be ultimately deliveredinto the full liberty of the sons of God—righteousness and life everlasting.— Rom. 8:21."—Z. ‘16-345.FM22And of [death] HELL.— "These words imply thatthe Lord's people go to Hades, and that the hopewhen going down to Hades, to oblivion, is that in duetime our great Redeemer shall unlock this figurativeprison-house of death and bring forth the captives.This is the significance of the statement that He hasthe keys— He can open; all power is given into Hishand. In preaching at His First Advent, He declaredthis to be the Gospel. (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18.) How fullof meaning are these Scriptures when viewed fromthe proper standpoint; how confusing and absurdwhen viewed from any other!"— E397, 378.Revelation 1:19.Write THEREFORE the things which thou hastseen.— John was personally familiar with the firstepoch, then already in the past. What he wrote of thatepoch (Rev. 2:1-7) serves as a guide to what follows.And the things which are.— John was writing in thesecond epoch, already in its persecution era.— Rev.2:8-11.And the things which [shall be] MUST SHORTLYCOME TO PASS hereafter.— The five remainingepochs of the Church, and the Kingdom to follow.Revelation 1:20.The mystery of the seven stars.— Every truereformer must go contrary to the current of his times;and, in proportion as he has the Master's spirit, hecannot fail to be, like Him, a man of mystery to hisown generation— "a Stone of Stumbling and a Rockof Offense"— to those who have not "ears to hear."

Which thou sawest in My right hand.— Smallwonder that these great reformers seemed almost tohave charmed lives!And the seven golden candlesticks.— "TheCandlestick, or Lampstand, represents the nominal,rather than the true Church. This is shown by the factthat in addressing each of these churches the Lordfinds fault with the many and approves the faithfulfew."— Z.'16-344.The seven stars.— "The star-light is the Heavenlylight, the spiritual enlightenment or instruction. Thelamp-light is the earthly light, representing goodworks, obedience, etc., of those who are exhorted tolet their light so shine that it will glorify their Fatherin Heaven."— Z.'16-345.Are the angels of the seven churches.— "The title isborrowed from the Jewish Synagogue, in which theangel, or messenger of the assembly, was the personwho presided over and arranged the meetings forworship." (Cook.)— Mal. 2:7; Hag. 1:13.And the seven candlesticks [which thou sawest] arethe seven churches.— "Alas! The Master evidentlyfound but few good works, little glorifying lightshining out from His earthly representatives in manyof the seven epochs of the history of the Church."—Z.'16-344; Rev. 1:12; Zech. 4:2.FM23REVELATION 2ST. PAUL, ST. JOHN, ARUIS AND WALDORevelation 2:1[Unto] BY the angel.— The special messenger in theHarvest of the Jewish Age was St. Paul. A Hebrew ofthe Hebrews (Phil. 3:5), he was a free-born Romancitizen (Acts 22:25-29), highly educated (Acts 22:3),spoke Greek (Acts 21:37) and Hebrew (Acts 22:2),and was presumably a member of the Sanhedrin atthe time of St. Stephen's death. (Acts 7:58; 8:1;26:10.) Chosen before his birth (Gal. 1:15), he wassupernaturally inducted into the Body of Christ (Acts9:1-22) to take the place of Judas (Psa. 109:8; Acts1:20), was privately instructed in the fullness of theGospel (Gal. 1:11, 12, 17), was speciallycommissioned to explain this Gospel to the brethrenat Jerusalem (Gal. 2:1, 2), did not hesitate to correctthe erring Peter (Gal. 2:11), was acknowledged by St.

Peter as filled with Heavenly wisdom (2 Pet. 3:15,16), wrote over half of the books of the NewTestament, carried the Gospel into Europe (Acts16:9), supported himself with his own hands while hepreached (Acts 20:32-35), and suffered almostunbelievable hardships of every description—besides having "the care of all the churches." (2 Cor.11:24-28.) What a service and honor, here andhereafter, Judas missed by his love of money! St.Paul was beheaded by Nero, A.D. 66.Of the church [of] IN Ephesus.— The first age ofthe Church began at Pentecost in the spring of A. D.33, and ended in the spring of A. D. 73. "It may beproper to mention also what things occurred thatshow the benignity of that all-gracious Providence,that had deferred their destruction for forty yearsafter their crimes against Christ." (Eusebius'Ecclesiastical History.) "On the 15th of Nisan, i. e.,of April, in the year 73 A. D., the first day of theEaster festival, the same day on which, according totradition, the God of Israel had led His people out ofEgyptian bondage into freedom, the last bulwark ofIsrael's liberty had fallen, and Israel was deliveredinto bondage." (Cornil's History of the People ofIsrael.) "Masada attained great importance in the warwith the Romans. . . . With the fall of Masada the warcame to an end, on the 15th of Nisan, 73." (TheJewish Encyclopedia.) "The capture of Masada, aJewish fortress on the southwestern shores of theDead Sea, put a termination to one of theFM24fiercest struggles recorded in history (73 A. D.)"—Morrison's Jews Under Roman Rule "Judea was notentirely subjugated; for three strong fortresses werestill in arms: Herodium, Machaerus, and Masada. . . .The heroes agreed to this proposal (of their leaderEleasar) even with enthusiasm, and on the first day ofthe great Feast of the Passover (A. D. 73), afterslaying their own wives and children, they allperished on their own swords." (Graetz's History ofthe Jews, Vol. 2.) "Eleasar accordinglypersuaded all his people during that night to killtheir wives and children and then themselves, butto burn all their treasures first. The next day theRomans found only 960 dead bodies, whilst buttwo women and five children hid themselves incaverns and were discovered. The Easter of theyear 73, just seven years from the beginning of

the great movement and 40 years after Christ'scrucifixion, saw this end of the whole tragedy."(Ewald's History of Israel, Vol. 7, which isentitled "The Apostolic Age," and which Prof.Ewald makes to end with the year A. D. 73.)Josephus also relates that Masada fell on the 15thof Nisan, April, A.D. 73; but the quotation is toolengthy to be inserted here. The meaning of theword Ephesus is "permission," which,understood as "approval," harmonizes well withthe tradition that the meaning is "desirable."Anything that has approval is desirable.Write— St. Paul wrote half of the NewTestament.These things saith He that holdeth the sevenstars in His right hand.— "In the first chapterwe have a description of ‘One like unto a son ofman.' Some one or more of the features of thisdescription are mentioned in connection witheach of the successive stages of the Church."—Z. ‘16:346. Rev. 1:16, 20.Who walketh In the midst of the seven goldencandlesticks.— "We could not doubt the loveand care of our glorified Head even if He hadgiven us no explicit declaration on the subject."(F. 401; Rev. 1:13; Lev. 24:2-4.)FM2:2I know thy works.— The early Christians "tookjoyfully the spoiling of their goods" (Heb.10:34); in "great trial of affliction" theyabounded in joy, and in "deep poverty wereliberal "beyond their power." (2 Cor. 8:2, 3.)They were living epistles, "known and read of allmen."— 2 Cor. 3:2, 3.And thy labor.— Considered as betrayers of theJewish faith; living in the midst of heathenidolatry, without railways, steamships,automobiles, bicycles, telegraphs, telephones,printing, postal service, electricity, gas, orkerosene— the midst of densest ignorance andbasest morals— the

FM25early Christians traversed the seas and lands ofthe known world, braving foggings, stonings,hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness and martyrdom,that they might tell the good news of the comingKingdom.— 2 Cor. 11:24-27.And thy patience.— Hupomonee. "Anendurance of wrong or affliction withcontentment, without rebellion of will, with fullacquiescence in the Divine Wisdom andLove."— Z.'01-115.And how thou canst not bear them which areevil.— "How much earnestness it produced inyou! what an apology! what indignation! whatearnest desire! what zeal! what a punishment! Ineverything you proved yourselves to be pure inthis matter." (2 Cor. 7:11, Diaglott.) "Sufficientfor such a person is this punishment, which wasinflicted by the majority; so that, on the otherhand, you ought to forgive and comfort him, lestsuch an one should be overwhelmed byexcessive sorrow. Wherefore I, entreat youpublicly to confirm your love towards him."— 2Cor. 2:6-8, Diaglott.And thou hast tried.— Made experiment of,Greek implies.Them which [say they are] CALLTHEMSELVES apostle, and are not, and hastfound them liars.— "Giving out that himselfwas some great one," like the clergy of othertimes, Simon Magus sought "also this power,that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receivethe Holy Spirit," but learned that he had "neitherpart nor lot this matter" because his heart was"not right in the sight of God." (Acts 8:9-24.)Also, there were "certain men which came downfrom Judea" (Acts 15:1, 2), the "false apostles,deceitful workers, transforming themselves intothe apostles of Christ" in Corinth (2 Cor. 11:12-15); "Hymenaeus and Alexander" (1 Tim. 1:20);"Philetus" (2 Tim. 2:17); those who would"pervert the Gospel of Christ" in Galatia (Gal.1:7); "Phygellus and Hermogenes."— 2 Tim.1:15; Acts 20:28-30; Rev. 2:6. 2:3

And [hast borne and] hast patience.—Hupomonee, constant, cheerful endurance.And ALL AFFLICTIONS AND HASTBORNE for My name's sake [hast labored].—"And hast suffered on account of My name."(Diaglott.) "As concerning this sect, we knowthat everywhere it is spoken against." (Acts28:22.) The natural course is, first hatred, secondslander, and finally murder. (Matt. 5:21, 22.)Peter was crucified with head downward (A. D.70); Andrew was crucified on a cross decussate(X); James was murdered by Herod (A. D. 44),(Acts 12:1); Bartholomew was first flayed aliveand then crucified with his head downward;Matthew died a martyr (supposedly); Thomaswas impaled on a spear;FM26James the son of Alphaeus was thrown downfrom the Temple and was then stoned, and hisbrains dashed out with a club; Simon Zeloteswas crucified; Paul beheaded.And hast not fainted.— "Let us not be weary inwell doing: for in due time we shall reap, if wefaint not." (Gal. 6:9.) "Consider Him thatendured such contradiction of sinners againstHimself, lest ye be wearied and faint in yourminds."— Heb. 12:3. 2:4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee.—The Lord's nominal people of the Apostolic Age.Because thou hast left thy first love.— "Imarvel that ye are so soon removed from Himthat called you into the grace of Christ untoanother gospel."— Gal. 1:16. 2:5Remember therefore from whence thou artfallen.— "Call to remembrance the former days,in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured agreat fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye weremade a gazing stock both by reproaches andafflictions; and party, whilst ye becamecompanions of them that were so used."— Heb.10:32, 33.

And repent, and do the first works.— "Castnot away therefore your confidence, which hathgreat recompense of reward."— Heb. 10:35.Or else I will come unto three [quickly], andwill remove thy candlestick out of his place,except thou repent.— The nominal church wasin grave danger of being disowned and rejected."By far the larger proportion were notconsecrated to death, not of the RoyalPriesthood, but merely Levites, doing the serviceof the Sanctuary, but no sacrificing."— T.118.Revelation 2:6But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deedsof the Nicolaitanes.— "Conquerors of thepeople"— the clergy.— Rev. 2:15.Which I also hate.— When the Lord's peoplehate the idea of a class that seeks to be "lordsover God's heritage" (1 Pet. 5:2, 3), they hatesomething that the Lord hates. 2:7He that hath an ear.— To receive andunderstand the voice of God through HisWord.— Matt. 11:14, 15; 13:9, 43; Rev. 13:9.Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto thechurches.— "If they have persecuted Me, theywill also persecute you; if they have kept[observed, "heard"] My saying, they will keepyours also."— John 15:20.To him that overcometh.— See 1 John 2:13,14.Will I give to eat of the tree of life.— "All thetrees in Eden were trees of life, and theovercomers of the Gospel Age shall have fullliberty to partake of ‘the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil' when the knowledge will be ofbenefit to them, and not bring a curse."— Z.'16-346.FM27Which is in the [midst of the] Paradise ofGod.— "Paradise, the garden of God, wasapplicable as a name to the Garden of Eden, inwhich our first parents resided while they werestill in harmony with God, before their

disobedience; and the same term is Scripturallyapplied as a name to the new earth whenrestitution blessings shall, during our Lord'sSecond Presence (the Millennium), have broughtit to perfection as the fit abode of those who,under Divine favor, shall then prove worthy oflife everlasting. It is this same Paradise of thefuture on this earth that our Lord referred towhen addressing the penitent thief, and that iselsewhere referred to as ‘the third heaven'— newheavens and a new earth.' (2 Cor. 12:2, 4; 2 Pet.3:13.)"— Z. ‘01-198.Revelation 2:8And [unto] BY the angel.— The mouthpiece ofthe Lord to the second epoch of the Church wasSt. John himself. He was the one whom Jesusspecially loved (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20); tohim Jesus committed His choicest earthlypossession (John 16:26); length of days wereimplied in the Lord's statement, "If I will that hetarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John21:22.) He died at Ephesus at the age of 100,four years after writing the Apocalypse.Polycarp, Ignatius and Papias, his disciples,record that he was a tower of strength to theChurch when the Roman Emperors Nero,Domitian and Trajan were endeavoring todestroy the hated sect. When all his capacity towork was gone, and he had no strength even tostand, he used to be carried into the Christianassemblies where he would repeat theexhortation, "Little children, love one another.""The end of the commandment is love" (1 Tim.1:5); and it is significant that the epoch of theChurch especially under St. John's care is theonly epoch which receives no reproof whateverfrom the Lord.Of the church in Smyrna— Greek, myrrh. Theword means "bitter," and, as applied to thehistory of the church from A. D. 73 to 325, ispeculiarly appropriate. This era comprisedpersecutions under Nero, when Christian womenwere soaked with tar and burned as torches tolight the path of his chariot; under Domitian, inthe year 95, when 40,000 suffered martyrdom;

under Trajan in the year 100; under Antoninus;under Severus in the year 127, when beautifuland amiable young women were stripped nakedbefore insulting mobs and gored to death by wildcattle; under Maximinus in A. D. 235; underDecius in 250, when all Christians were drivenfrom their estates; under Valerian in 257; underAurelian in 274; and under Diocletian in A. D.303.FM28Write.— St. John wrote more of the NewTestament than any other except St. Paul.These things saith the First and the Last.—"In no other sense or way could He be the Firstand the Last than as the only direct creation ofthe Father, through whom all else was created.Any other view would be in conflict with theScriptures. (Rev. 3:14; Col. 1:15; 1 Cor. 8:6;John 1:1-3, Diaglott.)"— Z.'16-346; Rev. 1:11,17.Which was dead, and is alive.— This, in itself,must have been a message of comfort and hopeto the suffering martyrs.— Rev. 1:18.Revelation 2:9I know thy works, and tribulation, andpoverty.— "Some of the most sublime picturesof Christian endurance that the world has everseen were enacted during the Smyrna, period ofthe Church."— Z.'16-346.But thou art rich.— "The blessing of the Lord,it maketh rich."— Prov. 10:22; Luke 12:21; 1Tim. 6:18; James 2:5.And I know the blasphemy of them which saythey are Jews, and are not.— " ‘They are notall Israel which are of Israel.' (Rom. 9:6, 7.) ‘Heis not a Jew which is a Jew outwardly, neither isthat circumcision which is outward in the flesh;but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, andcircumcision is that of the heart.' "— Z.'99-68.But are the synagogue of Satan.— "Sold undersin, by our first parent, Adam, his family became‘slaves of sin' through the weakness of heredity.(Rom. 5:12, 21:6:16-23; 7:14; 8:20, 21.) In this

downward, and, a fire being placed under them,were suffocated by the smoke. Some had meltedlead poured down their throats: the flesh ofsome was torn off with fingers and toes. Housesfilled with Christians were set on fire. Numbersof Christians were tied together and thrown intothe sea. Seventeen thousand were slain in onemonth; and during the continuance of thispersecution in Egypt alone 144,000 Christiansdied by violence, besides 700,000 that diedthrough the fatigues of banishment or the publicworks to which they were condemned. Coinswere struck, and inscriptions set up recording thefact that Christian superstitition was now utterlyexterminated."— McC.Be thou faithful unto death.— "It is required ofall consecrators that they shall ‘die daily,' andthat the end, with us as with our Lord and Head,shall be literal death. As it is written: ‘I havesaid, Ye are gods [elohim—mighty ones], all ofyou sons of the Highest; yet ye shall die likemen, ye shall fall like one of the princes'— notlike Prince Adam, convicts; but like PrinceJesus, participators in His death. (Psa. 82:6,7.)"— F444.And I will give thee a Crown of Life.— "TheApostle James speaks of the same crown andcalls it the Crown of Life. (Jas. 1:12.) TheApostle Peter speaking of the same calls it theCrown of Glory. (1 Pet. 5:4.) The thought at thebottom of each of these expressions is the same;namely, the custom in olden times of runningraces and the giving of a crown to the successfulrunner at the end of the course. Our reward willbe the Crown of Life in the sense that we shallget life on the highest plane, inherent life,immortality. It will be a Crown of Righteousnessin the sense that only those who are approved ofGod as righteous will thus be rewarded andglorified— the righteousness of the Lordfulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, butafter the spirit."— Z. ‘03-190; Rev. 3:11; 2 Tim.2:15; Isa. 62:3; Phil. 3:14.

FM30Revelation 2:11He that hath an ear, let him hear what theSpirit saith unto the churches; he thatovercometh.— The overcomer of this GospelAge only.Shall not be hurt of the second Death.— Hisvictory is eternal. 2:12.And [to] BY the angel.— The messenger whosetestimony was of special value to the Churchwhile the Papacy was rising into power wasArius. He "maintained that the Son of God wastotally and essentially distinct from the Father;that He was the first and noblest of those beingswhom God had created— the instrument bywhose subordinate operation He formed theUniverse; and therefore inferior to the Fatherboth in nature and dignity." (Buck.) "Thecontroversy spread like a flame throughout theempire. Accordingly the first ecumenical councilwas held at Nice, A. D. 325, consisting of 318bishops, most of whom were from the East.The gist of the question to be settled by theCouncil of Nice lay in the argument of Arius:‘The Father is a father; the Son is a son;therefore the Father must have existed before theSon; therefore once the Son was not; thereforewas made, like all creatures, of a substance thathad not previously existed.' The creed, as finallyadopted, condemned the heresy of Arius andfixed the doctrine as it has been held in thechurch to this day. Of all the bishops onlyThomas of Marmarica, and Secundus ofPtolemais, held out against the threat ofbanishment by the Emperor. Arius wasexcommunicated and banished, and his booksburnt."— McC."From the time the Nicene Creed waspromulgated and accepted, A. D. 325, there waspractically no more Bible study for over twelvecenturies. During all that time Bible study wasconsidered unnecessary, because the ApostolicBishops had formulated the creeds as properstatements of the Church's faith. To study the

Bible would have meant the studying of how tofight against the Emperor and the bishops." (Z.‘15-253.) "As a result of the failure of thesebishops to stand by the Word of the Lord, God'speople for centuries have been confessing aDivine trinity, which is incomprehensible; andmeantime been neglecting the trinity taught bythe Bible, which is more reasonable. If the trinityof the creeds was questioned, hands were liftedin horror, and the questioner was told that thesubject was a mystery, which could not possiblyunderstand, but to doubt which would mean hisdamnation! The mysterious proposition wassometimes stated to be 3 x 1 is 1; but othersstatedFM31it differently, 1 x 3 is 1. No wonder if some ofthe more intelligent specimens or our racedeclared themselves incapable of understandingsuch mathematics, and too honest to confess andprofess what they could not believe!" (B. S. M.)The witness of Arius created a profoundimpression. "The doctrine was carried, in thefifth century, into Africa, under the Vandals; andinto Asia, under the Goths. But it sunk almost atonce, when the Vandals were driven out ofAfrica, and the Goths out of Italy, by the arms ofJustinian. However, it revived again in Italy,under the protection of the Lombards, in theseventh century, and was not extinguished tillabout the end of the eight. Arianism was revivedin the West by Servetus, in 1531, for which hesuffered death.''—Buck.Of the church in Pergamos.— From Purgos, atower or citadel. "The name was originally givento a remarkable hill, presenting a conicalappearance when viewed from the plain, andstrongly fortified by nature and art." (S. B. D.)Concerning the literal city of Pergamos, of whichthe rising Papacy was the antitype, we read. "Thesumptuousness of the princes raised Pergamos tothe rank of the first city of Asia as regardssplendor. It was a sort of union of a pagancathedral city, a university town, and a royalresidence, embellished during a succession of

years by kings who all had a passion forexpenditure and ample means of gratifying it."—McC.From the witness by Arius in 325 to the witnessby the next special messenger of the Church wasthe long period of 835 years; and during all thattime the Papacy was slowly rising, pushing itselfhigher and higher. "The first ecumenical councilof Nice (325), in its sixth canon, makes only anincidental mention of the Roman bishop.The first pope, in the real sense, was Leo I (440-461). The bishops of the African and the Spanishchurches submitted to his demands, and hegained an important foothold even in the East. InGaul, however, he met with a most determinedresistance. Gregory I (590-604) saw that thebishops of Rome could not enjoy theecclesiastical supremacy at which they aimeduntil they threw off their political dependency.The triumph of the Catholic Church overArianism in Spain greatly promoted his plans;but he did not as yet actually possess the powerof the mediaeval popes. In the seventh and eighthcenturies a series of important events gave thepopes a high and influential position among thesecular governments of the world. The actualpower was, however, for several centuries, notcommensurate with their claims and aspirations.In 1073, Hildebrand (Gregory VII), after beingforFM32about twenty-five years the guide of the Papalpolicy, boldly set forth the theory of a theocraticrule of the pope over all the nations of the world.The period from Gregory VII onward is analmost continuous conflict between the popesand the secular governments, during which theformer, with an iron firmness, endeavored at firstto destroy the direct influence of the princesupon the church, and secondly, to subject allsecular governments to the church. This conflictwas ended by the Concordat of Worms (1122),by which Emperor Henry V. after the precedenceof the governments of England and France,surrendered ‘to God, to St. Peter and Paul, and to

the Catholic Church, all right of investiture.'"(McC.) The Pergamos ("earthly elevation") eraended in A. D. 1160. as will be shown.Write.— Arius' writings were destroyed byConstantine.These things saith He which hath the sharpsword with two edges.— How the sharp sword,God's Word, wielded by Arius before theEmperor and his brother elders at the NiceanCouncil, must have cut some of them to the heartwhen they saw the gentle and aged man (Ariuswas old at the time the controversy arose)banished into the Balkan mountains, one of themost inhospitable places in the world!— Isa.11:4, 49:2; Hos. 6:5; Eph. 6:17; 2 Thess, 2:8.2:13I know [thy works, and] where thou dwellest,even where Satan's seat is.— "During thisperiod, the true Christians were tested andproved by the introduction and development ofPagan and Papal ideas. The Pagan priests,unwilling to lose their positions of honor andinfluence amongst the people, while nominallyprofessing Christianity, brought their formerideas with them into the Christian Church."(Z.'16-346.)The word seat is rendered throne in Luke 1:32,and refers to Satan's " hellish parody of theHeavenly Kingdom."— Cook.And thou holdest fast My name, and hast notdenied My faith, [even] in those days whereinAntipas was My faithful martyr.—Throughout all the western part of Europe theBishop of Rome finally came to be called thepapa, or pope, or Father of the church. "Whoeverdenounced this attempt to disobey the directcommand of Jesus (Matt. 23:9), received thepromised persecution. (2 Tim. 1:12.) This classin Pergamos is commended by our Lord underthe symbol of ‘Anti-pas, My faithful martyr.' InGreek, anti means against, and papas signifiesfather."— Z.'16-347.Who was slain among you, where Satandwelleth.— We can give but a partial list of the

popes who served from the condemnation ofArius to the end of the Pergamos epoch; but itwill be instructive to those who trust in humanordination and are in sympathy with the effortsofFM33present-day clergy to get some of the specialspirit that is supposed to be imparted by thelaying on of hands of these "successors of St.Peter," or those to whom they imparted their"authority." "Saint" Gregory I, pope 690-640 A.D. was the great-great-grandchild of Pope FeIixII, When Phocas murdered Emperor Maurice andascended the throne, Gregory wrote, "TheAlmighty has chosen you and put you on thethrone. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earthleap for joy." Phocas was not ungrateful and inreturn established the supremacy of the see ofRome over all the other sees. Gregory was thediscoverer of Purgatory, it having been revealedto him by means of "apparitions" and visions.See middle of page 127.Honorius I, 625-638, has been condemned ashaving taught a heresy ex cathedra (officially).The interest in this lies in the fact that in 1870the Vatican Council declared the infallibility ofall the popes in their ex cathedra utterances. Butthe pope who declared Honorius a heretic did itex cathedra also. Hundreds of "learned" volumeshave been written in the effort to make this prettysnarl clear to the Roman clergy. It is clearenough to others. "Saint" Agathon, 678-682,claimed to be a miracle worker. He was theinfallible pope who denounced the doctrinestaught by infallible Honorius I. "Saint" NicholasI, 858-867. "tamed kings and tyrants, and ruledthe world like a sovereign; to the wicked andunconverted he was a terror." So says a Catholichistorian. John VIII, S72-882, must haveseriously offended one of the "brethren" at theVatican; for that dignitary first tried to poisonhim, and as the poison did not work quicklyenough, he finished the job by breaking John'shead with a hammer. Stephen VII, 897-898, wasoffended because his predecessor had at one time

gotten the papal throne away from him.Accordingly, his first act was to cause the bodyof Pope Formosua to be exhumed, mutilated andthrown into the Tiber. Subsequently one of the"brethren" strangled him.Christopher, 300-903, boldly deposed hispredecessor, Leo V. declaring him unfit to reign,which has doubtless true. Leo died "of grief" inprison less than forty days after he had ascendedthe throne. He probably had something givenhim to help his grief along. Christopher himselfwas murdered by his successor. Sergius III, 904-911, having murdered Christopher, ascended thethrone and emulated the kings of earlier days.His concubine Marosia bore him severalchildren. John X, 915-928, and Leo VI, 928-929,were both killed by Marosia, to make room forothers in whom she was interested. John XI, 931-936, was the son of Marosia by Pope Sergius III.Cue of the brethren"FM34poisoned him. John XII, 956-964, was murderedwhile in the act of committing adultery. He wasof licentious habits, associating with women ofevery station, and filling the Lateran with thenoisy profanity of a brothel.Among his mistresses was Joan, popularlyknown in history as Pope Joan. She was abrilliant woman and actually exercised the chiefinfluence at Rome during John's pontificate.Benedict VI, 972-973, was strangled or poisonedby one of the "saints." Boniface VII, 984-985,was elected just after the tumult caused by thedeath of Benedict VI, but had to leave town toescape a similar fate, on account oflicentiousness and cruelty. He remained awayeleven years, returned, but Pope John XIV inprison, starved him to death and ascended thethrone in his place.Gregory V, 996-999, was poisoned by one of the"regularly ordained" clergy. Benedict IX, 1033-1045, the boy pope whose parents bought thepopedom for him when he was twelve years old,was the worst monster that ever held the papal

throne. Some, however, claim that honor forAlexander VI, 1492-1503, who had sevenacknowledged bastards and many mistresses.Alexander tried to poison nine cardinals at onesitting so that he could sell their offices for thebenefit of his brood; but a stupid servant gavehim the wrong glass and he departed this lifeahead of time. Benedict's vile conduct caused theRomans to expel him from the city. Silvester IIIwas regularly elected to take his place; but afterthree months Benedict came back and resumedcontrol.Shortly afterward he sold the popedom toGregory VI, so that he might be free to marry anItalian princess. At one time there were threepopes living in Rome contemporaneously, andthe city was filled with brawls and murders. Afourth, Clement II, was elected, but after he hadserved nine months, a friend of Gregory putsomething into his food besides the regularseasoning; and he never awoke again. ThereuponBenedict came back and reigned three yearslonger.Revelation 2:14But I have a few things [against thee].—Against the nominal church of the Pergamosepoch.Because thou hast there them that hold thedoctrine of Balaam.— Balaam was amouthpiece of the Lord, but unworthy. Hedesired to curse God's true people, because of themoney there was in it, and finally seduced themby fornication (symbolical of union of churchand state). The name Balaam means the same as"Nicolaitanes" (conquerors of the people), andrefers to the money-loving, power-loving clergy.We have already noted the efforts to obtainworldly power (spiritual fornication) whichcharacterized the Pergamos epoch. Its historyalso shows that theFM35clergy of that time were quite as fond of moneyas ever Balaam was, John XX, 1024-1033, triedto sell the Roman primacy over the Eastern

church for a pecuniary consideration, but failedto make the sale. "Benedict IX, when a boy oftwelve years (A. D. 1033), was elected pope‘intercedente thesaurorum pecuniae' "; i.e., hisrelatives provided the collateral necessary tosecure the office for him. Gregory VI, who hadhad great repute for sanctity as a priest, obtainedthe papal chair (A. D. 1044) by purchase fromBenedict IX, who abdicated to marry a girl ofnoble family." "At a council at Lyons, thearchbishop and forty-five bishops confessedthemselves simoniacal" (guilty of buying andselling church offices). In the reign of Lucien II,1144-1145, the people, hoping for some relieffrom an intolerable condition, paraded the streetsof Rome with a banner, "Caesar should have thethings that are Caesar's and the priest the thingsthat are the priest's." Lucien thought this was areflection upon himself, and went out in personto put down the "revolution." The people stonedhim to death.Who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-blockbefore the children of Israel.— "Guided byBalaam, King Balac communicated with theleading people of the Midianites, and urged thattheir wives and daughters should apparently fallin love with the Israelites, and introduce them tothe sensuous religious rites practiced by Midian.The scheme was successful. Some of the leadingwives and daughters of the Midianites attractedsome of the leading men of Israel to adultery,and to idol worship and orgies." (Z.'13-297;Num. 24:14; 25:1; 31:16; 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11; 1Cor. 10:8.) The words "cast a stumbling-block"are properly rendered, in Rotherham'stranslation, "throw a snare."To eat.— Appropriate to themselves as truths.Things sacrificed unto idols.— Doctrinestwisted. distorted and mutilated to make themagree with creed- idols.And to commit fornication.— "Papacyperceived its own great power over the peoplesof Europe, all of whom at that time ignorantlyand blindly acknowledged the Roman Catholicfaith. While the kings of Europe were

comparatively weak, the suggestion came, ‘Nowit must be God's time for setting up theMessianic Kingdom, because now we have thepower.' The answer of others was, ‘Not so. TheBible teaches that Jesus will set up His ownKingdom at His Second Advent in power andgreat glory, and that the virgin Church willbecome His Bride and Joint-heir by the power ofthe First Resurrection.' The answer to this was,‘So once we thought. But we have waited for thecoming of Messiah for over 800 years; and nowwe have the thought that He probably wishes usto set up HisFM36Kingdom for Him, and in His name to reign overthe kings of the earth.'" (Z.'16.53.) "So thesePagan priests taught the Church to indulge inspiritual fornication, and thus brought upon herthe withering blight of God's wrath"— Z:16-346.Revelation 2:15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrineof the Nicolaitanes, [which thing I hate] INLIKE MANNER.— "The ‘doctrine of theNicolaitanes' (conquerors or the people) seems tobe the theory of lordship or headship in theChurch. (1 Pet. 5:3.) At their councils there wasa bitter fight for supremacy. It was settled onlyby a division of the Church; the Eastern, orGreek Church, accepting the Patriarch ofConstantinople for its head; and the Western, orPapal Church, acknowledging the Bishop—Pope or Father—of Rome." (Z.'16-346.) "Thesins to which Balaam allured Israel were a typeof the sins to which the doctrine of theNicolaitanes now seduce thee."— Cook.Revelation 2:16Repent; or else I will come unto theequickly.— Ere you reach the earthly heights towhich you aspire.And will fight against them.— The unfaithfuland unrepentant church nominal.With the sword of My mouth.— With theScriptures, in the hands of a faithful servant.

Such a servant came at that very time, as weshall see.— 2. Thess, 2:8; Heb. 4:12. 2:17He that hath an ear, let him hear what theSpirit saith unto the churches.— Not manyhave had the "hearing ear." "There's just onehere, one there."To him that overcometh will I give [to eat] ofthe hidden manna.— "Manna was the breadwhich came down from heaven as a life-sustainerfor Israel. It represented the living bread, ChristHimself. One peculiarity of the golden pot ofmanna ‘hidden' in the Tabernacle, marking it asthe same and yet different from that supplied tothe Israelites in general, was that it wasincorruptible; bence it well illustrates theimmortal, incorruptible condition promised tothe Church."— T.122; Ex. 16:33, 34; Heb. 9:4;John 6:49. 50.And [will give him] a white stone.— "Inancient times the Greeks and the Romans had acustom of noting and perpetuating friendship bymeans of a white stone. This stone was dividedinto halves, and each person inscribed his nameon the flat surface, after which the parts of thestone were exchange. The production of eitherhalf was sufficient to insure friendly aid. Thusthe divided stone became a mark ofidentification. There is an individual andpersonal relationship between the Lord and theovercomers, who may be said to receive themark of identification— the antitypical whitestone— now, in this life. This mark is the sealingof the Holy spirit"— Z.'12-315.FM37And in the stone a new name written, whichno man knoweth saving he that receiveth It.—The new name signifies a new relationship toJehovah.— Gen. 17:5. 15; 32:28. 2:18And [unto] BY the angel.— The messenger tothe fourth epoch of the Church was Peter Waldo."Peter, an opulent merchant of Lyons, surnamedValdensis, or Valdisius, from Vaux, or Waldum,a town in the marquisate of Lyons, beingextremely zealous for the advancement of true

piety and Christian knowledge, employed acertain priest, called Stephanus de Evisa, aboutthe year 1160, in translating, from Latin intoFrench, the four Gospels, with other books ofHoly Scripture. But no sooner had he perusedthese sacred books with a proper degree ofattention, than he perceived that the religionwhich was now taught in the Roman church,differed totally from that which was originallyinculcated by Christ and His Apostles. Struckwith this glaring contradiction between thedoctrines of the pontiffs and the truths of theGospel, and animated with zeal, he abandonedhis mercantile vocation, distributed his richesamong the poor (whence the Waldenses werecalled poor men of Lyons, and forming anassociation with other pious men who hadadopted his sentiments and his turn of devotion,he began to assume the quality of a publicteacher, and to instruct the multitude in thedoctrines and precepts of Christianity."Soon after Peter had assumed the exercise of hisministry, the archbishop of Lyons, and the otherrulers of the church in that province, vigorouslyopposed him. However, their opposition wasunsuccessful; for the purity and simplicity of thatreligion which these good men taught, thespotless innocence that shone forth in their livesand actions, and the noble contempt of riches andhonors which was conspicuous in the whole oftheir conduct and conversation, appeared soengaging to all such as had any sense of truepiety, that the number of their followers dailyincreased. They accordingly formed religiousassemblies, first in France, and afterwards inLombardy; from whence they propagated theirsect throughout the other provinces of Europewith incredible rapidity, and with such invinciblefortitude, that neither fire nor sword, nor themost cruel inventions of merciless persecution,could damp their zeal, or entirely ruin theircause. All they aimed at was to reduce the formof ecclesiastical government, and the mannersboth of the clergy and the people, to that amiablesimplicity and primitive sanctity whichcharacterized the Apostolic ages, and which

appear so strongly recommended in the preceptsand injunctions of the Divine Author of our holyreligion.FM38"In consequence of this design, they complainedthat the Roman church had degenerated from itsprimitive purity and sanctity. They denied thesupremacy of the Roman pontiff, and maintainedthat the rulers and ministers of the Church wereobliged, by their vocation, to imitate the povertyof the Apostles and to procure for themselves asubsistence by the work of their hands. Theyconsidered every Christian as, in a certainmeasure, qualified and authorized to instruct,exhort and confirm the brethren in their Christiancourse. They at the same time affirmed thatconfession made to priests was by no meansnecessary, since the humble offender mightacknowledge his sins and testify his repentanceto any true believer, and might expect from suchthe counsel and admonition which his casedemanded. They maintained that the power ofdelivering sinners from the guilt and punishmentof their offenses belonged to God alone; and thatindulgences of consequence were the criminalinvention of sordid avarice. They looked uponthe prayer and other ceremonies that wereinstituted in behalf of the dead, as vain, useless,and absurd, and denied the existence of departedsouls in an intermediate state of purification. It isalso said that several of the Walder sea deniedthe obligation of infant baptism. They adopted asthe model of their moral discipline Christ'ssermon of the mount, which they interpreted andexplained in the most rigorous and literalmanner; and consequently prohibited andcondemned in their society all wars, and suit oflaw, and all attempts toward the acquisition ofwealth.— Buck."Waldo's translation of the four gospels IntoFrench was the first appearance of the Scripturesin any modern language. The possession of thesebooks soon discovered to Waldo that the Churchwas never designed to be dependent on apriesthood, even for the administration of the

sacraments; and he became so obnoxious to thechurch that he was anathematized by the pope.No longer safe in Lyons, Waldo and his friendstook refuge in the mountains, and there formedthose communities from which the simpledoctrines of Christianity flowed out all overEurope. Provence, Languedoc, Flanders,Germany, one after another tasted of therefreshing waters.Waldo traveled in Picardy, teaching hisreformation doctrine hundreds of years beforeLuther was born. He finally settled in Bohemia,where he died in 1179, the same year which histenets were denounced by an ecumenical council.The Waldensian Church was a light on themountain during the Dark Ages."— McC.FM39Of the church in Thyatira.— "Thyatira seemsto mean ‘the sweet perfume of sacrifice.' It wasthe period of Papal persecution." (Z.'16-347.)From the time of Peter Waldo's witness in 1160until the next special messenger to the Churchappeared, 1378, was a period of 218 years.Write.— The first translation of the Bible into amodern language— French— was the work ofWaldo.These things saith the Son of God, who hathHis eyes like unto a flame of fire.— "To watchover His faithful ones as they wandered throughthe dark valleys or hid in the darker caves ofearth." (Z.'16-347; Rev. 1:14.) His eyes searchout every secret thought.— Rev. 2:23.And His feet are like fine brass.— "To walk bytheir side as they scaled the rugged mountains orwandered footsore and weary, seeking a place toplant the seeds of Truth." (Z.'16-347; Rev. 1:15.)His feet "trample to fragments everythingimpure."— Cook.Revelation 2:19I know thy works.— The Lord remembers thatPeter Waldo was the first to translate His Wordinto a modern language.

And charity, [and service,] and faith, and[thy] patience, and thy works.— The Lordremembers that Peter Waldo literally "sold allthat he had and gave to the [Lord's] poor."[And] thy last works to be more than thefirst.— (Diaglott.) "So general and widespreadbecame the so-called heresy that Innocent IIIdetermined to crush it out— 'exterminate thewhole pestilential race' was the language ofwhich he made use. The commission he gave tothe authorities was to burn the chief of theVaudois (Waldenses), to scatter the hereticsthemselves, confiscating their property, andconsigning to perdition every soul who dared tooppose the pope. Joined with ‘His Holiness' inhis relentless persecution of the Waldenses wasDominic, the father of the Inquisition. Such hasbeen the history of the Waldenses all through theages—subject to untold suffering frompersecution; then enjoying, in the quiet valleys ofPiedmont, comparative tranquility for a time;then assailed by their ever-relentless foe, the.Roman Catholic Church, which has spared nopains, by fire and slaughter, and the horrors ofthe Inquisition, to put an end to the unfortunatevictims of their violence," (McC.) How evident itis that the followers of Peter Waldo have given alarger witness by their sufferings (their "lastworks") than they did by the first works (thetranslation of the Gospel into French)!Revelation 2:20Notwithstanding I have [a few things] MUCHagainst thee.— The fourth epoch of the churchnominal.FM40[Because] THAT thou sufferest that womanJezebel.— The Roman Catholic Church, asshown in parallel below:"Elijah was persecuted for fidelity to truth andrighteousness."The Church was persecuted for fidelity to truthand righteousness.——————————

"His principal persecutor was Jezebel, thewicked queen of Israel, who is mentioned byname as the type over of the enemy of thesaints.— Rev. 2:20; 2 Kings 9:7."The principal persecutor was the apostateChurch of Rome, which claims to be a ‘queen'and ruler Spiritual Israel.— Rev. 18:7.——————————"Jezebel's persecuting power was exercisedthrough her husband. Ahab, the king.— 1 Kings21:25."Papacy's persecuting power was exercisedthrough the Roman Empire, to which she wasJoined.——————————"Elijah fled from Jezebel and Ahab into theWilderness, to a place prepared of God, where hewas miraculously nourished.— 1 Kings 17:5-9."The true Church fled in to the symbolicwilderness—or condition of isolation—to herplace, prepared of God, where she wassustained.— Rev. 12:6. 16.——————————"Elijah was ‘three years and six months' in thewilderness, and during that time there was norain, and a great famine was in the land.— James5:17; 1 Kings 17:7; 18:2."The Church was three and a half symbolic years(a day for a year— 1260 literal years) in thewilder ness condition, during which there was aspiritual famine because of the lack of Truth—the living water.— Rev. 12:6; 11:3; Amos 8:11.——————————"After the three and a half years, 1260 days.when Elijah returned from the wilderness, theerrors of Jezebel's priests were manifested, thetrue God was honored, and copious rainsfollowed,— 1 Kings 18:41-45.""At the end of the 1260 years the power of theTruth and its witnesses was manifested (A. D.

1799); and since then the Truth has flowed at therate of millions of Bibles every year, refreshingthe world and bringing forth fruit"— B256.Which [calleth herself] SAITH SHE IS aprophetess.— Claims to be an infallible teacher,but really has no right to teach at all— "I suffernot a woman [a church] to teach,FM41nor to usurp authority over the [Christ]." (1 Tim.2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34; F270.) "False prophecy,fornication and idolatry are symbolized by thewoman Jezebel." (Cook.) Jezebel was aprophetess of Baal.— 1 Kings 16:31-33; 21:25.[To teach and to seduce] AND TEACHETHAND SEDUCETH My servants to commitfornication.— Union of church and state.—Rev. 2:14 Kings 9:22; 1 Cor. 14:34And to eat things sacrificed unto idols.—Reverence the creed-idols set up by the variousecumenical councils.— Rev. 2:14. 2:21And I gave her space.—Chronos, a "time." 360years. As noted in comments on 2:20, theprophetic "time, times and a half a time," or threeand a half times, or three and a half years, orforty and two months, or 1260 days, represent1260 years. A single chronos or "time,"therefore, represents 360 years.To repent [of her fornication].— Of herunfaithfulness to the Lord. During all this time"the virgin Church was enduring the hardships ofthe wilderness; while the apostate Church sat onthe throne of her royal paramounr."— Z.'16-347.And she [repented not] WILL NOT REPENTOF THIS FORNICATION.—The Lordforeknew that after 360 years more of living withthe kings of earth, and endeavoring to gaindominion over them, the Roman CatholicChurch would be unrepentant. The 360 yearsfrom Waldo's message in 1160 ended in 1520.Luther's 95 theses were placed on the churchdoors at Wittenberg October 31, 1517. "These heproposed not as points fully established, but assubjects of inquiry and disputation. The learned

were invited to impugn them, either in person orby writing; and to the whole he subjoined solemnprotestations of his high respect for the apostolicsee, and of his implicit submission to hisauthority. No opponent appeared at the timeprefixed; the theses spread over Germany withastonishing rapidity, and were read with thegreatest eagerness." (Buck.)Luther was summoned in July, 1518, to appear atRome within sixty days. He wrote a submissiveletter to the pope, requesting a trial in Germany.Meantime the German Emperor died; and thepope, absorbed in the choice of a new emperor,paid little heed to the Luther controversy."From the reason just now given, a suspension ofproceeding against Luther took place foreighteen months, though perpetual negotiationswere carried on. The manner in which these wereconducted having given our reformer manyopportunities of observing the corruption ofFM42the courts of Rome, its obstinacy in adhering toestablished errors, and its indifference abouttruth, he began, in 1520 to utter some doublewith regard to the Divine origin of the papalauthority, which he publicly disputed withEccius, one of his most learned and formidableantagonists. The papal authority being oncesuspected, Luther proceeded to push on hisinquiries and attacks from one doctrine toanother, till at last he began to shake thefoundations on which the wealth and power ofthe church were established. Leo then began toperceive that there were no hopes of reclaimingsuch an incorrigible heretic, and thereforeprepared to pronounce the sentence ofexcommunication against him. The college ofcardinals was often assembled, in order toprepare the sentence with due deliberation; andthe ablest canonists were consulted how it mightbe expressed with unexceptionable formality. Atlast it was issued, on the 15th of June, 1520.Forty-one propositions, extracted out of Luther'sworks, were therein condemned as heretical,scandalous, and offensive to pious ears; all

persons were forbidden to read his writings,upon pain of excommunication; such as had anyof them in their custody were commanded tocommit them to the flames; he himself, if he didnot within sixty days publicly recant his errors,and burn his books, was pronounced an obstinateheretic, excommunicated, and delivered to Satanfor the destruction of the flesh; and all secularprinces were required, under pain of incurringthe same censure, to seize his person, that hemight be punished as his crimes deserved."(Buck.) With the excommunication of Luther,"the fat was in the fire"; and it was useless forthe Roman Catholic Church to try to stem thetide of the Reformation. Her period forrepentance ended with the "chronos," 360 years,June 15, 1520.— See 3d paragraph, page 41.Revelation 2:22Behold, I will cast her into bed.— Not a bed ofease, but a bed of pain. See Diaglott. Therewhere she sinned she shall suffer.And them that commit adultery with her.—All the powers that receive her legates or thatmaintain representatives at the Vatican. Knowingher character, they are equally guilty.Into great tribulation.— They are getting somenow, and will get more soon.Except they repent of [their] HER deeds.—This teaches that the present situation in Europeis the direct result of the teachings of the RomanCatholic Church.Revelation 2:23And I will kill her children.— "Both Romanistsand Protestants now freely own the relationshipof motherFM43and daughters, the former continually stylingherself the Holy Mother Church, and the latter,with pleased complacency, endorsing theIdea."— D28; Isa. 57:3, 4.With death.— "They has be as though they hadnot been."—Obad. 16.

And all the churches shall know.— When theirsecrets are laid bare by the unfolding or the deepthings of God's Word.That I am He which searcheth the reins andhearts.— In olden times the mind was supposedto be located in the reins (kidneys); and theprophecy assumes the same position. Thus Davidsays, "My reins also instruct me in the nightseasons"; "In the night his song shall be withme." (Psa. 16:7; 42:8.) "My reins within me areconsumed with earnest desire for that day." (Job19:27, margin.) The metaphor is appropriate tothe theme.— Psa. 7:9; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12.And I will give unto every one of youaccording to your works.— The light of Truthblazes most fiercely against the ecclesiasticalorganizations whose offenses have been greatest.As for the Papacy, "her sins have reached untoheaven, and God hath remembered heriniquities."— Rev. 8:5, 6; Matt. 7:16. 20. 2:24But unto you I say [and unto] the rest inThyatira.— Waldenses and others outside or thePapal system.As many as have not this doctrine.—Spiritualfornication, mixture of church and state, thespecial subject of the message to Thyatira.[And] which have not known .--Comprehended, realized, entered into.The depths of Satan.— Rome, pagan and papal.An they speak.— "So to say," i.e., "Satan" is aname applicable to Rome, as describing itscharacteristics.— Rev. 2:10.I will put upon you none other burden.— TheLord only requires of His people obedience tothe light due.— 1 John 1:7. 2:25But that which ye have already.— The truthsdescribed in 2:18.Hold fast till I come.— Some of the light whichshone upon the Waldensians has never beenentirely extinguished. 2:26And he that overcometh .— Effectually resistsefforts to entice him into disloyalty to the Lord.

And keepeth My works unto the end.—Continues in the faith (John 6:29; 1 John 3:23),despite the unions of church and state. Christ'sworks are opposite to Jezebel's.— Rev. 2:22.FM44To him will I give THE power [over] OF thenations.— How like our God! The sacrificedChrist gets the very prize for which Satanaspired.— Isa. 14:13, 14:1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Rev.3:21; 5:10; Psa. 149:5-9 2:27And he shall rule them with a rod of Iron.—"God's Kingdom will not be established by avote of the people, nor by the vote of thearistocracy and rules. He ‘whose right it is,' Hewho bought it with His own precious blood, willtake the Kingdom.' will ‘take unto Himself Hisgreat power and reign.'" (D518)."The nations will be ruled by irresistible force—'every knee shall bow, every tongue shallconfess'— and obedience will be compulsory."(D636.) "In His day the humble and righteous,and they only, shall flourish. (Isa 28:17; Rom.14:11; Psa. 92:12, 13."— C 369.) "The onlyliberty that will be granted to any will be the trueand glorious liberty of the sons of God— libertyto do good to themselves and others in any andin every way; but nothing will be allowed toinjure or destroy in all that Holy Kingdom. (Isa.11:9; Rom. 8:21.) Because of its firmness andvigor, it is symbolically called an iron rule."— A302; Rev. 19:15.As the vessels of a potter shall they be brokento shivers.— "The stone cut out of the mountainwithout hands, which smites and scatters theGentile powers, represents the true Church, theKingdom of God. Not the people, but thegovernments, are symbolized by the Image, andthese are to be destroyed that the people may bedelivered. Our Lord Jesus came not to destroymen's lives, but to save them. (John 3:17.) Thestone does not became the mountain until It hassmitten the Image; and so the Church, in the fullsense, will become the Kingdom when ‘the dayof the Lord,' the ‘day of wrath upon the nations,'

will be over." (A 255.) "This smiting andbreaking properly belongs to the Day ofVengeance, and though the power and rod willstill remain throughout the Millennial Age, theiruse will probably be unnecessary,"— D 637;Psa. 2:9; Dan. 7:22.Even as I received of My Father.— The Father(Justice) decrees their unworthiness to continuelonger. Their iniquity is come to the full. Fourhundred years from October 31, 1517, end Oct.31, 1917.— Rev. 2:21; Gen. 15:13-16. 2:28And I will give him the Morning Star.— "I amthe bright and morning star."— Rev. 22:16;Matt. 13:43. 2:29He that hath an ear.— An ear attuned to theHarp Divine.Let him hear what the spirit saith unto thechurches.— Not many are able to appreciate thesweet old "song of Moses and the Lamb" whenthey hear it.— Rev. 15:3.FM45REVELATION 3WYCLIFFE, LUTHER AND RUSSELLRevelation 3:1And [unto] BY the angel.— The next importantmessenger to the Church was John Wycliffe. "Itwas in 1378 A. D., the year of the ‘Great Schismof the West,' when two popes were elected, onein Rome and the other in Avignon, that Wycliffecame out as the great Doctrinal Reformer.Workman, in Daun of the Reformation, writes:‘Wycliffe's spiritual earnestness was shocked, histheory destroyed by the spectacle of two popes,each claiming to be the sole head of the Church,each labeling the other as Antichrist. ToWycliffe, the year of the Schism, 1378, was thecrucial year of his life. He first urged that bothpopes should be set aside as having little incommon with the Church of the Holy God. From

the position of neutrality he quickly passed intoone of antagonism to the Papacy itself.'In his Mediaeval Church History, ArchbishopTrench says: ‘The years 1378 marked theturning-point in Wycliffe's career. Hitherto hehad concerned himself with matters of mixedecclesiastical and political import, but henceforthhe devoted himself exclusively to doctrinalmatters and came out as the Reformer. He beganin earnest the translation of the Bible intoEnglish, and took the next decisive give step byan open attack, forced upon him by his studies ofthe Bible, against Transubstantiation.'Wycliffe thus attacked the very bulwark ofAntichrist's stronghold, for the doctrine ofTransubstantiation, or the sacrifice of the Mass,annulled the true sacrifice of Christ. Because ofthis, the Papal system became in God's sight the‘desolating abomination.' (Dan. 11:31.)"—Edgar.Of the church in Sardis.— "Sardis is said tomean that which remains, as if it signifiedsomething out of which life or virtue had gone.The nominal church during this period had aform of godliness without its power. Sardis wasthe remains of the true Church, which had beendriven into the wilderness; but when thepersecution began to subside, her zeaI alsoabated."— Z.'16-347.Write.— Wycliffe wrote the first translation ofthe Bible into English.These things saith He that hath the sevenSpirits of God.— The seven lamps of fire (Rev.4:5), or seven eyesFM46sent forth into all the earth (Rev. 5:6); i. e.,perfect knowledge.— Rev. 1:4.And the seven stars.— How each of the Lord'smessengers was kept! St. Paul had (supposedly)eight years of liberty after his first imprisonment,planted the Gospel in Spain and revisited thescenes of earlier labors; St. John is said to havebeen thrown into a caldron of boiling oil, but

escaped unharmed and died of old age; Ariusdied a natural death; as did Peter Waldo, JohnWycliffe, Martin Luther and Charles T. Russell,although all had reason to expect martyrdom atthe hands of ecclesiasticism. The year that PeterWaldo died, his tenets were condemned by anecumenical council. "Wycliffe preachednmolested; but the Council of Constance (May 5,1415) condemned his doctrines, and in 1428 hisremains were dug up and burned; the ashes werecast into the adjoining Swift, which, asWordsworth poetically remarked, conveyed themthrough the Avon and the Seven into the sea, andthus disseminated them over the world. Hisdoctrines, carried into Bohemia, originated theHussite movement. The New Testament waspublished about 1378, and the entire OldTestament was completed shortly before hisdeath."— McC.I know thy works, that thou hast a name thatthou livest.— Many who admired Wycliffe werenot real Christians. A man not willing to go tothe stake for his religion has none.And art dead.— Spiritual]y.— Luke 9:60. 3:2Be watchful, and strengthen the things whichremain, that [are] WERE ready to die.—Many among Wycliffe's admirers lost faith andlove, and to that degree died, while others hadsome spiritual life. These the Lord desired toawaken, to strengthen, to encourage.— Eph.5:14.For I have not found thy works perfect beforeMY God.— Revised Version reads, "For I havefound no works of thine fulfilled before MyGod."Revelation 3:3Remember [therefore] how thou hastreceived.— Received the entire Word in theEnglish tongue.And heard.— Wycliffe was the author of morethan 200 works, chiefly tracts, on the Ransom.And hold fast, and reform.— (Diaglott.) HadWycliffe's labors been properly appreciated, the

Reformation would have been set forward 150years.If therefore thou shall not [watch]REPENT.— Change your course of conduct.I will come on thee as a thief.— "Many todayhave the Sardis characteristics. To such this is awarning. SevenFM47times our Lord's Second Coming is described asbeing thief-like, stealthy. Those who are asleepwill be awakened only after His work ofdestruction has progressed. His presence will berecognized by the sleepers only as the noise ofspoiling the Strong Man's House graduallyincreases." (Z.'16-347; 1 Thess, 5:2; Matt. 24-43;2 Pet. 3:10.) "The stealthiness of the thief, notthe violence of the robber, is implied in theoriginal."— Cook.And thou shalt not know what hour I willcome upon thee.— "Failing to realize the factthat spiritual bodies cannot be seen by humaneyes without a miracle, some cannot understandhow He can be present while all things continueas they were since the beginning of creation.' (2Pet. 3:3, 4.) Thus they are unable to understand‘the signs of the times' revealing His return."—Z.'16-347.Revelation 3:4BUT thou hast a few names [even] in Sardiswhich have not defiled their garments.— Buthave given due heed to the Message of the hour,the Ransom.And they shall walk with Me in white.— Fullycovered by the robe of Christ's righteousness.For they are worthy.— None who trust insacrifices of the Mass or in other sacrifices thanthat of Calvary, can ever be worthy in God'ssight.— Matt. 10:37. 3:5.He that overcometh, [the same] THUS.— Thetest, apparently, was on the question oftransubstantiation.

Shall be clothed in white raiment.— "Thepictures given of the Heavenly Father representHim as clothed (Psa. 104:2); and the pictures ofour Lord represent Him as clothed. The angelswho appeared at the time of our Lord'sresurrection are represented as clothed in white.Our Lord said: ‘Blessed is he that watcheth, andkeepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and'they see his shame.' (Rev. 16:18.) The glorifiedChurch is represented, not as taking off the robeof righteousness, but continuing to walk in whiteraiment, not as now, in a robe of reckonedrighteousness, but in a robe of actualrighteousness."— Z.'14-11; Rev. 19:8.And I will not blot out his name out of theBook of Life.— "In the book are written thenames of all those who have made with the Lord‘a Covenant by Sacrifice.' The name of each ofthese is entered in the Lamb's Book of Life,when he starts to live the new life. If they arefaithful, their names will not be blotted out; andthey will attain all those glorious things whichare promised to those who love Him supremely.(Rev. 21:7.)"— Z.'15-119; Rev. 13:8; Psa. 69:28;Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Luke 10:20.But I will confess his name before My Father,and before His angels.— "In the end, theovercomers will eachFM48be so grandly developed that the Lord will not beashamed to confess any of them and to say.‘Here is one of My followers. Here is another.They have walked in My footsteps and haveovercome.' But He will be ashamed of any whoare ashamed of Him or of His words. (Luke9:26.)"— Z.'15-119; Luke 12:8, 9.FM3:6He that hath an ear.— A spiritual ear. "Mysheep hear My voice."— John 10:27.Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto thechurches.— "Blessed are the people that knowthe joyful sound."— Psa. 89:15. 3:7

And [to] BY the angel.— The next messengerto the Church was Martin Luther. "There isconsiderable similarity between the work begunon Pentecost and that of Luther. TheReformation was, in a sense, the beginning of anew era, a dawning of light where all had beendarkness, a new start in the way of Truth."—Z.'16-347.Of the church in Philadelphia.— "Philadelphiameans brotherly love. This stage of the Church'shistory began at the Reformation; and there aremany still living who possess the characteristicsdescribed." (Z.'16- 347.) The exact point of timeat which the Philadelphia epoch of the Churchbegan was at midday, October 31, 1517. It was atthat hour that Luther nailed his ninety-five theseson the church door at Wittenberg."Nailing up that paper was the beginning of agreat division in the Church; of thrones tumbledinto the dust and kings with them; of empiresrent asunder; of lands desolated by war; ofmassacres and horrible outrages against the livesand liberties of men; of thirty years continuouswar in Germany; of Paris and the vine-cladvalleys of Italy drenched in blood; of fireskindled all over England for the burning of men,women and children; of men hurled headlongfrom precipices, roasted over slow fires, starvingin dungeons, subjected to every form ofcruelty— but with all this, the advance of justice,truth and liberty, the beginning of a new era inhuman affairs." (Coffin.)"The theses ran through all Germany in fourteendays. for all the world was complaining aboutthe indulgences; and Luther became renowned,because at last somebody had come who tookhold of the thing."— McC.Write.— Luther wrote the first translation of theBible into German.These things saith He that is [holy] TRUE.—The direct reference is to Christ (1 John 5:20);but characteristic of Luther was his great love oftruth. When the Papal legate came demanding

that he recant, he replied, "I stand by the truth. Iwill not take it back"FM49He that is [true] HOLY.— See Mark 1:24.Luther's special message was "Justification byfaith"— real holiness. One of the theses on thedoor was, "Those who truly repent of their sinshave a full remission of guilt and penalty."He that hath the key of David.— "All power inHeaven and earth." (Matt. 28:18; Luke 1:32.)Luther's theses were antagonistic to the systemactually ruling all over the world. When arepresentative came warning that his deathwould surely follow failure to recant, and askinghim where he could go when all had orders notto harbor him, he replied, "I will abide under thecope of heaven."[He] AND that openeth.— See Luke 24:32.And no man [shutteth] SHALL SHUT.— "Nodoubtall the powers of Satan were exerted toclose the door then opened; but ‘He that is true'had said, ‘which no man can shut.'"— Z.'16-347;Isa. 22:22.And shutteth and no man [openeth] SHALLOPEN.— The door of opportunity for theRoman Catholic Church to repent swung shut theday Luther was excommunicated. (Rev. 2:21.)"Luther was not in the least disconcerted by thissentence, which he had for some time expected.He renewed his appeal to the general council;declared the pope to be that Antichrist, or Man ofSin whose appearance is foretold in the NewTestament; declaimed against his tyranny withgreater vehemence than ever; and at last, havingassembled the University he cast the canon law,together with the bull of excommunication, intothe flames."— Buck.Revelation 3:8I know thy works.— A striking feature ofLuther's character was his promptness to dowhatever he saw to be the Lord's will. When thegreat test came, Luther said to Erasmus: "Youdesire to walk upon eggs without crushing

them." Erasmus replied: "I will not be unfaithfulto the cause of Christ, at least so far as the Agewill permit me." "I will go to Worms," shoutedLuther, "though the devils were combinedagainst me as thick as tiles upon the housetops!"Behold I have set before thee an open door.—See 1 Cor. 16:9; Acts 14:27.[And] WHICH no man can shut [it].— "Whilethe Roman pontiff thought everything safe andsettled, and all pious and good men were nearlyin despair of the religious reformation, soearnestly desired, a certain obscure andinconsiderable monk in Saxony, a province ofGermany, suddenly opposed himself singlehandedwith incredible resolution to the power ofRome. This was Martin Luther."— Mosheim.FM50For thou hast a little strength.— "Comparedwith the mighty hosts of their enemies, the littleband of Reformers had but ‘a little strength;' butthey knew that they had the Truth, and they fullytrusted the Giver,"—Z. ‘16-847.And hast kept My Word.— "Whoso keepethHis Word, in him verily is the love of Godperfected."— 1 John 2:5.And hast not denied My name.— "If we denyHim, He also will deny us."— 2 Tim. 2:12. 3:9Behold I [will make] HAVE MADE them ofthe synagogue of Satan.— The opponents of thereformers were already of the synagogue ofSatan.— Rev. 2:13.Which say they are Jews.— Claim to beIsraelites Indeed, saints.— Rev. 2:9.And are not, but do lie.— Papacy is one of thetwo systems of rulership (imperial power beingthe other) congenitally "spotted like a leopard,"as far as the Truth is concerned.— Dan. 11:27;Rev. 13:2.Behold I will make them to come.— "Allnations whom Thou hast made shall come."—Psa. 86:9.

And worship before thy feet.— "The sons alsoof them that afflicted thee shall come bendingunto thee; and all that despised thee shall bowthemselves down at the sales of thy feet."— Isa.60:14; 49:23.And [to] THOU SHALT know that I haveloved thee.— See Eph. 2:7. 3:10Because thou hast kept the word of Mypatience.— My patience-enjoining word.—Matt. 10:22; Luke 8:15.I also will keep thee.— "As to the Philadelphiastage of the Church, and their being saved fromthe hour of temptation, we think possibly theLord meant that some of the Church of thatepoch would live over into the present period,and that they would not be subjected to thespecial trials of this hour. For instance, we thinkof a very fine old gentleman, who was aboutninety years of age at the time we are about tomention. He was pastor of a church. He seemedto receive Present Truth with a great deal of Joyand spoke it forth with much zeal. But he wassurrounded with so much opposition at home,and in the church to which he was attached as aminister, that he could not seem to trust to hismental judgment. This Scripture which we areconsidering has rather comforted our mind withrespect to him and others like him."— Z.'15-200.From the hour of temptation.— " "The hour oftemptation' has been the Harvest time. Themajority of professing Christians of the world—probably more than three-fourths— have lost allfaith in the Bible, and fallen intoFM51Evolution, Higher Criticism, Christian Science,Theosophy, Spiritism, New Thought, etc. Theyare not able to stand in this, ‘evil day.'" (Z.'15-200.) Additionally. "so far as we are able tojudge, the same conditions prevail todayamongst Bible students which the Apostlepointed out to the Elders of the Church ofEphesus. (Acts 20:28-32.)"— Z.'16-328.

Which shall come upon all the world.— "Webelieve that this temptation to headiness andstrife is spreading gradually in every direction;and the Master assured us that unless these dayswould be cut short by the establishment of HisKingdom in the hands of the Elect, no fleshwould survive."— Z.'16-327; Rev. 7:3. 4; 16:14;Matt. 24:21.To try them that dwell upon the earth.— "Weunderstand that the spirit of selfishness andambition, which is driving the nations insanely towar for commercial supremacy, will increasemore and more, and will involve everybody."—Z.'16-327; Rev. 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 14. 3:11[Behold,] I come quickly.— To Smyrna (73-325 A. D.) and Pergamos (325-1160 A. D.)nothing was said about Christ's Second Advent;to Thyatira (1160-1378) the Message was, "Holdfast till I come"; to Sardis (1378-1518) it was, "Iftherefore thou shalt not reform, I will come onthee as a thief"; to Philadelphia (1518- 1874) itwas, "Behold, I come quickly." How evident thatthese messages to the Churches are epochsdrawing nearer and nearer to the climax ofhistory, the Fifth Universal Empire, now come atlast!Hold that fast which thou hast.— "The Millermovement was a separation, as between thosewho kept the Word of God with patience andthose who lost their faith in His Word. ThePhiladelphia Church, which patiently passedthrough so severe a trial of their faith, would notbe subjected to the later test."— Z.'15-199.'That no man take thy crown.—"Unfaithfulness may lead to the blotting out ofsome names and the giving of their crowns toothers." (F165.) "It is our expectation that thiswork of going out and coming in will continueuntil the last member of the New Creation shallhave been found worthy, and all the crownseverlastingly apportioned."— F95; 1 Sam. 16:1;Rev. 2:10. 3:12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar [in]TO the Temple of my God.— "During the

Philadelphia period the faithful have either beenobliged to come out of the nominal temple orhave been cast out. The reward promised such isthat they will be a pillar in the eternal Temple—a part which cannot be removed. whileFM52the structure exists."— Z.'16-347; Gal. 2:9; 1Kings 7:21. 22; Jer. 1:18; 1 Cor. 3:17; Eph. 2:19-22.And he shall [go no more] NOT GO out.—"During their trial state their names were cast outas evil; they were not recognized as Christians.All this is to be reversed. ‘The Lord knoweththem that are His.'"-Z.'16-347.And I will write upon him the name of MyGod.— "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood onthe mount Sion, and with Him an hundred andforty and four thousand, having His Father'sname written on their foreheads [intellects]."—Rev. 14:1; 22:4.And the name of the city of My God.— "Andthey shall call them, The holy people, Theredeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called,Sought out, A city not forsaken."— Isa. 62:12;Ezek. 48:35; Jer. 23:6; 33:16.Which is New Jerusalem.— "Glorious City ofPeace! whose foundations, laid in Justice, cannever be moved, and whose builder and designeris God! It is in the light which will shine fromthis glorious City (Kingdom) of God that thenations (people) will walk on the Highway ofHoliness, up to perfection and to full harmonywith God."— Rev. 21:2, 10, 24; A 295; Heb.12:22.Which cometh down out of Heaven from MyGod.— "A city is a symbol of a kingdom ordominion, and so God's Kingdom is symbolizedby the New Jerusalem, the new dominioncoming from Heaven to earth. At first it willconsist of only the Bride of Christ."— A295;Heb. 12:18-22.And I will write upon him My new name.— "‘Our Righteousness of Jehovah.' How

appropriate is this name to the work and office ofour Lord Jesus! Did He not stand as theRepresentative of God's righteousness and sufferthe penalty of Justice as man's Ransom— thatGod might be just, and yet be the Justifier of himthat believeth in Jesus? Surely no name could bemore appropriate. (Jer. 33:16; 23:6; T 102.) Andthat this name will be appropriate to the glorifiedChurch all can readily see: she not only sharesher Lord's sufferings for righteousness, ‘fillingup that which is behind of the afflictions ofChrist' (Col. 1:24; 1 Pet. 5:9), but is alsopromised a share in all the glories of her Lord, asa wife shares her husband's honors and name."—E 45, 42; Isa. 9:6; Rev. 2:17; 19:22. 3:13He that hath an ear.— "Having eyes, see yenot? And having ears, hear ye not?"— Mark8:18.Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto thechurches.— "Let these sayings sink down intoyour ears."— Luke 9:44.FM53Revelation 3:14And [unto] BY the angel.— The specialmessenger to the last Age of the Church wasCharles T. Russell, born February 16, 1852. Hehas privately admitted his belief that he waschosen for his great work from before his birth.His mother died when he was nine years old; andat the age of eleven Charles formed a businesspartnership with his father, himself writing thearticles of agreement under which theytransacted business.When he was but twelve years of age, his fatherfound him in the store one time at 2 a. m., poringover a concordance, unconscious of the lapse oftime. We give some extracts from hisautobiography:"We begin the narrative at the year 1868, whenthe Editor, having been a consecrated child ofGod for some years, and a member of theCongregational Church and of the Y.M.C.A.,began to be shaken in faith regarding many long

accepted doctrines. Brought up a Presbyterian,indoctrinated from the catechism, and beingnaturally of an inquiring mind, I fell a ready preyto the logic of infidelity, as soon as I began tothink for myself. But that which at firstthreatened to be the utter shipwreck of faith inGod and the Bible, was, under God's providence,overruled for good, and merely wrecked myconfidence in human creeds and systems of Bibleinterpretations. I was led gradually to see thatthough each of the creeds contained someelements of Truth, they were, on the whole,misleading and contradictory of God's Word.Among other theories, I stumbled uponAdventism.Seemingly by accident, one evening I droppedinto a dusty, dingy hall in Allegheny, Pa., whereI had heard that religious services were held, tosee if the handful who met there had anythingmore sensible to offer than the creeds of the greatchurches. There, for the first time, I heardsomething of the views of Second Adventism, byJonas Wendell, long since deceased. Thus Iconfess indebtedness to Adventists as well as toother Bible students. Though his Scriptureexposition was not entirely clear, and though itwas very far from what we now rejoice in, it wassufficient, under God, to reestablish mywavering faith in the Divine inspiration of theBible and to show that the records of theApostles and the Prophets are indissolublylinked."When in 1872 I came to examine the subject ofRestitution from the standpoint of the Ransompricegiven by our Lord Jesus for Adam, andconsequently for all lost in Adam, it settled thematter of Restitution completely, and gave methe fullest assurance that ALL must come forthfrom their graves and be brought to a clearknowledgeFM54of the Truth and to a full opportunity to gaineverlasting life through Christ. The yearsfollowing, to 1876, were years of continuedgrowth in grace and in knowledge on the part of

the handful of Bible students with whom I met inAllegheny. We progressed from our first crudeand indefinite ideas of Restitution to clearerunderstanding of the details; but God's due timefor clear light had not yet come. During thistime, too, we came to recognize the differencebetween our Lord as ‘the Man who gaveHimself,' and as the One who would come again,a Spirit Being. We saw that spirit beings can bepresent and yet invisible to men. . . . It seemsthat not long after their 1874 disappointment, areader of The Herald of the Morning, who had acopy of the Emphatic Diaglott, noticedsomething in it which he thought peculiar— thatin Matthew 24:27, 37, 39, the Greek wordparousia, which in our Common Version isrendered ‘coming,' is in the Diaglott translated‘presence'— evidently the correct translation ofthe Greek. This was the clue; and following it,they had been led through prophetic time towardproper views regarding the object and manner ofour Lord's Return, and then to the examination ofthe time when the things indicated in God'sWord as related to Christ's parousia should takeplace. Thus God leads His children often fromdifferent starting points of Truth. But where theheart is earnest and trustful. the results must beto draw all together."There were no books or other publicationssetting forth the time prophecies as thenunderstood. So I paid Mr. Barbour's expenses tocome to see me at Philadelphia (where I hadbusiness engagements during the summer of1876), to show me fully and Scripturally, if hecould, that the prophecies indicated 1874 as thedate at which the Lord's presence and theHarvest began. He came, and the evidencesatisfied me. Being a person of positiveconvictions, and fully consecrated to the Lord, Iat once saw that the special times in which welive have an important bearing upon our duty andwork as Christ's disciples; that since we areliving in the time of the Harvest, the Harvestwork should be done; and that Present Truth isthe sickle by which the Lord would have us do areaping work everywhere among His children. I

inquired of Mr. Barbour as to what was beingdone by him and The Herald. He replied thatnothing was being done."— Z.'16-170, 171.Pastor Russell took the place of Mr. Barbourwho became unfaithful and upon whom wasfulfilled the prophecies of Matt. 24:48-51 andZech. 11:15-17.FM55"In 1877 Pastor Russell called a meeting of allthe ministers of Allegheny and Pittsburgh,showed them the Scriptures which indicated ourLord's presence and urged them to investigateand proclaim the message. All of the ministers ofthe two cities were present; all of the ministers ofthe two cities refused to believe. In the same yearhe determined to give up secular work anddevote his entire time and fortune to the workindicated in the Scriptures as incident to theclose of the Gospel Age and change ofdispensation impending. As a means ofdetermining whether his course was in harmonywith the Scriptures, and also as a means ofdemonstrating his own sincerity, he decided totest the Lord's approval as follows: (1) Devotehis life to the cause; (2) Invest his fortune in thepromulgation of the work; (3) Prohibitcollections at all meetings; (4) Depend onunsolicited contributions (wholly voluntary) tocontinue the work after his fortune wasexhausted. In 1881, 1,400,000 copies of Food forThinking Christians were distributed free at thedoors of all the Protestant churches In the UnitedStates, Canada and Great Britain on threeconsecutive Sundays, by A. D. T. messengerboys."— Obituary.As to his education we quote his own-words:"As respects my education in Greek and Hebrew:Not only do I not claim very special knowledgeof either language, but claim that not oneminister in a thousand is either a Hebrew or aGreek scholar. To be able to spell out a fewGreek words is of no earthly value. Nor is itnecessary longer to study these languages inorder to have knowledge of the Bible. OurPresbyterian friends have gotten out at great cost

Young's Analytical Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greekand English Lexicon Concordance, which anyone may procure. And our Methodist friendshave issued a similar work— Strong's AnalyticalConcordance and Lexicon. And there is a stillolder one entitled Englishman's Hebrew,Chaldaic, Greek and English Lexicon andConcordance. Additionally, Liddell and Scott'sGreek Lexicon is a standard authority. The pricesof these are not beyond the reach of the averageman. By these works scholarly informationrespecting the original text of the Bible isobtainable. I have all four of these works andhave used them faithfully. Very few collegeprofessors, even, would risk to give a criticaltranslation of any text of Scripture withoutconsulting these very works of reference, whichare standard. Additionally I remind you of themany translations of the Bible now extant— allof them very good. I have all of these and findthem useful in comparison and study of anytext—oneFM56sometimes giving a thought which another maynot. The other day, for curiosity's sake, I countedBibles in different translations, etc., in my study,and found that I have thirty-two."— Z.'14-286.As to his ordination we quote him again: "Thereare two ordinations proper. One is of God; one ofmen. The ordination of God is the begetting ofthe Holy Spirit. If any are preaching without thisordination, they are doing something that theyare not authorized to do. There comes, however,another special ordination of those who arecalled ministers of the Gospel, in which class Icount myself. This is ordination by the Church,and is recognized by all denominationseverywhere. By some it is considered a mereform, by some it is performed with greatceremony, by others with less ceremony. But toour understanding, each congregation shouldhave those whom it has chosen ordained in aScriptural way— by the stretching forth ofhands— by a vote. Whoever has not beenordained in these two ways is not an ordained

minister of the Gospel in the Scriptural sense.First, the Divine ordination is necessary; second,the earthly ordination is necessary. By the graceof God I have both of these."— Z.'15-358.As to his doctrines we quote him the third time:"To us the Scriptures clearly teach that theChurch is ‘the Temple of the living God'—peculiarly ‘His workmanship'; its constructionhas been in progress throughout the GospelAge— ever since Christ became the world'sRedeemer and Chief Corner Stone of HisTemple, through which, when finished, God'sblessing shall come ‘to all people,' and they findaccess to Him, (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; Eph. 2:20; Gen.28:14; Gal. 3:29.)That meantime the chiseling, shaping andpolishing of consecrated believers in Christ'sAtonement for sin progresses; and when the lastof these ‘living stones,' ‘elect and precious,' shallhave been made ready, the great MasterWorkman will bring all together in the FirstResurrection; and the Temple shall be filled withHis glory, and be the meeting place between Godand men throughout the Millennium. (Rev. 15:5-8; 21:3.)We affirm the pre-existence of Jesus as themighty Word ‘(Logos)—Spokesman— 'thebeginning of the creation God,' ‘the First-Born ofevery creature,' the active Agent of the HeavenlyFather, Jehovah, in all the work of creation.‘Without Him was not anything made that wasmade.' (Rev. 3:14; Col. 1:15; John 1:3.) Weaffirm that the Word (Logos) was made flesh—became the Babe of Bethlehem— thus becomingthe Man Jesus, ‘holy, harmless, undefiled,separate from sinners.'As we affirm theFM57humanity of Jesus, we equally affirm theDivinity of Christ— 'God also hath highlyexalted Him, and given Him a name above everyname.' (Heb. 7:26; Phil. 2:9.)

We acknowledge that the personality of the HolySpirit is the Father and the Son; that the HolySpirit proceeds from both, and is manifested inall who receive the begetting of the Holy Spiritand thereby become sons of God. (John 1:12; 1Pet. 1:3.)We affirm the resurrection of Christ— that Hewas put to death in flesh but quickened in Spirit.We deny that He was raised in the flesh, andchallenge any statement to that effect as beingunscriptural. (1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor.15:8; Acts 26:13-15.)That the basis of Hope, for the Church and theWorld, lies in the fact that ‘Jesus Christ, by thegrace of God, tasted death for every man,' ‘aRansom for all,' and will be ‘the true Light whichlighteth every man that cometh into the world,'‘in due time.' (Heb. 2:9; John 1:9; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6.)That the Hope of the Church is that she may belike her Lord, ‘see Him as He is,' be ‘partaker ofthe Divine nature,' and share His glory as Hisjoint-heir. (1 John 3:2; John 17:24; Rom. 8:17; 2Pet. 1:4.)That the present mission of the Church is theperfecting of the saints for the future work ofservice; to develop in herself every grace; to beGod's witness to the world; and to prepare to bekings and priests in the next Age. (Eph. 4:12;Matt. 24:14; Rev. 1:6; 20:6.)That the Hope for the World lies in the blessingsof knowledge and opportunity to be brought toall by Christ's Millennial Kingdom— theRestitution of all that was lost in Adam, to all thewilling and obedient, at the hands of theirRedeemer and His glorified Church— when allthe willfully wicked shall be destroyed. (Acts3:19-23; Isa. 35.)"— B. S. M.The amount of work that Pastor Russellperformed is incredible, and it is doubtfulwhether it was ever equalled by any other humanbeing. When he was in his twenties he wasrefused the lease of a property because the ownerthought he would surely die before the lease had

expired. For fifty years he suffered constantlywith sick headaches, due to a fall in his youth,and for twenty-five years had such distressinghemorrhoids that it was impossible for him torest in the easiest chair; yet in the past forty yearshe traveled a million miles, delivered 30,000sermons— many of them three hours in length—wrote over 50,000 pages (of this size) ofadvanced Biblical exposition, wrote, somemonths, 1,000 letters per month, managed everydepartment of a worldwide evangelisticcampaign employing 700 speakers, personallyFM58compiled the most wonderful Biblical dramaever shown; and with all that, he has been seen,unobserved by himself, to stand by his mantel allnight in prayer, in one position. At one time hiswritings were subjected to an analysis of 20,511Scripture expositions. These were assembled inBiblical order and disclosed but six points ofinquiry, all easily harmonized. No writer, noteven excepting the writers of the Bible, haveever had such critical readers. His works havebeen published in 35 languages. During the lasteight days of his life he had appointments inCalifornia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska andNew York; and though for several daysmanifestly dying, with cystitis (caused byexcessive travel and speaking), he declined tocancel any engagements, and went out of this lifeOctober 31, 1916, on a railroad train en route tohis Kansas appointment.At the age of 30 he had accumulated a fortune ofover $300,000, but died penniless, his ownfortune, as well as all the large sums contributedto the cause, having been used up in the Master'sservice. He was beloved everywhere by thosewho "follow the Lamb whithersoever Hegoeth."— Rev. 14:4. For further particulars ofPastor Russell's service of God's people seeMemorial Number of Zions Watch Tower andHerald of Christ's PresenceOf the church [of the Laodiceans] INLAODICEA.— It is significant that in the firstepoch of the Church there were Nicolaitanes

(nikon ton laon), "vanquishers of the people," aclergy class who succeeded in pulling the woolover the eyes of the common people; but that thelast age of the Church is Laodicean (laos dike),"justice for the people." We find we get alongmuch better without the clergy than we did withthem. The Laodicean period of the Churchextends from the fall of 1874 to the spring of1918, three and one-half years of preparation,and forty years of Harvest. "The parallelsaffected merely the nominal Jewish House thereand the nominal Christian House here. Bothwere rejected because of failure to be in the rightcondition of heart for the truths that were due tothem— both rejected for destruction. The JewishSystem was a Church-State affair, paralleled hereby the great Church-State systems of Europe,whose destruction began in 1914. Let usremember. however, that the three and a halfyears of Jesus' ministry were more a time ofpreparation of the Apostles to be the instrumentsfor the harvesting and a sharpening preparationof the Sickle of Truth for the later work, whichbegan at Pentecost. Prior to Pentecost, there wasno ‘garner' into which to gather the wheat.FM59JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN PARALLELSJewish-Nominal Church Christian-Nominal ChurchA. D. 29-33 A. D. 1874-1878‘They knew not the time of their visitation.'A. D. 33-36 A. D. 1878-1881The Most Holy anointed, Divine favor prolongedfor three and a half years to completethe 70 weeks of favor promised to Israel,their rejection being deferred.A. D. 36-73 A. D. 1881-1918Because of the overspreading ofabominations, He shall make it desolate, evenuntil the con- summation, or utter destruction—until all that God has predetermined shall beaccomplished. —Dan. 9:24-27."— Z.'16-264.

The foregoing is Pastor Russell's last expressionon the subject of chronology; and we believe thatit was designed to be of great value to the Lord'speople at this hour. "The Apostles, the Prophetsand the angels all desired and sought earnestly toknow what time the Spirit of God indicatedthrough the Prophets. And this interest on thepart of His children is ever pleasing to God. Hecalled the inquiring Daniel greatly beloved, andanswered his inquiry so far as was consistentwith His Plan. Such inquiry should not beregarded as an improper prying into the secretsof God. God would have us quickly discern theTruth as it becomes due." (B 17.)"Let none, then, of the truly consecrated undervaluethese prophetic time-evidences, whichwere designed to guide our words and deeds inthe early dawn of the Millennial Day. Theseprophetic time-proofs were largely God's meansof drawing the attention of the writer morecarefully to other features of the Divine Plan."—B31.Daniel "understood by books" (Jeremiah'sprophecy) the length of the great captivity of thechildren of Israel. (Dan. 9:2.) At Christ's FirstAdvent there was but one time-prophecy callingattention to that event (Dan. 9:24— 27). yet allthe people "were in expectation" of it. (Luke3:15.) In the year 1190 the good monk Joachimdeclared that the Papal system was Antichrist,that the history of mankind is divided into threeages, and that in the year 1260 the Papacy wouldgive way to a new system in which the wholeworld would be "one vast monastery." "In 1260the Council of Aries pronounced all followers ofFM60Joachim heretics." His application of the correctprinciple, "a year for a day," made in the verydepths of the Dark Ages, is one of the mostpathetic incidents in the history of mankind; buthis study of time-prophecy brought him peaceand joy of heart. He was an opponent of theprevailing " doctrine of the Trinity."

William Miller, in the year 1829, was privilegedto see (approximately) the correct date for thesetting up of the abomination of desolation (539A. D.), and for the beginning of the Time of theEnd (1799 A. D.) Morton Edgar, author ofPyramid Passages, has found foreshown in theGreat Pyramid of Egypt abundant evidence ofthe accuracy of the Bible chronology of PastorRussell and the supplements thereto supplied byDr. John Edgar, deceased. These findings are setforth in his work, Pyramid Passages, Vol. II, ofwhich we recommend sections numbered in thefollowing table. For convenience we give thecitations to Pastor Russell's works in which thesame items are discussed. The Pyramid is stillthere, and the measurements can be made byanybody. Pastor Russell's chronology waswritten before he ever saw the Pyramid.Date Foreshown Event Pastor Sections ofRussell's Works Pyramid PassagesFall 4127 B. C. Fall of Adam. Z 04-343 25-30-58Fall 3127 B. C. End of Adam’s1000 year day. Z 04-343 25-28Fall 2473 B. C. Flood. B 42 24-30Fall 2081 B. C. Birth of Isaac. B 231 45Spring 1813 B. C. Death of Jacob. B 218-232 16-17Spring 1615 B. C. Exodus and giving of the Law B 42 11Spring 1575 B. C. Entrance into Canaan B 42 43-46Fall 626 B. C. Last Jubilee. B 185 50Fall 607 B. C. Desolation of the Land. B 51 19-46-48Fall 455 B. C. Nehemiah’s Commission. B 67 51-52-53Fall 2 B. C. Birth of Christ. B 54 10-43Fall 29 A. D. Baptism of Christ. B 60 10-24-43-58Spring 33 A. D. Death of Christ. B 61 10-11-14-32-38-45Fall 36 A. D. Conversion of Cornelius. B 71 51Spring 1378 A. D. Wycliffe. Z 05-185 37Spring 1521 A. D. Diet of Worms. Z 05-181 38Fall 1846 A. D. Evangelical Alliance. C 95-119 14-52Fall 1874 A. D. Second Advent of the Lord. B 173-247 16-32-50-51Spring 1878 A. D. Favor to Jews andsleeping Saints. C 233 17-28Fall 1914 A. D. End of Times of the Gentiles. B 73 19-48Fall 2875 A. D. Restitution completed. Z 04-344 37Fall 2914 A. D. Dominion restored to mankind. Z 04-343 58FM61The chronology as it appears in the STUDIES INTHE SCRIPTURES is accurate. The year 1914brought the end of the Times of the Gentiles, butnot the end of the Harvest work. Have theteachings of the Parallels lost their value? Not at

all. The point not previously noticed is that theJewish polity was not to be destroyed inJerusalem only, but throughout all Judea. Nordoes Judea mean all of Palestine. The actualdepopulation of the whole of Palestine did notoccur until the year 135 A. D. (corresponding toour year 1980), on the ninth day of the month ofAb, the anniversary of the burning of the Templeunder Titus. On that day came to an end theinsurrection of Bar-Cocheba, the false Messiah,who wrought his own destruction and that of580,000 of his followers, when he attempted toregain control of Judea and Jerusalem. Thestruggle was of five years' duration having begunin 130 A. D. "It was the effort, under theleadership of Bar-Cocheba, to regain theirindependence, that brought about a repetition ofscenes enacted under Titus, and resulted actuallyin the depopulation of Palestine. The whole ofJudea was turned into a desert; about 985 townsand villages were laid in ashes; fifty of theirfortresses were razed to the ground; even thename of their capital was changed to AEliaCapitolina, and they were forbidden to approachit on pain of death; thousands of those who hadescaped death were reduced to slavery, and suchas could not be thus disposed of were transportedinto Egypt."— McC.When the Lord gave His wonderful prophecy inwhich the destinies of nominal Fleshly Israel,nominal Spiritual Israel, and the Israel of God,are set forth, it was in answer to three definitequestions: "When shall these things be? andwhat shall be the sign of Thy Parousia, and ofthe end of the Age?" (Matt. 24:3.) The Lord didnot ignore their question. He answered it with areply that sweeps the history of twenty centuries.He showed that the end of Fleshly Israelforeshadowed the end of Spiritual Israel. FleshlyIsrael had three ends; the destruction ofJerusalem in A. D. 70, the complete subjugationof Judea in A. D. 73, and the actual depopulationof the whole of Palestine in A. D. 135.Which did He mean should be the end thatwould be a guide to His followers?

Not the end in A. D. 70, foreshadowing 1915; forthe Harvest of the Gospel Age is still in progress.Not the end in A. D. 135, foreshadowing 1980;for the Harvest is the end. He must have meantthe end in Judea, even as He said, "Then let themwhich be in Judea flee into the mountains."(Matt. 24:16.) See also Matt. 2:22; 3:5;FM62Mark 1:5; Luke 1:5, 65; 3:1; 7:17; Acts 11:29;Rom. 15:31, and especially John 7:1-3 and 1Thess, 2:14-16. The data presented in commentson Rev. 2:1 prove that the conquest of Judea wasnot completed until the day of the Passover, A.D. 73, and in the light of the foregoingScriptures, prove that the Spring of 1918 willbring upon Christendom a spasm of anguishgreater even than that experienced in the Fall of1914. Reexamine the table of the ParallelDispensations in STUDIES IN THESCRIPTURES, Vol. 2, pages 246 and 247;change the 37 to 40, 70 to 73 and 1914 to 1918,and we believe it is correct and will be fulfilled "with great power and glory." (Mark 13:26.) Itwas entirely impossible to foresee whether ourLord meant that A. D. 70 or A. D. 73 shouldserve as our guide to the time when the Jewishpolity came to an end, until after October, 1915,had passed. Moreover, we have seen thepromised signs, "upon the earth distress ofnations, with perplexity; men's hearts failingthem for fear, and for looking after those thingswhich are coming on the earth," and we have theLord's words for it that having seen those things"the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand," "even atthe doors," and our "redemption draweth nigh."(Luke 21:25-36; Mark 13:27-30.) It is possiblethat A. D. 1980 may have something of specialinterest for Fleshly Israel, but certainly not forus. It is 70 years beyond 1910, the date whenPastor Russell gave his great witness to theJewish people in the New York Hippodrome.But if the time of nominal Zion's travail (Isa.66:8) is due to occur in the Spring of 1918, and ifwe are now but the "one day" (one year) distantfrom that event which the Prophet mentions,

what should be our expectation regarding theexperience of the "little flock" meantime: "Thesymbolic travail, in the above prophecy, is areference to the great Time of Trouble— thetravail that is to come upon the nominal Gospelchurch, Great ‘Babylon,' from which some are tobe counted worthy to escape. (Luke 21:36.) Thisis indicated by the preceding verse, whichlocates the time of this prophecy as synchronouswith that wherein is heard ‘a voice of noise[confusion] from the city' [Babylon], and ‘avoice [of truth and warning] from the Temple'[the elect Little Flock of consecrated and faithfulones], and ‘a voice of Jehovah that renderethrecompense to His enemies'— in the great Timeof Trouble. The travail that is coming is to beupon nominal Zion— 'Christendom,' ‘Babylon';and it will be a great and sore affliction— 'aTime of Trouble such as was not since there wasa nation.'FM63"But the marvelous thing the Prophet here has torecord is that a Man-child is to be born out ofZion before this travail comes. This is a strikingreference to the fact, elsewhere clearly taught,that the ripe wheat of the Gospel Church is to beseparated from the tares, that they are to beexalted and glorified before the burning, theconsuming trouble, shall come upon the latter.This Man-child is, therefore, the Little Flock—the true Zion in God's estimation, the Body ofChrist; as it is written, ‘There shall come out ofZion [the nominal Gospel Church] the Deliverer[The Christ, Head and Body], and shall turnaway ungodliness from Jacob [the Fleshly Israel,or Zion].' (Rom. 11:26.) This is the Man-childthat is to bless all the families of the earth. (Gen.28:14; Gal. 3:16, 29.) The birth of the Man-childis the First Resurrection. Blessed and holy are allthey that have part in the First Resurrection.Such are now begotten of God by the Word ofTruth, and quickened by the Holy Spirit (Jas.1:18; Eph. 2:1; Rom. 8:11), and in due time—before the travail— they will be born in theglorious likeness of Christ. The birth of thisMan-child began over eighteen hundred years

ago with the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Therethe Head of this Body of Christ came forth; andas surely as the Head has been born, so surelyshall the Body come forth. ‘Shall I bring to thebirth, and not cause to bring forth? saith theLord: shall I cause to bring forth and shut thewomb? saith thy God.' (Isa. 66:9.) Ah, no! ‘theMan-child, The Christ complete, the GreatDeliverer, shall come forth."— Z.'94-135."But," says one, "where is the fiery chariot that isto accomplish a cleavage between the Elijah andElisha classes?" We offer the suggestion that thefiery horses are lurid prophecies; the horsemenare Ezekiel and John, and the chariot is thevehicle in which their Message is brought to theElijah class. And do the Elijah class take to thatvehicle? They do. And why? Because "the sheepfollow Him; for they know His voice." (John10:4.) The separation between the Elijah andElisha classes will be brought about in aperfectly natural way, by some using the chariotwhich the Lord provides, and others recognizingit, but not attempting to use it to mount to theskies. And What should we expect such a fierychariot would do when caught up into theheavens? The answer is prophetic, "The heavensbeing on fire shall be dissolved;" "The heavensshall pass away with a great noise;" "And all thehost of heaven shall be dissolved, and theheavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: andall their host shall fall down, as the leafFM64falleth from the vine, and as a falling fig from thefig-tree." (2 Pet. 3:12, 10; Isa. 34:4.) Evidentlythe circulation of the penny will have somethingto do with the burning of the tares!— Matt.13:40-43; Isa. 21:9.Forty days after Christ's resurrection Hisascension occurred. This confirms the hope ofthe Church's glorification forty years (a year fora day) after the awakening of the sleeping saintsin the Spring of 1878. The seven days before theDeluge may represent seven years, from 1914 to1921, in the midst of which "week of years" thelast members of the Messiah pass beyond the

veil. The Great Company class shall be cut off atits end— the fact that we see the first half of thisweek so distinctly marked would lead us toexpect three and one-half years more ofwitnessing by the Great Company class; for itseems to be the Heavenly Father's way toaccomplish His work by weeks and half weeks,from the very beginning of creation until now.The covenant with Abraham, 2045 B. C., washalf way (2081 years each way) between the fallof Adam, 4127 B. C., and the conversion ofCornelius, A. D. 36. The last observance of atypical jubilee by israel, 626 B. C., was half way(2500 years each way) between the fall of Adam,4127 B. C., and the beginning of the Times ofRestitution, A. D. 1874. The captivity, 606 B. C.,marks the beginning of the Times of theGentiles, half way (2520 years each way)between the end of Adam's 1000-year day, 3127B. C., and the end of Gentile Times, A. D. 1914.The captivity, 606 B. C., marks a point half way(3520 years each way) between the fall of man,4127 B. C., and his full restoration to Divinefavor, A. D. 2914. Christ's death, A. D. 33,marks a point half way (1845 years each way)between the death of Jacob, 1813 B. C., and therestoration of favor to Israel in 1878 A. D. Thedeath of Christ, A. D. 33, was half way (threeand one-half years each way) between Hisbaptism, A. D. 29, and the conversion ofCornelius, A. D. 36.The awakening of the sleeping saints, A. D.1878, was just half way (three and one-half yearseach way) between the beginning of the Times ofRestitution in 1874 and the close of the HighCalling in 1881. Our proposition is that theglorification of the Little Flock in the Spring of1918 A. D. will be half way (three and one-halfyears each way) between the close of the GentileTimes and the close of the Heavenly Way, A. D.1921. The three days (three years— 1918-1921)fruitless search for Elijah (2 Kings 2:17-18) is aconfirmation of this view. We shall wait to see;but we shall not be indifferent while we wait, lestperadventure another, more zealous, take the

FM65crown we have. The time is not long: but if wehave to go on for fifty years, why should wecare? We are the Lord's. Let Him do as He willwith His own.Write.— Pastor Russell was the most prolificwriter of Biblical truth that ever lived.— Ezek.9:2, 3.These things saith the Amen.— The same wordtranslated "verily" in the Gospels and so oftenused by our Lord as a solemn prefix to someimportant announcement.AND the faithful and true Witness.—Trinitarians Witness that Christ and the Fatherare one in person. Christ Himself witnesses, "It isalso written in your Law that the testimony oftwo men is true. I am one that bear witness ofMyself, and the Father that sent Me bearethwitness of Me." (John 8:17, 18.) Christ was one,and the Father was one; and one plus one aretwo. (This lesson in mathematics is for Doctorsof Divinity; school children will not need it.)—Rev. 1:5; 19:11.AND the Beginning of the [creation]CHURCH of God.— Either reading is correct.Our Lord was the Beginning of the NewCreation, but, more than that, He was theBeginning of all creation. "He is the Image of theinvisible God—First-born of all creation;because by Him were all things created, those inthe heavens and those on the earth, visible andinvisible— whether thrones or lordships, orgovernments, or authorities: all things werecreated by Him and for Him, and He precedes allthings, and in Him all things have beenpermanently placed. (Col. 1:15-18.) Hear alsothe word of prophecy concerning the Only-Begotten, not only declaring His comingexaltation as King of earthly kings, butdescribing Him as already being Jehovah's Firstborn,saying, ‘I will make Him, My First-born,higher than the kings of the earth.' (Psa.89:27.)"— E 95, 86.FM3:15

I know thy works.— The Laodicean Church hasmuch zeal, but not according to knowledge. Sheclaims that her principal object is to convertsinners, to bring forth spiritual children. TheProphet puts these words into the mouth ofnominal Christians when they awake to aknowledge of the situation: ‘We have been withchild, we have been in pain, we have as it werebrought forth wind; we have not wrought anydeliverance in the earth; neither have theinhabitants of the earth fallen (becomeconverted).' (Isa. 26:16-18.)" (Z.'16-347.)The literal city of Laodicea was distinguished forthe raven blackness of the fleeces (black sheep)there to be had.That thou are neither cold.— Making nopretense whatever to be exponents of God'sTruth.— Luke 7:36-50.FM66Nor hot.— Full of warm, loving devotion toChrist.— 2 Tim. 3:5; Ezek. 5:6.I would thou wert cold or hot.— "Ephraim is acake not turned."— Hos. 7:8. 3:16So then.— "The Spring of 1878, correspondingto the date at which our Lord assumed the officeof King, rode on the ass, cleansed the Temple ofits moneychangers, and wept over and gave up todesolation that nominal church or kingdom,marks the date from which the nominal churchsystems are not the mouth-pieces of God, nor inany degree recognized by Him."— B235.Because thou art THUS lukewarm and ARTneither [cold nor hot] HOT NOR COLD—"Retaining the forms of worship and faith in aCreator and in a future life, but viewing thesechiefly through their own or other men'sphilosophies and theories, and ignoring the Bibleas an infallible teacher of the Divine purposes.These, while retaining the Bible, disbelieve itsnarratives, especially that of Eden and the fall.Retaining the name of Jesus, and calling Him theChrist and the Savior, they regard Him merely asan excellent though not infallible Exemplar, and

eject entirely His Ransom-sacrifice— His cross.Claiming the Fatherhood of God to extend tosinners, they repudiate both the curse and theMediator."— C167.[I will spue thee out of My] REFRAIN THYmouth.— She is bidden to hold her peace. Sheneeds to study, not to teach; and so the followingverses indicate.— Hos. 5:6; 9:12. 3:17Because thou sayest I am rich.— I have all thespiritual light that exists in the world. "I havemuch goods laid up for many years." (Luke12:19.) "I sit a queen, and am no widow, andshall see no sorrow."— Rev. 18:7; Hos. 12:8; 1Cor. 4:8.And increased with goods.— "Laodiceanscount their numbers and their donations bymillions, and say, ‘We are rich as never before.'Alas, that they do not realize that these areearthly riches of the kind which our Lorddeclares are no evidence of His favor during thisGospel Age, but rather to the contrary! And theysee not the true riches which the Lord admires,and which are the foretaste of His favor and thecoming Kingdom wealth."— Z.'01-56.And have need of nothing.— "They will notown that they have departed from the right waysof the Lord: in their own estimation they are richand increased with goods, spiritual as well astemporal, and have need of nothing."— Mal. 3:7;Z.'92-261.FM67And knowest not that thou.— Of all others, sothe Greek indicates.Art wretched.— "To our eternal disgrace, theUnited States leads all civilized countries inhomicides— over 8,000 yearly. There are twelvemurders in New England to one in London; inCalifornia seventy-five to one; in Nevada 245 toone." (Z.'08-83.)"Each nation feels that theirs is the greatesttalent, theirs are the finest guns, theirs the besteverything; and it is this feeling of selfsufficiencythat led tile nations into the present

conflict. They think that they are so good and sogreat that God could not help giving them thevictory."— Z.'15-174.And miserable.— "How blind we all have beennot to have noticed: (2) That the numbers of theheathen in proportion even to the nominallyChristian doubled last century; (2) That if wecould bring all the heathen up to the standard ofour most civilized nation it would mean thatGod's will would be less done the world overthan it is now."— Z.'08-83.And poor.— "The Laodicean Church is poor inthat she has so little of the Master's Spirit, solittle of the Truth and of the Spirit of theTruth."— Z.'01-56.And blind.— "She cannot see afar off, cannotsee either the High Calling of the Church, or theblessed provisions of Restitution for the world ingeneral."— Z.'98-128.And naked.— "The clergy, under the name ofHigher Criticism and Evolution, are rapidlydenuding her, making her naked, taking from herthe robe of Christ's righteousness, and leadingher to trust, not in the precious blood of theRedeemer, but in an evolutionary process whichneeds no Savior, which denies that there is, orhas been, any sin to make atonement for."—Z.'01-56.Revelation 3:18I Counsel thee.— "Thou shalt guide me withThy counsel and afterward receive me intoglory."— Psa. 73:24.To buy of Me.— "Not until we lay hold by faithupon the exceeding great and precious promisesis there any of the ‘gold' of the ‘Divine nature' inus. This treasure can be purchased only at thecost of entire consecration, or sacrifice of all thatwe have, to Christ."— Z.'96-44; Prov. 23:23;Matt. 53:44.Gold tried in the fire.— "If we would purchasethe ‘gold tried in the fire ' it must be at the costof faithful and constant submission to the

discipline of the Lord in fiery trials. Howotherwise can the dross be eliminated?There is no other way. Wherefore, think it notstrange; let the fire burn; let the dross beconsumed; and see to it, beloved, that in the heatof the flame you remove not the ‘livingsacrifice.'"— Z.'96-44; 1 Pet. 4:12.FM68That thou mayest be rich.— "For ye know thegrace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though Hewas rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, thatye through His poverty might be rich."— 2 Cor.8:9; Prov. 10:22; Luke12:21; 1 Tim. 6:18; Jas.2:5; Rev. 2:18.And white raiment.— "The robe of Christ'simputed righteousness, which so many are nowdiscarding, to appear before God in their ownunrighteousness."— D42; Rev. 19:8.That thou mayest be clothed.— "A gloriouschurch, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any suchthing."— Eph. 5:27.And that the shame of thy nakedness do notappear.— "Behold I come as a thief. Blessed ishe that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lesthe walk naked and they see his shame."— Rev.16:15; Matt. 22:11-13; Isa. 47:3.And anoint thine eyes with eyesalve.— Fromthe Great Physician. (Mark 2:17.) "Completeconsecration and submission to the Divine willas expressed in the Scriptures."— D42.That thou mayest see.— "The ‘master of thehouse' or ‘householder' of the presentdispensation is not our Lord, but our Adversary,the Devil— 'the god of this world,' ‘the prince ofthe power of the air,' ‘the prince of this world,'who now ruleth in the children of disobedience,blinding the minds of all that believe not."—D611; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; Psa. 13:3; 19:8; John9:6, 41.FM3:19As many as I love.— "As many as are honestand at heart loyal to God."— Z.'92-59.

I rebuke and chasten— " ‘My son, despise notthou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint whenthou art rebuked of Him; for whom the Lordloveth He chasteneth.'-Prov. 3:11, 12; Heb. 12:5-8."— Z.'96-44; Job 5:17; Jas. 1:12.Be zealous, therefore, and repent.— "Thelawyer who makes legality his test instead ofJustice; the merchant who is satisfied simply toconform to the code of his trade, whose excusefor any dishonesty is, ‘They all do it'; the‘gentleman' or ‘lady' who puts good form andmanners in the place of sincerity and kindlinessof heart, and politeness in place of courtesy— allare alike animated by the ecclesiasticalconscience. It was this ecclesiastical mind andthis ecclesiastical conscience which crucifiedJesus Christ. (Rt. Rev. Chas. D. Williams,Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Michigan.)"—Z.'15-339.Revelation 3:20Behold, I stand at the door.— Some of theScriptures, which, when understood in theirconnections and significance, prove that theLord's Second Advent occurred in the tall of1874 are as follows: "Speak ye comfortablyFM69to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare isaccomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; forshe hath received of the Lord's hand double forall her sins." (Isa. 40:2; B227.) "And first I willrecompense their iniquity and their sin double."(Jer. 16:18; B218.) "Turn you to the strong hold,ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declarethat I will render double unto thee." (Zech. 9:12;B224.) "The fourteenth day of the secondmonth, at even, they shall keep it." (Num. 9:11;Z.'98-68.) "And when her days to be deliveredwere fulfilled, behold, there were twins." (Gen.25:24; Z.'94-63.) "And when he was full fortyyears old, it came into his heart to visit hisbrethren. And when forty years were expired,there appeared to him in the wilderness of MountSinai an angel of the Lord." "Wonders and signsin the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in

the Wilderness forty years."— Acts 7:23, 30, 36;Z.'11-215.""Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to thethousand three hundred and five and thirty days."(Dan. 12:12; C83.)"Then shaft thou cause the trumpet of the jubileeto sound on the tenth day of the seventh month,in the day of atonement." (Lev. 25:9; B187.) "Aslong as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, tofulfil threescore and ten years." (2 Chron. 36:21;B195.) "In that day shall there be an altar to theLord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and apillar at the border thereof to the Lord. And itshall be for a sign and for a witness unto theLord of hosts in the land of Egypt." (Isa. 19:19,20; C315.)"The like figure whereunto even baptism dothalso now save us." (1 Pet. 3:21; Z.'05-181,Diagram.)"In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, hemade a proclamation." (Ezra 1:1; Z.'05-185.)"This house was finished on the third day of themonth Adar, which was in the sixth year of thereign of Darius the king." (Ezra 6:15; Z.'05-185.)"This Ezra went up from Babylon. . . . And hecame to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which wasin the seventh year of the king." (Ezra 7:6-8;Z.'05-185.)"In the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king."—Neh. 2:1; Z.'05-185.Besides the above Scriptures, time-proofs of theLord's Return, are the fulfillments of thepromised signs: The Gospel has been preachedin all the world for a witness: (Matt. 24:14;A91); the abomination has been seen in the holyplace (Matt. 24:15; D572); the fight of the saintsfrom the antitypical "Judea" has occurred (Matt.24:16; D573); the great tribulation hascommenced (Matt. 24:21; D540); the falseChrists are with us (Matt. 24:23; D580); theeagles have gathered to the carcassFM70

(Matt. 24:28; D610); the sun and moon havebeen darkened (Matt. 24:29; D590); the Man ofSin has been revealed (2 Thess, 2:8; T86; B271);the Elias has come (Mal. 4:5; B251); theregathering of the Jews has begun (Jer. 31:8;Z.'06-84); the refining of the sons of Leviprogresses (Mal. 3:1-3; Z.'05-378); the true faithwas nearly extinct in the earth (Luke 18:8;Z.'06265); the doctrines of devils are rampant (1Tim. 4:1; F621); the perilous times and allassociated evils are here (2 Tim. 3:1-7; Z.'99-99); the Lord God has given the sinners water ofgall to drink (Jer. 8:14; C158); the mighty angelhas roared, "Come out of her" (Rev. 18:4; C155);the running to and fro is in evidence (Dan. 12:4;C63); the antitypical Josiah has kept the greatPassover (2 Chron. 35:19; Z.'05-180); the landshadowed with wings has played its part (Isa.18:1; Z.'04-230); the watchman has stood uponhis tower (Hab. 2:1; C89); the wheels withinwheels are made clear (Ezek. 1:15); the Prophethas come to the rebellious house (Ezek. 2:3); hehas eaten the book of her fate (Ezek. 2:9); theseven years of astonishment are finished (Ezek.3:15); the sieges of 390 years and 40 years are atan end (Ezek. 4:5, 6); the image of jealousy hasbeen disclosed (Ezek. 8:3); the man with thewriter's inkhorn has performed his task (Ezek.9:2); the removing is at an end (Ezek. 14:21); thesword has been doubled the third time (Ezek.21:15); the point of the sword has been madebright (Ezek. 21:15); ecclesiasticism has beendelivered unto brutish persons (Ezek. 21:31); thedesire of the faithful servant's eyes has failed(Ezek. 24:16); the stilled voice is speakingagain.— Ezek. 33:22.The seven thunders have uttered their voices(Rev. 10:3); the seven last plagues have beenpoured out (Rev. 15:6); the voices of the threesigns have been uttered (Exod. 4:3-9; Z.'07-276);the ribband of blue (the Vow) has done its work(Num. 15:38); the tares and wheat have beenseparated (Matt. 13:30; C139); the net has beendrawn to the shore and the fish sorted (Matt.13:48; C214); the ambassadors of peace havewept bitterly (Isa. 33:7); the foolish virgins have

had their sound sleep (Matt. 25:5; C92); theseven seals have been opened (Rev. 8:1); theseven angels have sounded (Rev. 10:7; B149);the nations are angry (Rev. 11:18); the winepressof God's wrath has been trodden (Rev. 14:20);the horses and chariot of fire have come forElijah (2 KIngs 2:11); the chariots are runninglike lightning (Nab. 2:4; C272); the mighty angelhas flown in the midst of heaven (Rev. 14:6); thefalse worshippers have been tormentedFM71with fire and brimstone (Rev. 14:10); Behemothand Leviathan have been beheld doing their work(Job 40:15-23; 41:1-34); the secret of the Lordhas been shown (Psa. 25:14; Z.'97-255); the Lordis Judging His people and gathering His saints(Psa. 50:4, 5; D75; B164); the lightnings haveenlightened the world (Psa. 97:4; A171); the hillshave melted like wax (Psa. 97:5; D551); thebanner has been lifted on the high mount (Isa13:2; D40); the tables are full of vomit (Isa. 28:8;Z.'07-91); the dumb dogs have failed to bark(Isa. 56:10; F287); the silver has been cast intothe streets (Ezek. 7:19); the nations have all beenshaken (Hag. 2:7; D528); the rain, floods andwinds have come on Christendom (Matt. 7:27;Z.'06-95); the King has come in to see the guests(Matt. 22:11; C197); the speechless one has beenbound hand and foot and cast out (Matt. 22:13;C201); the Master is reckoning with His servants(Matt. 25:19; F419); the seas and the waves areroaring (Luke 21:25; D551); the 144,000 arestanding on the sea of glass singing (Rev. 15:3;C237); the Devil has risen up against himself(Mark 3:26; F641); the blood, fire and vapor ofsmoke are here (Acts 2:19; D592); the brethrenare not in darkness and all others are (1 Thess,5:4; B121); the teachers having itching ears haveturned unto fables (2 Tim. 4:3; 4; F287; Z.'07-308); the twenty-four elders have cast theircrowns before the throne (Rev. 4:10); thepredicted scoffing has taken place (2 Pet. 3:3;B167); the laborers have received their penny(Matt. 20:8); and these are but 88 of the proofshastily collected.

And knock.— "The knock, or proclamation ofthe Lord's Presence, as indicated by the OldTestament prophecies, has been given since 1875and is still being given."— Z.'04-124; Luke12:36; Cant. 5:2-6.If any man hear My voice.— "The knock is tobe the evidence of the Presence; and the servantsare not to know in advance, but are to know atthe time of the arrival and that withoutseeing."— Z.'04-123.[And] I WILL BOTH open the door.— Whenonce we give the Lord a welcome to our hearts,how He does open the doors to joys we ne'erbefore knew![I will] AND come in to him.— "If a man loveMe, he will keep My words: and My Father willlove him, and We will come unto him, and makeOur abode with him."— John 14:23.And will sup.— Take the evening meal.— Luke12:37.With him — The Master Himself is feasting onthe same Joys of the Father's Plan that delightour own hearts.FM72The Finished MysteryAnd he with Me.— "This serving of theservants by the Master should be understood tobe an individual work, and not merely acollective service and feast."— Z.'04-124.Revelation 3:21To him that overcometh.— "Let us not avoidthe Gethsemane moment if it come to us in theLord's providence, but let us also with strongcryings and tears look up to Him who is able tosave us out of death by the glorious FirstResurrection; and let us remember that if weabide in His love, He is able and willing to bringus off conquerors, yea, more than conquerorsthrough His own merit."— Z.'06-348.Will I grant.— If they prove faithful unto death.

To sit with Me.— "With the early Church, thepromises of Kingdom honor and joint-heirshipwith the Master were strong incentives tofaithfulness under present trials and persecutions,which they had been forewarned to expect." —A285.In My Throne.— "God's appointed means ofblessing the world and causing the knowledge ofthe Lord to come to every creature."— A91; 1Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26, 27; 22:1.Even as I also overcame.— "God sent an angelto comfort and minister unto Him; to assure Himstill of the Divine favor, and thus to give Himfresh courage, strength of mind and steadiness ofnerve to endure all that was before Him, evenunto death. The bitterness of the mental conflictwas now over, and the light of Heaven shininginto His soul chased away the deep gloom thathad hung over Him like a funeral pall."— Z.'06-348.And am set down with My Father in HisThrone.— "The thousand years of theMillennial Reign will constitute but a beginningof the exercise of the glory, honor andimmortality of these New Creatures. At its closewhen the Kingdom shall be delivered up to‘God, even the Father,' and to mankind as theglorified agents of the Father to rule the earth, astill larger sphere for the exercise of their glory,honor and immortality will open before the NewCreation."— F69; 1 Cor. 15:24-28. 3:22He that hath an ear.— "Blessed are your eyes,for they see; and your ears, for they hear."—Matt. 13:16.Let him hear.— "For verily I say unto you, Thatmany Prophets and righteous men have desiredto see those things which ye see, and have notseen them; and to hear those things which yehear, and have not heard them."— Matt. 13:17.What the Spirit saith unto the churches.—Unto the seven epochs, ending, respectively, inA. D. 73, 325, 1160, 1378, 1518, 1874 and 1918.FM73

REVELATION 4THE AUTHOR OF THE PLANRevelation 4:1After this.— After this first panorama of theseven stages of the Church had passed.I looked, and, behold, a door was opened InHeaven.— It is only as the Lord, who holds thekey, opens the door to the understanding ofHeavenly things, that we are able to comprehendthem.— Matt. 3:16; Ezek. 1:1; Rev. 19:11.And BEHOLD the first voice which I heardwas as it were of a trumpet talking with me.—See comments on Rev. 1:1; 7:2.Which said, Come up hither.— Not that St.John went to Heaven at that time; he was merelygiven a vision of Heavenly things. (Rev. 11:12.)"The seer now obtains a higher spiritualstandpoint."— Cook.And I will shew thee things which must behereafter.— The Divine Plan for the permissionof evil.Revelation 4:2[And] immediately I was in the spirit.— In atrance condition.— Acts 10:10; Rev. 1:10.And, behold, a Throne.— The Throne of theHeavenly Father.— Isa. 6:1; Ezek. 1:26-28.Was set.— Permanently established. The sameword as in, "This Child is set for the fall andrising again of many in Israel." (Luke 2:34.) "Iam set for the defence of the Gospel."— Phil.1:17.In Heaven.— "Whither the Forerunner is for usentered, even Jesus."— Heb. 6:20.And One.— Jehovah, "the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:3), the Author ofthe Divine Plan for the permission of evil, in therecreation of a perfect human race, and in thecreation of a race of gods, sons of Himself. "Goddesigned to permit evil, because, having theremedy provided for man's release from itsconsequence, He saw that the result would be to

lead him the more to love and honor his Creator,who is the source and fountain of all goodness,and forever to shun that which brought so muchwoe and misery." (A124.)"Not only are men benefited to all eternity by theexperience gained, and angels by theirobservation of man's experiences, but all arefurther advantaged by a fuller acquaintance withGod's Character as manifested in His Plan. Hadsin not been permitted, the sacrifice of our LordFM74Jesus and of His Church, the reward of which isthe Divine nature, would have beenimpossible."— A135.Sat on the Throne.— Of the Universe. "All cansee the propriety of the Almighty's decision thatHe shall be recognized as the Center of authority,wisdom, justice, love and power; for this is thetruth, and anything else would be untruth and tothat extent evil, injurious."— E57, 52; Rev. 7:10;Dan. 7:9. 4:3And He that sat was to look upon like ajasper.— "And the building of the wall of it wasof jasper; and the city was pure gold, like untoclear glass. And the foundations of the wall ofthe city were garnished with all manner ofprecious stones. The first foundation wasjasper." (Rev. 21:18, 19.)"A precious stone, variegated with divers colors,and of a very hard quality; some have been foundof a sea-green color." (Diaglott note.) "Theancient jasper thus appears to have beenfrequently translucent, but the modern isopaque." (McC.)The jasper, therefore, is supposed to refer to themodern rare and beautiful green-tinted diamond.The diamond is the hardest substance known,excelling in brilliancy and beautiful play ofprismatic colors. The crystals of which it iscomposed are bounded by eight equal equilateraltriangles; twenty-four angles in all, constituting aperfect double pyramid, set base to base. Howadorable, how sublime, how perfect is our God!

How impossible to describe Him! To know Himaright will require eternity. The jasper seemsespecially to illustrate His glory, perfection andprescience. (He uses twenty-four elders—prophecies.)And a sardine stone.— "The sard, which is asuperior variety of agate, has long been a favoritestone for the engraver's art. On this stone all thefinest works of the most celebrated artists are tobe found; and this not without good cause, suchis its toughness, facility of working, beauty ofcolor, and the high polish of which it issusceptible, and which it retains longer than anyother gem. The sardius is the stone now calledthe carnelian, from its color, which resemblesthat of raw flesh. It is supposed to stophemorrhage when laid on a fresh wound."(McC.)The sardius seems especially to illustrate God'slove. His memory of His creatures, and Hispurpose of a resurrection for all smitten in Adamand redeemed in Christ. Will God forget to raiseany of His blood-bought? "Can a woman forgether sucking child, that she should not havecompassion on the son of her womb? Yea, theymay forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold Ihave graven thee upon the palms of Myhands."— Isa. 49:15, 16.FM75And there was a rainbow.— "The rainbow hasalways been an emblem of peace. It appears onthe cloud as the storm passes away. It contrastsbeautifully with the tempest that has just beenraging. It is seen as the rays of the sun againappear clothing all things with beauty— themore beautiful from the fact that the storm hascome.It is a pledge that the war of the elements hasceased, and that God smiles again upon the earth.The appearance of the rainbow around theThrone was a beautiful emblem of the mercy ofGod, and of the peace that was to pervade theworld as the result of the events that were to bedisclosed to the vision of John." (Barnes.)

The rainbow is characterized by seven colors—perfection. (Ezek. 1:28.) It represents not onlythe bow of promise for mankind, but the peaceof God. It is His Plan."From His own vast inherent resources of powerand wisdom, springs the peace of God. But notfrom this source alone is the Divine peace; forpeace is the certain concomitant of inherentgoodness. God is the impersonation of everyvirtue and every grace; consequently He has theblessed satisfaction and peace of consciousmoral perfection as well as inherent wisdom andpower." (Z.'95-153.)"During the seventh millennium, according tothe Divine purpose, it will be the joyful privilegeof our Lord Jesus to fully manifest to allcreatures in Heaven and in earth the Father'sglorious character. Then will the Father rejoicein the grandeur of His finished work and in theeverlasting peace and happiness of His family inHeaven and in earth, ‘reunited under one head.'(Eph. 1:10, Diaglott.)"— Z.'95-155.Round about the Throne.— Justice is "thehabitation of Thy Throne." (Psa. 89:14.) "God'slaw is stern Justice, with no allowances, ready toconsume as a fire everything blemished. Whocannot see that if God could deal with sinners,and condoning their sins, accept their bestendeavors, though imperfect, there would havebeen no necessity for a Redeemer? And thus, toall eternity, there might be danger of sin on thepart of those who had not already dabbled in it.Seeing this, it does not surprise us that God, inthe interest of all His holy creatures, as well asfor His own pleasure, decides that He willrecognize nothing short of perfection in anycreature, and makes Justice the foundation of HisThrone."— E 481, 471.In sight like unto an emerald.— "The samewith the ancient smaragdus; one of the mostbeautiful of gems, of a bright green color,without any mixture."— Diaglott."The emerald, of bright green color, ‘was themost precious gem in the Roman Jeweller's list. .

. . The Romans were plentifully supplied withthe true emerald. The smaragdusFM76of Nero's age must be restricted to the trueemerald, perhaps including the green ruby.'(King.)"— Nat. Hist. of Precious Stones. Thecolor of the emerald, green, signifieseverlastingness. "From everlasting to everlastingthou art God."— Psa. 90:2; Ezek. 1:28."Revelation 4:4And round about the Throne— Encompassingit on all sides— always in mind— never out ofsight.[Were] SAW I four and twenty seats.—Thronoi, thrones, places of highest exaltation—the twenty-four angles (view-points) of thediamond.— Rev. 4:3, 10.And upon the seats [I saw four and twenty]elders sittings.— Personifications of thetestimonies of twenty-four Prophets (Heb. 11:2),who foretold things pertaining to the Kingdom ofGod. Not the Prophets themselves are herereferred to. They are not in Heaven. "David isnot ascended into the Heavens." (Acts 2:34.)Daniel still "sleeps in the dust of the earth."(Dan. 12:2, 13.) None of the Prophets are inHeaven: "God having provided some betterthing for us, that they without us should not bemade perfect." (Heb. 11:40.) But from the timethat "holy men of God spake as they were movedby the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21), the utterancesof Enoch, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Job, David,Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel,Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,Zechariah, Malachi and John the Baptist, havebeen witnesses before God that there shall be"Times of Refreshing"— "Times ofRestitution."— Acts 3:19-21.Clothed in white raiment.— All of these menconsidered themselves unworthy to be God'smouthpieces. Jacob said, "I am not worthy of theleast of all Thy mercies, and of all the truth

which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant."(Gen. 32:10.) Moses said, "Who am I that Ishould go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bringforth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exod.3:11.) David said, "Who am I, O Lord God? andwhat is my house, that Thou hast brought mehitherto?" (2 Sam. 7:18.) Solomon said, "I ambut a little child: I know not how to go out orcome in." (1 Kings 3:7.) Isaiah said, "Woe is me!for I am undone; because I am a man of uncleanlips, and I dwell in the midst of a people ofunclean lips." (Isa. 6:5.) Jeremiah said, "Ah,Lord God! behold I cannot speak: for I am achild." (Jer. 1:7.) Daniel said, "This secret is notrevealed to me for any wisdom that I have."(Dan. 2:30.) And John the Baptist said, "I haveneed to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou tome?" (Matt. 3:14.) But the Lord knoweth themthat are His (2 Tim. 2:19); and whatever theymay think of themselves, if they areFM77God's mouthpieces, they are clean. Isaiah'sutterances are spotless in the sight of God—clothed in white raiment.— Isa. 6:6, 7.And [they] had on their heads crowns ofgold.— The glory of God— Love, God's highestattribute. If there are any prophets that do nothave something to say about God's lovingarrangement for Times of Restitution, then theyare not holy. Judged by this standard, how manyof the clergy of our day are holy?— Acts 3:19-21.Revelation 4:5And out of the Throne proceededlightnings.— "How apt is this figure! Truly likelightning flashes in the midst of the gloom andperplexity of this cloudy day, come to menremarkable glimpses of the great principles ofTruth and Righteousness. A flash of lightningfrom the obscured Throne discloses here oneerror, and there another, and another. It isremarkable that these lightning flashes arecontinually calling attention to the Word of God,to the Golden Rule. It seems remarkable, too,

how often in these days of war and stress worldlymen are drawing attention to the prophecies ofthe Scriptures."— Z.'16-339; Rev. 8:5; 16:18.AND VOICES.— "As a result of God'slightning flashes which are enlightening theworld, there are ominous mutterings ofdissatisfaction, unrest. The lightning flashes arerevealing the corruption in the world, thedishonesty in high places; with conflicting ideas,voices, theories and threats, ‘the nations areangry,' ‘the heathen [Gentiles, peoples] rage,' andthe whole earth trembles from the din of a wordyconflict and from the blows which even now arebeginning to arouse the world."— Z.'16-340.And thunderings [and voices.]— "We hear thethunder tones of Judgment that ‘call the earthfrom the rising of the sun unto the going downthereof' (Pea. 50:1); we see the whole earth nowin the shaking process which will eventuate inthe complete overthrow of all existinginstitutions, systems and governments. Presentevents indeed speak in trumpet tones."— Z.'16-340; Ex. 19:16; Rev. 8:5; 11:19; 36:18.And there were seven lamps of fire burningbefore the Throne, which are the seven Spiritsof God.— Perfect knowledge.— Rev. 1:4; 3:1.Revelation4:6And before the Throne.— In the earth, andeverywhere throughout the Universe.— Rev. 5:6.There was AS a sea of glass.— "The troubledsurface which Daniel and Isaiah beheld (Dan.7:2, 3; Isa. 57:20) became when seen before theThrone of God, calm and clear; reflecting asfrom a mirror, every fulfillment of the Divinepurposes." (Cook.) (Rev. 21:18, 21; Ex. 24:10.)FM78The sea (godless conditions about them) hasbeen a means of purifying earth's futurepriests.— 1 Kings 7:23-36, 38.Like unto crystal.— Indicating that nothingescapes God's notice; all is transparent. "Forcenturies skeptics have been disposed to smileincredulously at the words of our Lord. ‘Enter

into thy closet; and when thou hast shut thy door,pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thyFather which seeth in secret shall reward threeopenly.' (Matt. 6:6.) Now that an electric ray canbe passed through opaque substances, such aspaper, wood, cloth, leather, alumnium, animalflesh, etc., can these scientists any longer mockat Christians for ‘credulity,' because we believethat ‘All things are naked and opened unto theeyes of Him with whom we have to do'? (Heb.4:13.) ‘He that formed the ear shall He not hear?He that formed the eye shall He not see?' Nowwe begin to see how it is that ‘There is nothingcovered that shall not be revealed; and hid, thatshall not be known.' "— Z.'96-27; Ezek. 1:22.And in the midst of the Throne.— Woven intoits very fabric.And round about the Throne— Completelyencircling and enveloping it.Were four beasts.— "Living ones" (Diaglott);the four immortal attributes of Justice, Power,Love and Wisdom.— Ezek. 1:5, 6.Full of eyes before and behind.— Seeingclearly everything that will ever occur in thefuture, and everything that has ever transpired inthe past.— Ezek. 10:4, 12. 4:7And the first beast.— Justice was the attributefirst manifested toward our sinful race. "God hasfound it necessary to perform the unpleasantduties of discipline; and though all the while Hisfatherly love was preparing to bless the deceivedand fallen ones when the purposes of redemptionshould restore the repentant to His favor, Lovemust be veiled while only stern, relentless Justicecould be manifested. This has been nohappifying duty." — Z.'95-154.Was like a lion.— The characteristics of the lionillustrate this attribute: The teeth are of thehighest carnivorous type, adapted to seizing andholding firmly. Although occasionally seenabroad during the day, especially in wild anddesolate regions, the night (Psa. 30:5) is theperiod of its greatest activity. The usual pace of alion is a walk; and, though apparently rather

slow, yet he is able to get over a good deal ofground in a short time. As a rule, he kills onlywhen hungry or attacked, and not for the merepleasure of killing.— Ezek. 1:10; 10:14.FM79And the second beast.— Power, exhibited inthe Flood, was the second of God's attributesmanifested to man. "God, the Creator of allthings, is also the competent Sustainer of allthings. In silent grandeur, from age to age, thewhole physical Universe fulfils His will, withouta suspicion or disorder or mishap; and the samePower is pledged for its sustenance throughoutthe eternal future."— Z.'95-153; Ezek. 1:10.Like a calf.— With the Hebrews the calf (youngox) was the emblem of Power, the attribute ofGod with which they were principallyacquainted. As an agricultural people, they werebrought in frequent contact with it, the strongestof all the domestic animals. They were broughtout of Egypt by a "mighty power and a stretchedout arm" (Deut. 9:29); and when they sought tomake a representation of it, the form selectedwas a golden calf.— Deut. 9:16-21.And the third beast.— Love, exhibited in theFather sending His Only-Begotten Son to diethat we might live, was the third of God'sattributes manifested to man. "Our recovery costthe sacrifice of the dearest treasure of His heart,and the subjection of this Beloved One to themost abject humiliation, ignominy, suffering anddeath. Ah, did the Father let Him go on thaterrand of mercy without the slightest sensationof sorrowful emotion! had He no appreciation ofthe pangs of a father's love when the arrows ofdeath pierced the heart of His beloved Son?When our dear Lord said, ‘My soul is exceedingsorrowful, even unto death,' and again, ‘Father, ifit be possible, let this cup pass from Me:nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt,' didit touch no sympathetic chord in the heart of theEternal? Yea, verily."— Z.'95-154.Had a face [as] LIKE a man.— Theembodiment of love. (A174.) "Close your eyes

for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe,degradation and sorrow that yet prevail onaccount of sin, and picture before your mentalvision the glory of the perfect earth. Not a stainof sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfectsociety; not a bitter thought, not an unkind lookor word; love, welling up from every heart,meets a kindred response in every other heart,and benevolence marks every act. Think of allthe pictures of comparative health and beauty ofhuman form and feature that you have ever seen,and know that perfect humanity will be of stillsurpassing loveliness. The inward purity andmental and moral perfection will stamp andglorify every radiant countenance."— A191;Ezek. 1:5.And the fourth beast.— Wisdom, as exhibitedin the Father's Plan, now unfolded before ourdelighted gaze, isFM80the fourth, and complete, manifestation of Godto man. "He is never confused, bewildered,perplexed, anxious or careworn, or in the leastfearful that His plans will miscarry or Hispurposes fail; because all power and wisdominhere in Him. The scope of His mighty intellectreaches to the utmost bounds of possibility,comprehends all causes and discerns withprecision all effects; consequently He knows theend from the beginning, and that, not only uponphilosophical principles, but also by intuition. Asthe Creator of all things and the Originator of alllaw, He is thoroughly acquainted with all theintricate subtleties of physical, moral andIntellectual law, so that no problem could arise,the results of which are not manifest to His mind.‘God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.' (1John 1:5.)"— Z.'95-153.Was like a flying eagle.— Of all known birds,the eagle flies the highest and with the greatestrapidity. "As the heavens are higher than theearth, so are My ways higher than your ways andMy thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:9.)The ones attracted to Present Truth are theeagles, the far-sighted ones that "behold the land

that is very far off." (Matt. 24:28; 2 Pet. 1:9; Isa.33:16, 17; Psa. 103:5.) In the training of itsyoung the eagle manifests wisdom of high order:"‘As an eagle stirreth up her nest' (she mixes thethorny outside with the downy inside, so that theeaglets will leave it and learn to fly), so God, byHis testing providences makes the place of restone of unrest to us, and thus lures us out to trustourselves to His care and guidance over untriedways."— Z.'04-116.Revelation 4:8And the four beasts.— Justice, Power, Loveand Wisdom.Had each of them six wings about him.—"Above it stood the seraphims (Justice, Power,Love and Wisdom): each one had six wings, andwith twain he did fly. And one cried to another,and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts:the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isa. 6:2, 3.)"The vision of Isaiah is a prophecy of the future,when the ‘glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together' in theestablishment of the Kingdom of God during theMillennium.' (Isa. 40:5.) Only from thisprophetic standpoint would the words of theseraphim be true; for the whole earth has neveryet been filled with the Lord's glory; but on thecontrary, the earth is full of sin and violence, andevery evil work." (Z.'98-305.)Six is a symbol of imperfection, and in the lightof the foregoing seems to refer to the sixthousand years of the permission of evil, thetheme of the entire Book of Revelation. For thefirst two thousand years, from the fall toFM81the covenant with Abraham, God's face wasalmost entirely hidden from man. For the nexttwo thousand years, until the death of Christ, itwas not apparent how the place of God's feet.His footstool, should ever be made glorious. (Isa.60:13; 66:1.) But since then for two thousandyears, God's Love has been manifest to all, and"the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth

for the manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom.8:19), to set up the Kingdom, the Golden Age,for which we all so long have prayed. (Matt.6:10.) The wings operate in pairs.And they were full of eyes within.— Nothinghas transpired, or will ever transpire, withoutGod's knowledge. In the past six thousand years,whether hidden or partially revealed, God'sJustice, Power, Love and Wisdom, have been intouch with all of earth's affairs.— Ezek. 10:12.And they HAVE NO rest [not] day andnight.— Not eternal idleness, but eternal work inthe interest of others will be our reward. "MyFather worketh until now, and I work." (John5:17.) "I must work the works of Him that sentMe, while it is day: the night cometh when noman can work." (John 9:4.) "We are Hisworkmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto goodworks." (Eph. 2:10.) "It is God which worketh inyou both to will and to do." (Phil. 3:13.) "We arelaborers together with God." (1 Cor. 3:9.)"Workers together with Him." (2 Cor. 6:1.)"Who shall change the Body of our humiliation,that it may be fashioned like unto His gloriousBody, according to the working whereby He isable to subdue all things unto Himself."— Phil.3:21.Saying, Holy, holy, holy, HOLY, HOLY,HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.— The Sinaitic MS.repeats the word "holy" eight times. (See Rev.4:3.) In the seventh thousand-year Day God willbring all things to perfection through The Christ,yet it is the eighth Day that marks the completeseparation from the old order of things. TheJewish child was circumcised on the eighth day(Luke 1:59; Phil. 3:5); seven days a sheep was tobe with its dam, and on the eighth given to theLord (Exod. 22:30); the eighth day of the Feastof Tabernacles was to be a holy convocationunto the Lord. (Lev. 23:36, 39.) In the eighththousand-year Day of mankind's history on theearth, circumcision of the heart will be completein all, all the sheep will have been turned over tothe Father, and the holy convocation of eternitywill have begun, "the grand epoch when there

shall be no more sighing, no more crying, nomore pain and no more dying, because God'swork of creation shall then have been completedso far as this earth is concerned."— F51.FM82Lord God Almighty.— Jehovah. This scene islocated in Heaven, where even the Son Himselfis subject unto the Father.— 1 Cor. 15:28.Which was.— The great First Cause.And is.— The great "I AM."And is to come.— And evermore shall be.Revelation 4:9And when those beasts.— Justice. Power Loveand Wisdom.Give.— Shall eternally continue to give, so theGreek indicates.Glory and honor and thanks to Him that saton the Throne.— Their united testimony to theperfection of His character in all its attributes, asthey are now doing, since His Wisdom has beenunveiled.Who liveth for ever and ever, AMEN.— Andwill for ever use those attributes in the blessingof all the willing and obedient throughout theUniverse.Revelation 4:10The four and twenty elders .— Thepersonifications of the messages of the twentyfourProphets who foretold the coming Kingdomof God.Fall down before Him that sat on theThrone.— Unitedly bear witness to His perfectability to foretell the future.And worship Him that liveth for ever andever, AMEN.— Magnify His perfect Justice,Power, Love and Wisdom.And cast.— Shall eternally continue to cast, sothe Greek indicates.Their crowns before the Throne, saying.— (1)Enoch was the first of the holy Prophets; and

according to the Apostle Jude he prophesied ofthe coming reign of Christ and His gloriousBride, to judge the world, saying: "The Lordcometh with a myriad of His saints, to executejudgment." (Jude 14, 15.) That there shall besuch a glorious and blessed Judgment Day, fullof hope and joy for all the world, the ApostlePaul says is definitely decreed in the counsels ofGod, "whereof He hath given assurance,"grounds for confident, joyful anticipation, "untoall men." (Acts 17:31.) When that happy timecomes, "the inhabitants of the world will learnrighteousness" (Isa. 26:9), and "the poor of thepeople will be lifted up" (Psa. 72:2-4, 12:14.) Itwill be the long-promised poor man's chance.(2) Jacob was one of the holy Prophets; and inGen. 49:10 he says, "The sceptre shall not departfrom Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet,until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall thegathering of the people be."The sceptre means the right to rule, the title topower; and Shiloh means peacemaker. So thisprophecy is merely another way of saying thatJudah would be the ancestor of the greatLawgiver, the great "Prince of Peace" intoFM83whose hands God, in due time, will "give theheathen for an inheritance," "that they may allcall upon the name of the Lord to serve Him withone consent."— Psa. 2:8; Zeph. 3:9.(3) Moses, as a historian, recorded God's originalpurpose to give man dominion over the earth(Gen. 1:28); His declaration to the serpent thatthe Seed of the woman should bruise its head(Gen. 3:15); the promise to Abraham that in himall the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen.12:3); that Abraham's inheritance should be anearthly one (Gen. 13:15); and an everlasting one(Gen. 17:8); that all the nations of the earth shallbe blessed in him (Gen. 18:18); that in his Seedshall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen.22:18); to Isaac, that in his Seed shall all thenations of the earth be blessed (Gen. 26:4); toJacob, that in his Seed shall all the families of

the earth be blessed (Gen. 28:14); to Jacob again,that he should be a joint-heir with Abraham andIsaac of the land of Canaan (Gen. 35:12); by thesacrifices after the day of atonement wastypically shown the perfection of mankind in theMillennium (Lev. 1:5); by the glory appearingunto all the people was foretold their futurerelease from sin and death (Lev. 9:23); by theacceptance of a goat as a sin-offering for thepeople we see blessings of life for the world afterthe Church's career is finished (Lev. 16:15); andby the sounding of the jubilee trumpet, theproclamation of liberty to the captives and thereturn of every man to his possession, we see theworld's restoration to the image and likeness ofGod. (Lev. 25:10.)As a Prophet, his declarations show thatthroughout the Gospel Age God would raise up agreat Prophet and Deliverer like unto himself(The Christ), to whom shall all the people giveheed in the Millennial Age (Deut. 18:15, 19);and that this great Deliverer then would setbefore them life, if obedient, and death, ifdisobedient.— Deut. 30:15.(4) Samuel, as a historian, recorded Hannah'sprophecy. "The Lord killeth and maketh alive;He bringeth down to hell and bringeth up." (1Sam. 2:6.) This is one of the first places in theBible where we are shown that what goes intohell does not necessarily stay there. Anotherinstance, in which Samuel foretold pictorially thecoming of the better King, was in the case of thecoronation of King Saul. Saul had been selectedking, but had an attack of bashfulness; and whenthey had searched, they found him behind thebaggage. The record is, "They ran, and fetchedhim thence; and when he stood among thepeople, he was higher than any of the peoplefrom his shoulders and upward. And Samuelsaid. See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen,that there is none like himFM84among the people? And all the people shoutedand said, God save the king." (1 Sam. 10:23-25.)saul was God's choice for king; his name means

"desired," and in this he typified Christ, the"desire of all nations." This incident looksforward to the time when all the people of theworld will say of Christ, "Oh! who is like untoour God? Lo! This is our God; this is our King;this is the One we have waited for; He is headand shoulders, as a ruler, above all kings andrulers we have had."(5) Job, after the Sabeans had made off with hisoxen and asses, after a bolt of lightning hadburned up his sheep, after the Chaldeans hadstolen his camels and murdered his servants,after a whirlwind had blown down his house andkilled all his children, after he was covered withboils from head to foot, after his wife had goneback on him, and after his three remainingfriends tried to prove to him that he was ahypocrite, prayed that he might go to hell andstay there until God's wrath should be past, andthat then God would remember him inresurrection. (Job 14:13-15.)Job records Elihu's prophetic statement thatwhen the Messenger of the Covenant hasreturned, death will cease and men not need togo into the tomb. (Job 33:19-30.) Job alsodescribes the steam engine— stationary, railwayand marine.The following is a corrected translation of Job40:15 to 41:34, with comments thereon from thepen of one of Pastor Russell's followers:"Behold now one with great heat [the stationarysteam engine], which I have made to be withthee; he will consume fodder [peat, wood, coal]as do cattle. Behold now his strength is in hisloins [boiler plates], and his power is within theparts bent in a circle [boiler shell] of his belly.His tail [smoke stack—opposite the feeding end]will set upright like a cedar; the couplings of hisleaping parts [connecting rods, pitmans] will beclamped together. His bones are tubes of copper;his solid bones [grate bars] are as hammered-outbars of iron. He is the greatest of the ways ofpower. He that made him [the Lord] can makeHis sword [Word] to approach unto [reveal] him.[Isa. 26:20, 21.) He shall rest under thin shelter

[steam jackets] within a covering of fibrous reeds[jute] and clay [mortar]. The willows of thevalley [the trees overhead] will enclose himaround about. Behold [as a pumping engine] hewill drink up an overflowing river without muchexertion; he will cause the people to trust [thattheir cellars will keep dry], though a Jordanshould rush forth over its border. He will gatherit up in his fountains by means of traps and witha perforated nozzle.FM85"Thou wilt lengthen out leviathan [thelocomotive] with a hook [automatic coupler] orwith a snare [coupling-pin] which thou wiltcause his tongue [coupling-link] to drop down.Wilt thou not place a ring [piston] in his nostrils[cylinders] or pierce through his cheeks [pistonends]with a staff [piston-rod]? Will be makerepeated supplication unto thee [to get off thetrack]? Or will he utter soft tones unto thee[when he screeches with the whistle]? Will hemake a covenant with thee, that thou mayest takehim for a servant forever [without repairs]? Wiltthou play with him as with a bird [make himwhistle at will]? Or wilt thou bind [enslave] himfor thy maidens [so that you can take them to apicnic or convention]? Companies [ofstockholders] will feast upon him [his earnings];they will share him among speculators. [Psa.74:14.] Thou wilt fill his skin with pointed irons[bolts], and his head with a cabin of fishermen [acab similar to the cabins on fishing vessels].Place thy hand upon him, be mindful of theconflict [raging within the boiler] and thou wiltadd no further questions. Behold, his confidence[boiler] being deceived [not properly suppliedwith water], shall not at once his mighty form bespread asunder [by an explosion]? There is noneso bold that he will stir him up [to run at his veryhighest possible speed], and none who will thenplace himself before him [to be run over]. Whowill compete with this one and endure [pass himon the track]? Under the whole heaven, none,unless [one like] himself.

"I will not pass in silence his members, nor thecause of his mighty forces, nor the beauty of hisequipment. Who can strip off the facings of hisjacket? Who can penetrate between the doublelap of his shield [the overlapping sections of theboiler plates]? Who can force open the doors ofhis shield [the boiler ends]? The circuits of histeeth [rows or rivets] are formidable. Hisstrength depends on courses of shields [sectionsof plates] closed up tightly with a seal [calked].They shall join one upon another so that a hiss ofair [steam] shall not escape from between them.One to the other shall adhere. They will bewelded together that they cannot be sundered. Inhis sneezing [when he puffs from the cylinders]light will shine, a flood of light prevading themass of vapors: and his eyes [headlights] will beas the eyelashes of the morning [as rays of lightfrom the rising sun]. Out of his mouth [fire-door]will leap forth flaming torches, and [from thesmoke stack] glowing sparks will slip themselvesaway. From his nostrils [cylinders] will issueforth vapor as from a boiling pot or caldron. HisinhalingFM86[forced draft] will vivify burning coals, and aflame will leap forth from his mouth. Within hisneck abideth strength, and a desolation willdance with joy [become a prosperouscommunity] at his presence. The separable partsof his body are connected together; all will bemade fast upon him; nothing will be shaky. Hisheart will be indurated similar to a stone, andwill be firm as a piece of the lower [rocks].When at his full speed the most courageous willfear [lest]. from accidents. they lose themselves.When dryness exalteth him [or renders himfurious], he will not have power to withhold; thecurved vault [fire box] being caused to tearaway, and also the armor. He will esteem iron asstraw, and brass as rotted wood. The archercannot make him flee; missiles [of war] will beturned unto him as chaff. The [strokes of a]hammer will be esteemed as chaff; he willrejoice at the poking of the fireman. Hewed [ornotched] timbers of the craftsman [ties] are under

him; he will spread an embankment [or trench]upon the mire. He will [as a marine engine]cause deep [places] to become as a boiling pot[about his propellers]; he will make the sea toappear like boiling ointment. He will make apath to shine after him; one will think the deep tobe growing gray. [Psa. 104:26; Isa. 27:1.] Uponthe earth there is not his like— he that is [so]constructed that he can fear nothing. He canoversee [control by his work] all that which isgreat; he is indeed king over all conceptions ofpower."(6) David foresaw a time when all the ends of theworld shall remember and turn unto the Lord;and all the kindreds of the nations shall worshipbefore Him (Pea. 22:27); that after this darknight of weeping will come a morning of Joy(Psa. 30:5); that the meek shall inherit the earth(Psa. 37:11); that those who are now the King'senemies shall be converted and praise Him forever and ever (Psa. 45:5, 17); that wars shallcease to the ends of the earth and the Lord alonebe exalted (Psa. 46:10); that the ignominiousshall come forth from the grave and the uprightshall have dominion over them in the morning(Psa. 49:14); that the Lord will be the confidenceof all the ends of the earth (Psa. 65:5); that Hissaving health will be made known among allnations, that all the nations shall praise Him, andthat He will judge and govern them righteouslyat the time the earth shall yield her increase (Psa.67:1-7); that the people shall be scattered thatdelight in war (Psa. 68:30); that peace shall cometo the people, that the poor shall be deliveredfrom the oppressor, that the flesh, which, asdried grass is ready to die, shall be given new lifeand that the fruits of the earth shallFM87shake like a forest (Psa. 72:3, 4, 6, 16); that thepoor and needy will be delivered out of the handof the wicked (Psa. 82:4); that mercy and truthwill meet, righteousness and peace kiss eachother and truth spring out of the earth whenrighteousness looks down from Heaven (Psa.85:10, 11); that all nations the Lord has made

shall come and worship before Him and glorifyHis name (Psa. 86:9); that He will say, Return, tothe men He has turned into destruction (Psa.90:3); that the world shall be established so thatit shall not be moved (Psa. 93:2); that theheavens, earth, seas, fields and trees of the woodshall rejoice because the Lord is coming to judgethe earth with righteousness and the people withHis truth (Psa. 96:11-13); that all the earth shalljoin in a joyful noise to the Lord, songs of praise,harps, psalms, trumpets and cornets, while theseas, floods and hills clap their hands because Hecomes to judge the earth (Psa. 98:4-9); and thatthe foundations of the earth have been laid sothat it shall not be removed, but be forever thehome of a perfect, happy human race.— Psa.104:5.(7) Solomon declared that the upright shall dwellin the land and the perfect shall remain in it(Prov. 2:21); that the righteous shall berecompensed in the earth (Prov. 11:31); and thatthe earth abideth forever.— Ecclesiastes 1:4.(8) Isaiah prophesied that in the last days theLord's Kingdom will be established on the ruinsof all earthly kingdoms, and all nations will flowinto it to learn His ways, at which time they willbeat their swords into plow-shares and spearsinto pruninghooks and learn war no more (Isa.2:2-4); that of the increase of that newGovernment and of peace there shall be no end(Isa. 9:7); that nothing in the Kingdom will bepermitted to hurt or destroy, all evil dispositionsof men and animals being done away with, thepoor and meek being lifted up and the earthbeing filled as full with the knowledge of theLord as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:4-9);that Christ will become the standard-bearer ofthe people, that His rest will be glorious and ahighway there provided for the remnant of thepeople (Isa. 11:10-16); that the whole earth shallbe at rest and quiet and break forth into singing(Isa. 14:7); that at the time the pillar to the Lordis recognized in the world, the world will returnto the Lord and He will be entreated of them andheal them (Isa. 19:22); that the Lord will make toall people a feast of fat things, doctrines of joy,

well refined, will destroy ignorance andsuperstition, swallow up death in victory andwipe away tears from off all faces; it will ceaseto be a rebuke to aFM88person to admit that he belongs to the Lord, andall the people will say, Lo, this is our God; wehave waited for Him and He will save us, and allthe high fortresses will crumble into dust (Isa.25:6-12); that when the Lord's judgments are inthe earth the inhabitants of the world will learnrighteousness; that then the trusts shall perishutterly and the dead shall live (Isa. 26:9, 13, 14,19); that judgment will be laid to the line, thetruth sweep away the refuge of lies and theagreement of the preachers on the hell questionwill be disannulled. (Isa. 28:17, 18); that thespiritually deaf shall get their ears open tounderstand the harmonies of God's Word and theeyes of the blind see out of obscurity and out ofdarkness, and the crops in the field be so largethey will look like a forest (Isa. 29:17, 18); thatthe eyes of them that see shall not be dim, theears of them that hear shall hearken and thetongue of the stammerers be ready to speakplainly; that the skyscrapers will be turned overto jackasses, along with the forts; that the peopleshall dwell in righteousness, quietness andassurance forever (Isa. 32:3, 4, 14, 17, 18); thatthe inhabitant shall not say, I am sick, becausethe people that dwell therein shall be forgiventheir iniquity.— Isa. 33:24.Furthermore, he declared that the wilderness andsolitary place shall blossom as the rose, the weakhands and feeble knees be strengthened, thefearful be encouraged, the blind have their eyesopened, the deaf have their ears unstopped, thelame made to leap as an hart, the tongue of thedumb made to sing; in the wilderness shallwaters break out and streams in the desert; anhighway shall be there by which the unclean maybe cleansed of all their sins amid joy andgladness everlasting (Isa. 35:1-10); that all thecrooked and rough places will be straightenedout (Isa. 40:4); that rivers will open in

unexpected places and the deserts become aforest of useful trees (Isa. 41:18, 19); that all theprisoners in the great prison-house of death shallbe brought forth (Isa. 42:7); that the newspiritual powers shall pour down righteousnessand the world of mankind eagerly take it in, totheir salvation and everlasting joy of heart (Isa.45:8); that God created the earth not in vain butformed it to be inhabited (Isa. 45:18); that theLord will establish the earth and cause the peopleto inherit the once desolate heritages, with theresult that they shall be joyful and break forthinto singing (Isa. 49:8, 13): that the redeemed ofthe Lord (all mankind) shall return from thetomb and gain salvation with songs andeverlasting joy upon their heads and sorrow andmourning shall flee away (Isa. 51:11); that thefeet are beautiful which proclaim good tidings ofgood and publish salvation becauseFM89the King has come to reign (Isa. 52:7); that themountains, hills and trees shall rejoice withverdure, and instead of thorns and briers shallcome up fir and myrtles (Isa. 55:12, 13); that theLord will make this earth (His footstool)glorious; violence, wasting and destruction shallcease, and the people shall all be righteous anddwell in the land forever (Isa. 60:13, 18, 21); thatthe stumbling stones shall be gathered out of theway, and the standard of Truth be lifted up forthe people (Isa. 62:10); that one who dies at ahundred years shall be considered but an infant;that the people who build houses shall buildthem for themselves and live in them foreveramong their own vineyards and other works oftheir hands (Isa. 65:20-22); and that all nationsand tongues shall be gathered to see God'sglorious character in its true light.— Isa. 66:18.(9) Jeremiah foretold that in the good timescoming mankind should no more walk after theimagination of an evil heart (Jer. 3:17); that thenations of all the earth shall come to the neworder of things and cheerfully admit that theteachings of the clergy were chiefly lies andvanity (Jer. 16:19); that the new Shepherds will

eally feed the Lord's sheep, and they shall nomore be dismayed or lacking (Jer. 23:4); that theLord will give the people a heart to know Him,and they shall return to Him with their wholeheart (Jer. 24:7); that the children shall comeagain from the land of the enemy; that thechildren shall no longer suffer for the sins of-theparents, and they shall teach no more every manhis neighbor and every man his brother, saying,Know the Lord, for they shall all know Himfrom the least even unto the greatest (Jer. 31:16,29, 34); that the Lord will give the people oneheart and one way and make an everlastingcovenant with them, and not turn away fromthem to do them good; and they shall not departfrom Him (Jer. 32:39, 40); that mankind will fearand tremble at all the goodness and prosperityJehovah shall bring to them when He haspardoned all their iniquities and transgressions(Jer. 33:8, 9); that they shall be at rest and at easewith none to make them afraid (Jer. 46:27); thatthe Moabites and Elamites shall return to theirformer estate (Jer. 48:47; 49:39); and that inthose days the penitent, together, going andweeping, shall seek the Lord their God and askthe way to Zion, saying, Let us Join ourselves tothe Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall neverbe forgotten.— Jer. 50:4, 5.(10) Ezekiel foretold a coming time when theLord will take away the stony heart out of thepeople and give them hearts that are warm andtender (Ezek. 11:19); that the Sodomites, theSamaritans and the Jews— who were twiceFM90as bad as either of the others— shall all return totheir former estate, and the Lord will establishHis covenant with them and be pacified towardsthem (Ezek. 16:55, 61-63); that it will no morebe true that the children suffer for the sins oftheir parents (Ezek. 18:2); that it will not benecessary then for anybody to die (Ezek. 18:31,32); that the people shall dwell safely and buildhouses and plant vineyards with confidence(Ezek. 28:26); that the Lord will cause the evilbeasts to cease out of the land; and that the

people shall dwell safely in the wilderness andsleep in the woods, the shower will come downin its season, there shall be showers of blessing,the trees shall yield their fruit and the earth shallyield its increase and the people shall dwellsafely and none shall make them afraid (Ezek.34:25-28); that the Lord will put His Spirit intothe people and cause them to walk in His ways,will increase the corn, multiply the fruit of thetree and the increase of the field, and the landthat was desolate shall become like the garden ofEden (Ezek. 36:26, 27, 29, 30, 35); that thepeople shall have one Shepherd and walk in Hisstatutes and do them (Ezek. 37:24); and the Lordwill not hide His face from them any more whenHe has poured out His Spirit upon them.— Ezek.39:29.(11) Daniel foretold that the God of Heaven shallset up a Kingdom which shall never bedestroyed, but which shall break in pieces andconsume all other kingdoms, and which shallstand forever (Dan. 2:44); and the Kingdom anddominion and the greatness of the Kingdomunder the whole heaven shall be given to thesaints of the Most High as an everlastingdominion.— Dan. 7:27.(12) Hosea prophesied food in abundance for thebeasts of the field and the fowls of heaven withthe creeping things of the ground; and that theLord will break the bow and sword and the battleout of the earth, and make all to lie down safely;and that it shall come to pass in that Day thatJehovah will hear the new powers of spiritualcontrol and they shall hear the cries of men (Hos.2:18, 21); that the people shall fear the goodnessof the Lord in the latter days (Hos. 3:5); that afterthe fifth and sixth thousand-year Days are pastthe people will be raised up and live in the Lord'ssight (Hos. 6:2); and He will ransom them fromhell and redeem them from death, and destroyhell altogether.— Hos. 13:14.(13) Joel prophesied that the Lord will cause thepastures to spring, the tree to bear her fruit andthe fig tree and the vine to yield their strength,

and whosoever shall call upon the name of theLord shall be delivered.— Joel 2:22, 32.FM91(14) Amos was the next one of the holy Prophets;and we have an inspired comment on one of hisprophecies by the Apostle James in Acts 15:14-18. James says, "Simeon [St. Peter] hath declaredhow God at the first [in the conversion orCornelius] did visit the Gentiles to take out ofthem a people for His name [the Bride of Christ].And to this agree the words of the Prophets[Amos 9:11, 12]; as it is written, After this [afterthe Bride of Christ has been selected], I willreturn and will build again the tabernacle [thehouse, royalty or dominion] of David, which isfallen down; and I will build again the ruinsthereof, and I will set it up [re-establish theKingdom of God on earth]; that the residue ofmen [all the rest of the world of mankind] mightseek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, uponwhom My name is called, saith the Lord whodoeth all these things. Known unto God are allHis works from the beginning of the world."(15) Obadiah was the next one of the holyProphets; and in the last verse of his shortprophecy he says, "And saviors [it is in the pluraland refers not only to Jesus the Head, but to theChurch, the members of His Body] shall comeup on Mount Zion [come up into the Heavenlyphase of the Kingdom], and shall judge themount of Esau" [judge the world]. "Know ye notthat the saints shall judge the world!"(16) Jonah was the next one of the holyProphets; and in the fourth chapter we have aninteresting picture of events now transpiringbefore our eyes. Jonah walked into the city ofNineveh and said, "Yet forty days and Ninevehshall be overthrown."The prophecy was fulfilled in forty literal years.But when Jonah saw that things were not comingout as he expected, he was very angry and said tothe Lord, "That is just what I might haveexpected; for I knew that Thou art a graciousGod, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great

kindness; and I said so before I left my owncountry." Jonah went out, sat in the hot sun onthe outside of the city, and began to sulk.The Lord took pity on him and caused a gourd togrow up over him, to shelter him from the hotrays of the sun. And Jonah was exceeding gladbecause of the gourd. Then the Lord prepared aworm to smite the gourd; and a strong east windblew up and the gourd withered. Jonah's shadewas gone, and he was angrier than ever. TheLord said, "Doest thou well to be angry?" and hesaid, "Yes, I do well to be angry, even untodeath." Then the Lord said, "Jonah, thou hast hadpity on the gourd that spring up in a night andperished in a night; and should not I spareNineveh, that great city wherein are more thansix score thousandFM92persons that cannot discern between their righthand and their left hand?"We live in a day when a class have beenpreaching that the world is to be destroyed; and,like Jonah, they have not properly understoodtheir message. The kind of world that is to bedestroyed is Satan's world, Satan's empire,arrangement, or order of things— not our literalearth. The word world does not always refer toour literal earth. For instance, when the ApostleJames says, "The tongue is a world of iniquity,"he does not mean that we have inside our jaws alittle planet that turns over every twenty-fourhours, that has spring, summer, fall, winter,snowstorms, rainstorms, and a moon revolvingabout it, with once in a while a comet and ashower of meteors thrown in for good measure.When they think about the Panama Canal, andthe wonderful works of irrigation which arecausing the desert to rejoice and blossom as therose, and all the other wonderful achievements ofour day, these people are beginning to see thatthey have made a mistake and are now aboutwhere Jonah was when he said, "That is what Imight have expected, for I know that Thou art ajust God, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."They are now outside the city, and the scorching

light of Present Truth is pretty hot. Meantime thechurch trust is growing up to keep off the heat.We are not to have anything to do with hischurch federation. "Say ye not, A confederacy, toall them to whom this people shall say, Aconfederacy." "Take counsel together, and itshall come to naught; speak the word and it shallnot stand; for God is with us." (Isa. 8:10, 12.)Pretty soon something will happen to the churchtrust, and their shade will be gone. Then the Lordwill say to them, "Oh, you need not feel so badly! You are not thefirst people that ever made a mistake. You havemade lots of them, to be sure. Thou hast had pityon the church trust which grew up in one yearand blew up in another year; and should not Ispare the poor world, that as far as theirknowledge of right and wrong is concerned donot know the difference between their right handand their left hand?"(17) Micah has written of the coming of theKingdom of God in the earth, accompanied bythe rebuking of strong nations afar off; that thenthey shall beat their swords into plowshares, andtheir spears into pruninghooks; that nation shallnot lift up sword against nation, neither shallthey learn war any more. But they shall sit everyman under his vine and under his fig tree [not thelandlord's]; and none [be they doctors, landlords,employers, sheriffs, or undertakers] shall makethem afraid; that all peopleFM93will walk in the name of our God, and that thefirst dominion [lost by Adam in Eden] will berestored to Christ, the Tower of the Flock.—Micah 4:1-5, 8.(18) Nahum was the next one of the holyProphets; and after prophesying in the last verseof the preceding chapter about the coming of theKing with His good tidings of peace to the sinburdenedearth, he next tells (Nahum 2:3-6) of aninteresting thing that will be a matter of commoneveryday experience at the time the Kingdom isestablished. He describes a railway train in

motion [not an automobile, as some think], and ifwe will be at the trouble to put ourselves in theProphet's place we can see just what he saw inhis vision and what he has so interestinglydescribed. First, the Prophet stands looking at theengine coming toward him, and then says, "Theshield [the thing ahead of this great warrior— theheadlight] is made red [shines brilliantly], thevaliant men [the engineer and the fireman] aredyed scarlet [when the flames from the fireboxilluminate the interior of the cab at night, as thefireman opens the fire-door to throw in the coal].The chariots [the railway coaches] shall be with[shall be preceded by locomotives that, at night,have the appearance of] flaming torches, in theDay of Preparation."Next the Prophet takes his place in the train andlooks out of the window, and, seemingly, "Thefir trees shall be terribly shaken [the telegraphpoles alongside the track seem to be fairlydancing]. The chariots shall rage in the streets [arailway is merely an elaborate, scientificallyconstructed street, or highway], they shall justleone against another in the broad ways [theclanking and bumping of the cars together is oneof the significant items of railway travel]. Theyshall seem like torches [a railway train at night,rushing through a distant field, looks like nothingso much as a vast torch, going at flying speed],they shall run like the lightnings."Next the Prophet sees the conductor coming forhis ticket and says, "He shall recount hisworthies [the conductor spends his entire time,almost, counting and recounting his passengers,keeping them checked up, etc.]; they shallstumble in their walk [try walking on a rapidlymoving train]; they shall make haste to the wallthereof [to the next city or town] and the coverer[the train shed, the station] shall be prepared [thebaggageman, expressman, mail wagon, hotelbus, intending passengers, and friends to meetincoming passengers, will all be there waiting forthe train to come]. The gates of the rivers shallbe opened [the doors of the cars will be openedand the people will flow out] and the palace [car]shall be dissolved [emptied]."

FM94The Finished Mystery(19) Habakkuk was the next one of the holyProphets, and in Hab. 2:14 he says, "The earthshall be filled with the knowledge of the glory ofthe Lord as the waters cover the sea." In places,the water in the Pacific Ocean is seven milesdeep. Imagine a condition in which theknowledge of the glory of God is like that in theearth! It will be as impossible for a man not toknow about God as it would be for one to bedown at the bottom of the ocean without gettingwet.(20) Zephaniah foretold that the Lord will starveall the false gods to death; for all men willworship the one only and true God, evenincluding the heathen we have worried so muchabout (Zeph. 2:11); that after the presentinequitable condition of society has passedaway— been devoured, not with literal fire butwith the fire of the Lord's jealousy— there willbe no more sectarianism, but all the people willbe taught the pure Truth and worship the Lordwith one consent; the liar and deceiver will nolonger be abroad in the land and the people willeat and rest without fear of disaster,dispossession or death.— Zeph. 3:9, 13.(21) Haggai was the next one of the holyProphets, and he says in Hag. 2:7, "The desire ofall nations shall come." In Rom. 8:19-22, theApostle tells us what is the desire of all nations.He says, "The whole creation groaneth andtravaileth in pain, waiting for the manifestation[showing forth] of the sons of God." It is in theplural, and means not Jesus only, but all of theLittle Flock. The groaning will not be in vain; forin the same passage the Apostle says theoutcome will be that the groaning creation shallbe delivered from the bondage of corruption intoa glorious liberty from sin and every evil thing.(22) Zechariah prophesied that many nationsshall be joined to the Lord in that Day and be Hispeople and He will dwell in the midst of them(Zech. 2:11); that when every man dwells under

his own vine and fig tree every man will love hisneighbor and his brother (Zech. 3:10); that thecoming Kingdom will be a Kingdom of Truth,the people will be God's people and He will betheir God in truth and righteousness; the groundshall give its increase and the heaven its dewsand the Lord will do well to the people andremove their fears (Zech. 8:3, 8, 12, 15); that theinhabitants of one city will go to another, saying,Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and toseek the Lord of Hosts; I will go also. Yea, manypeople and strong nations shall come to seek theLord of hosts and to pray before the Lord (Zech.8:21; 22); that the battle bowFM95shall be cut off, that the Lord shall speak peaceto the people; corn shall make the young menspeak, and new wine (better doctrines) the maids(Zech. 9:10, 17); that the Lord shall be King overall the earth and men shall dwell in it, and thereshall be no more utter destruction, but all shall beholiness unto the Lord.— Zech. 14:9, 11, 20.(23) Malachi foretold that from the rising of thesun even unto the going down of the same theLord's name shall be great among all peoples;and in every place heart adoration shall beoffered to His name (Mal. 1:11); that thedevourer will be rebuked and not be permittedlonger to destroy the fruits of the ground; neithershall your vine cast her fruit before the time inthe field; injurious parasites, germs and microbeswill be a thing of the past. Crops will beabundant everywhere (Mal. 3:11); and TheChrist, Head and Body, will arise with healing intheir beams, nourishing and bringing the willingto perfection with the same care as is given tostall-fed cattle—now receiving more attentionthan human beings.— Mal. 4:2.(24) John the Baptist was the next and last of theholy Prophets, for Jesus said, "The Law and theProphets were until John." And John, we aretold, turned and looked at Jesus, and said,"Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away thesin of the world."— John 1:29; Matt. 11:9, 11.4:11

Thou art worthy, O Lord OUR LORD ANDGOD.— "The proper view of the matter showsus the Heavenly Father perfect in all theattributes of nobility of character; perfect inJustice, so that the just sentence of His righteousLaw cannot be infracted, even by Himself;perfect in wisdom, so that His plan andarrangement, not only with respect to man'screation, but also with respect to man's salvation,the Atonement, etc., were all so complete that nocontingency or failure could arise, nor anynecessity for change of the Divine Plan; as it iswritten, ‘I am the same, I change not, saith theLord,' and ‘Known unto the Lord are all Hisworks, from the foundation of the world'; perfectalso in His Love, than which there could be nogreater love possible, and yet that Love is in fullbalance and accord with the other Divineattributes, so that it could spare the sinner only inharmony with the just program marked out byDivine Wisdom; perfect also in Power, so that allHis good purposes, good intentions, just programand loving designs, fully co-ordinated, shall beexecuted, and bring the originally designedresult; as it is written, ‘My Word that goeth forthout of My mouth shall not return to Me void; itshall accomplish that which I please, and it shallprosper in the thing whereto I sent it.' (Isa. 55:11;Mal. 3:6; Acts 15:18.)"— E37, 34.FM96To receive glory.— All the glory, Greek.And honor and power.— "Could this Scriptureever be fulfilled, could the Divine character everbe appreciated by intelligent, honest, just andloving hearts, if in any corner of the Universethere were such orgies and tortures of Hiscreatures as the creeds of the Darker Ages haveset forth? Surely not!"— B.S.M.For Thou has created all things.— The allthings, the Universe, Greek. "Across the vista ofages He saw in His purpose the glory of anintelligent creation in His own likeness,established in righteousness and worthy of Hisgift of eternal life. He therein foresaw the mutualpleasure of the Creator and the creature, and with

a peaceful patience He resolved to wait for theglorious consummation."— Z.'95-154.And for Thy pleasure they [are and] werecreated.— "He desired that love should respondto love, admiration to admiration, virtue tovirtue, and grace to grace, in the Creator and thecreature, as face answers to face in a glass. Inthis natural attitude of the Creator and thecreature generous benovelence and filialgratitude combine in mutual happiness. God ishappy in the realization and in the exercise of allthe noble traits of His glorious character, whichhappiness is enhanced by appreciation of thesame on the part of His creatures, and bymanifestation in them of the same qualities anddispositions of mind and heart. And likewiseman must both realize and exercise the nobleendowments of his nature and form a charactermodeled after that of his Heavenly Father andmeeting His approval, if he would find that truehappiness which consists in the approval of hisown conscience and of his Creator and Judge, inwhose favor is life, and at whose ‘right handthere are pleasures forevermore.'— Psa. 16:11."— Z.'95-167."Sun of my soul, my Father dear,I know no night when Thou are near.|O! may no earth-born cloud ariseTo hide Thee from thy servant's eyes.Shield of my soul, though tempests rage,And ‘gainst me hosts of foes engage,My refuge and my fortress Thou.Before Thee every foe must bow.Thy grace and glory Thou dost giveTo those who near Thee ever live;And no good thing dost Thou withholdFrom sheep which stray not from Thy fold."

FM97REVELATION 5THE EXECUTOR OF THE PLANRevelation 5:1And I saw in the right hand.— "The DivinePlan, known only to the Father, Jehovah,Himself, was kept in His own power— in Hisown hand— until some one should be provedworthy to know it, and become its executor asJehovah's honored Agent and Representative."—E39, 36.Of Him that sat on the Throne.— "He that sitsupon the Throne is Jehovah. The scroll in Hisright hand is His Plan for human redemption,sealed from all until One should be found andproved ‘worthy.'"— Z.'97-150.A book.— "Not the Bible, but the Divine Plan,with its times and seasons." (Z.'16-252.) "Thiswas the Mystery, the Secret of the Lord,unknown to any one but Himself— His plan forthe salvation of the world."— Z.'97-256.Written [within] IN FRONT.— The writing infront is the fulfillment of everything prophesiedon the outside. Every word of every prophecy ofGod's Word is sure of fulfillment. "Seek ye outthe book of the Lord, and read; no one of theseshall fail, none shall want her mate; for Mymouth it hath commanded, and His Spirit it hathgathered them." (Isa. 34:16.)"That scroll contains a record of everything thatis happening now, and all that will occurthroughout the Millennial Age, down to its veryclose— down to the time when every creature inHeaven and in earth and those in the sea, shallascribe praise, honor, glory and dominion to Himthat sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambforever.— Rev. 5:13." (Z.'09-343.)"Among the Orientals the lines began from theright hand and ran to the left hand; with theNorthern and Western nations, from the left tothe right hand; but the Greeks sometimesfollowed both directions alternately." (McC.)

The Word is plainly written on the outside,where all may read the words, but cannotunderstand their significance without Divine aid.Meantime, from age to age, the events foretoldoccur in the manner predicted.The manner of the writing, some of it from leftto right and some from right to left, enables thefulfillments to follow the prophecies exactly,item by item, to the last jot and tittle. Write aword on a sheet of paper and then turn the paperover and look at it, holding it in front of a goodlight. Thus it is with the Word of God. ThepropheciesFM98look strange until the due time has come forholding them up to the light, and then theybecome clear. What could be only imperfectlydeciphered until the hindering seal is broken isno mystery after the seal is broken, because thebook or scroll or chart can be turned about andheld *to the light. The fulfillments are seen to fitthe prophecies. If the lines are not clear, then forsome reason we are looking upon that much ofthe record from the outside and not from theinside.And on the backside.— "Excepting the barepromise (written on the outside of the scroll) ofsalvation through the Seed of the woman,nothing could be known of the wonderfulscheme for human restitution until the Son ofGod, having left the glory of the spiritual nature,took our nature and by the sacrifice of Himselfredeemed us from death. Then, having Hisrighteousness imputed to us by faith, we arecounted worthy to look upon the scroll as Heopens the seals one after another."— Z.'02-332;Ezek. 2:9, 10.Sealed with seven seals.— "The things thatwere sealed were not proper to be understood byour Redeemer until He had received the allpower,after His resurrection. The execution ofGod's Plan was then given into His hands."—Z.'16-253.

Revelation 5:2And I saw a strong angel.— Personification ofthe Law.Proclaiming.— In types and shadows, pictures,figures and symbols.With a loud voice.— From the fall of Adamonward.Who is worthy.— "The inquiry compassed theperiod from before Jesus came into the world upto His resurrection from the grave. God hadgiven the most honorable One of all the host ofHeaven the first opportunity to prove Hisworthiness to loose the Scroll of God's greatPlan, and to fulfill its provisions. And He did notallow the privilege to go by. He accepted it."—Z.'16-252.To open the book.— "The inquiry, ‘Who isworthy to open the book [scroll] and to loose theseals thereof?' had long been made: for fourthousand years, from the giving of the promisethat the Seed of the woman should bruise theserpent's head, it had been the query— Whoshall be esteemed, by Jehovah God, to be worthyto perform His gracious purposes, and thus behonored above all others as Servant (Messenger)of the Covenant of Grace?"— Z.'97-150.And to loose the seals thereof.— "John in thesymbol hears the proclamation, ‘Who is worthyto open the Book and to loose the seals?'— whois worthy to have committed to his care theexecution of the great Divine Plan, wonderful forits wisdom and love, and its lengths andFM99breadths and depths and heights past humancomprehension— that he may open it andexecute it?"— Z.'97-256.Revelation 5:3And no ,an in Heaven.— No angel had beenproven worthy. "Which things the angels desireto look into."— 1 Pet. 1:12.Nor in earth, [neither under the earth].— Noman on earth was worthy. "There is none

ighteous, no, not one; for all have sinned andcome short of the glory of God."— Rom. 3:10,23.Was able to open the book.— "In the pictureJohn looked to see who the worthy one might be,but none was found worthy."— Z.'09-243.Neither to look thereon.— In the light of thisScripture, who can dare, in his own strength,wisdom or righteousness to interpret the Word ofGod or take any part in the execution of thePlan?— Heb. 12:18-29. 5:4And I wept much.— "It seemed to John too badthat God should have some great, wonderfulpurposes which might come to naught becauseno one was worthy to be the Divine executor."—Z.'09-243.Because no man.— No being in the Universe.Was found worthy to open and to read thebook.— "When silence prevailed, and none wasfound worthy either in Heaven or on earth(representing the condition of things prior to theFirst Advent), John began saying to himself:Alas! we may never know God's gracious andwise plans for the welfare of His creatures,because none is found worthy to know orexecute them."— Z.'97-150; John 1:27; Matt.8:8.Neither to look thereon.— "So it was that, evenour Lord Jesus, prior to the finishing of Hissacrifice, as He then declared, did not know allabout the Father's plans, times and seasons(Mark 13:32.)"— Z.'97-150. 5:5And one of the elders— The deathbed prophecyof Jacob. It is the identification of this elder thatenables us to recognize the other twenty-three.—Rev. 4:10.Saith unto me.— "Judah is a lion's whelp. Thescepter shall not depart from Judah, nor alawgiver from between his feet until Shilohcome; and unto Him shall the gathering of thepeople be."— Gen. 49:9, 10.Weep not: behold, the Lion.— "The Holy One,and the Just."— Acts 3:14; 22:14.

Of the tribe of Juda.— "The great prize, forwhich Israel had been longing for centuries, waswon by the Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Heb.7:14.)"— B85."For an illustration of latter time assumptions,note the fact that a late pope, upon ascending thethrone, took the title of Leo XIII, and shortlyafter subscribed himself ‘Leo de tribus Juda,' i.e., ‘The Lion of the tribe of Judah.'"— B316.FM100The Root of David.— "It was not the pre-humanLogos, nor yet the man Jesus, that was David'sLord and David's Root; but the resurrectedMessiah."— E 151, 136; Isa. 11:1; Rom. 15:12;Rev. 22:16.Hath prevailed to open the book.— "When ourLord Jesus had proven His loyalty to theHeavenly Father by His obedience, ‘even untothe [ignominious] death of the cross,' then andthereby He did prove Himself worthy of everyconfidence and trust."— E39, 37.And to loose the seven seals thereof.— "Greatwas the favor bestowed upon the Just One of thetribe of Judah, in being permitted to open theseals; and great is the privilege of those who arepermitted to look thereon as the seals areopened."— Z.'02-332; Rev. 5:2; 6:1. 5:6And I beheld, [and lo,] in the midst of theThrone.— "In the bosom of the Father."— John1:18.And of the four beasts.— "The express imageof His person."— Heb. 1:3.And in the midst of the elders.— The centraltheme of all their prophesies.— Rev. 4:10.Stood a Lamb as it had been slain.— "It wasnot possible for Him to know the completenessof the Divine Plan until after He haddemonstrated His worthiness by His obedienceunto death, even the death of the cross."— Z.'06-39; Isa. 53:7; John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet.1:19.

Having seven horns.— Perfect power. "Allpower is given unto Me in Heaven and inearth."— Matt. 28:18; 1 Sam. 2:1, 10; Deut.33:17; 1 Kings 22:11.And seven eyes.— Perfect wisdom. "In whomare hid all the treasures of wisdom andknowledge."— Col. 2:3; Zech. 3:9; 4:10; Rev.1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 2 Chron. 16:9.Which are the seven Spirits of God.— Orlamps of fire.— Rev. 4:5.Sent forth into all the earth.— See Rev. 1:4.Revelation 5:7And He came and took the book.— "To Himwas the scroll or book entrusted, that in due timeall the wonderful provisions of the Divine Planmight be fully executed in the glorification of theChurch and the blessing of all the families of theearth."— Z.'06-39.Out of the right hand.— See Rev. 5:1.Of Him that sat upon the Throne.— Jehovah.If Jesus and His Father are a Trinity, "One inperson, equal in glory and power," how is it thatone has to come to the other for something, orhow can He come to Himself and take somethingHe already has and give it to Himself?Revelation 5:8And when He had taken the book— Hisworthiness to do so having been proven by Hisresurrection to the Divine nature.FM101The four beasts.— Justice, Power, Love andWisdom.— Rev. 4:6, 7.And four and twenty elders.— Messages of thefour and twenty Prophets.— Rev. 4:10.Fell down before the Lamb.— Gave their joint homage and adoration to theConqueror of sin and death.Each having [every one of them harps] a harp

.— Yielding the most exquisite harmony thatever fell onmortal ears.— Rev. 15:1-4; 4:10.And golden vials.— Incense cups, "spoons," similar to those usedat the Golden Altar.— Ex. 25:29; 30:1-9.Full of odors.— The sweet fragrance of patient hearts,precious in the Father's memory, pleading forlove and wisdom Divine.— Psa. 141:2; Ex.30:34-38; Lev. 16:12, 13; Luke 1:9, 10; Acts10:4.Which are the prayers of saints.— Every oneof which, by the Father's arrangement, has beenmade in the name of the One here honored.—John 16:23; Eph. 2:19, 5:9And they sung a new song,— "This means thatthe Divine Plan as a whole was here madeknown to Him— for He already had knowledgeof much of this— but all things were now givenHim."— Z.'16-253; Psa. 40:3; Rev. 14:3.Saying, Thou art worthy to take the book.—Worthy of "a name which is above everyname."— Phil. 2:9.And to open the seals thereof.— Disclose thewonderful method by which the Father willdevelop the saviors of the world.— Obad. 21.For thou wast slain.— He had sacrificed Hiswill, but this was not sufficient. "God wishedHim to sacrifice not only His will, but actually tolay down His human life. When all His testingswere completed at His death on the Cross, Godgave Him a name to which all should bow, bothin Heaven and in earth."— Z.'16-252.And hast redeemed.— "Agorazo This wordsignifies to purchase in the open market."—E443, 429; 1 Cor. 6:20; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; Col.1:14; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19.[Us].— Oldest MS., with evident propriety,omits us, since the Divine attributes andprophecies were not redeemed.— Z.'97-151.

To God.— "What say the Scriptures respectingthe sacrifice of Christ, the offering which Hemade? Do they say that it was made to Satan orto Jehovah God? We answer that in all the typesof the Jewish dispensation, which foreshadowedthis better sacrifice, which does take away thesins of the world, the offerings were presented toGod, at the hands of the priest, who typified ourLord Jesus."— E461, 449.FM102By Thy blood.— "If the blood of bulls and ofgoats . . . sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh,how much more shall the blood of Christ, who,through the eternal spirit, offered Himselfwithout spot to God."— Heb. 9:13-15.Out of every kindred.— "In thy Seed shall allthe kindreds of the earth be blessed."— Acts3:25.And tongue.— "Every knee shall bow, everytongue shall swear."— Isa. 45:23.And people.— The heavens declare Hisrighteousness, and all the people see Hisglory."— Psa. 97:6.And nation.— "And in Thy Seed shall all thenations of the earth be blessed."— Gen. 26:4,22:18; Rev. 14:6. 5:10And hast made [us] THEM unto our God[Kings] A KINGDOM.— "It will be theKingdom of the saints, in that they shall reignand judge and bless the world in conjunctionwith their Lord, Jesus. (Rom. 8:17, 18.) TheKingdom class proper will consist only of ourLord and His ‘elect' Little Flock."— D618.And [priests] PRIESTHOOD.— "The Divineprovision for a ‘Royal Priesthood' impliesweakness, imperfection, on the part of somewhom the priests are to help, and instruct, andfrom whom they are to accept sacrifice andofferings for sin, and to whom they are to extendmercy and forgiveness."— E486, 476; 1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 20:6.And [we] THEY shall reign.— "But before theRoyal Priesthood begin their reign, they must

‘suffer with Him,' sharing in the antitypicalsacrifices. (2 Tim. 2:12.)"— T 26.On.—Epi, over.— Rev. 6:16.The earth.— "The Kingdom and dominion,even the majesty of the Kingdom under thewhole heaven shall be given to the people of thesaints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is aneverlasting Kingdom, and all rulers shall serveand obey Him. (Dan 7:27.)"— D618.Revelation 5:11And I beheld.— John beheld this in vision andwill behold it in reality.And I heard.— John heard in the vision, andwill hear in the reality.As it were the voice of many angels.— Besidesthe angels, the Great Company are in this happythrong. The events to the end of the chapter havetheir fulfilment in the future.Round about the Throne.— "In the circuit ofHeaven" (Job 22:14), the circle of the Universe.And the beasts.— Justice, Power, Love andWisdom.— Rev. 4:6, 7.And the elders.— The prophecies.— Rev. 4:10.And the number of them.— "Whose number noman knoweth."— Rev. 7:9.FM103Was ten thousand times ten thousand, andthousands of thousands.— The number of theGreat Company will apparently exceed onehundred millions. Num. 4:46-48 and Ex. 28:1indicate but one priest to each 2,860 Levites,which would make the number of the GreatCompany approximate 411,840,000.— T118,119; Dan. 7:10. 5:12Saying with a loud voice.— The GreatCompany will be very enthusiastic workers onthe other side of the veil, for they really love theLord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength(Mark 12:30), and need only to be liberated togive full expression to that love.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.— "OurLord Jesus demonstrated before the Father,before angels, and before His ‘brethren,' Hisfidelity to the Father and to the Father's Lawdemonstrating that it was not beyond the abilityof a perfect being, even under the most adverseconditions."— E134, 120.To receive power.— The Great Company classhumbly realize that their faithfulness and zealwas not sufficient to warrant their own exaltationto power.And riches.— They realize they did not lay upall the Heavenly treasures they might have done,but hid their talents in earthly pursuits.And wisdom.— They realize their ownunwisdom in seeking the praise of men and thatthe Christ Company, though apparently fools forChrist's sake, were really the wisest of the wise.And strength.— They know that they used theirown strength for the support and maintenance ofinstitutions which really hindered rather thanhelped the Bride to make herself ready.And honor.— They know that, as a class, theysought and obtained the honor that cometh frommen, but failed to properly seek the honor thatcometh from God only.And glory.— They know that they failed tomeet the high conditions of self-sacrifice, andwere therefore unworthy of the high reward.And blessing.— They feel that the blessingswhich the Lord gave to them were thoughtlesslyappropriated to themselves and their families,with hardly a serious thought about the needs ofthe Lord's dear family; and that appropriately,the chiefest of all blessings, the privilege ofextending God's blessings to the needy world,should go to those who most earnestly "bypatient perseverance in well doing (did) seek forglory, honor and immortality." (Rom. 2:7.) Thusthey reverence the Lamb, and His Bride, for theyare one.— Rev. 19:7.

Revelation 5:13.And every creature.— After the destruction oftheFM104incorrigible at the end of the Millennial Age (andthis in itself, is a blessing to those who refuse tomake a right use of life).Which is in Heaven.— "Let all the angels ofGod worship Him." (Heb. 1:6.) "Worship Him,all ye gods."— Psa. 97:7.And on the earth, [and under the earth,].—All mankind— 1 Cor. 15:25.And such [as are] in the sea.— The class thatcontinues to be "in the sea," i. e., not underreligious restraint, will cease to exist. They nolonger are, but even their terminated existencewill be to the praise of the One who died forthem on Calvary; for they will have had a perfectchance.And all that are in them.— "That at the nameof Jesus every knee should bow, of things inHeaven, and things in earth."— Phil. 2:10; Eph.1:10; Col. 1:20.[Heard I] AND I HEARD THEM saying, THEBlessing— The myriads of happy beings, on allcreated planes of intelligence, from the highest tothe lowest, in Heaven and earth, acknowledgewith joy the source of all their blessings.— Rom.9:5.And honor.— By that time all will have come tosee what a great honor has been conferred on anycreature to receive the unspeakable boon of lifeon any plane, and will gladly own its fountain.—1 Tim. 6:16.And glory [and power] OF THE ALMIGHTY.— Each will have come to know the glory oflife on his own plane "There are celestial bodies,and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of thecelestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial isanother. There is one glory of the sun, andanother glory of the moon, and another glory ofthe stars: for one star differeth from another star

in glory."— 1 Cor. 15:40, 41 Rom. 16:27; 1 Pet.4:11; 5:11; Rev. 1:6.Be.— Be ascribed to.Him that sitteth upon the Throne.— OurFather and Friend.— 1 Chron. 29:11.And unto the Lamb.— Our Redeemer andBrother.For ever and ever.— "For the Ages of theAges," Greek.Revelation 5:14And the four beasts said Amen.— Justice,Power, Love and Wisdom unitedly declare thisto be the happy outcome.And the [four and twenty] elders fell downand worshipped. [Him that liveth for ever andever].— The prophecies plainly declare thatneither men nor devils can in any wise thwartthis perfect ending of the Plan which began sostrangely and still progresses— the perfectionthrough suffering, of the Little Flock, the GreatCompany and, indeed, the world of mankinditself.— Rev. 4:10.FM105REVELATION 6SIX SEALS AND THE PAPACYRevelation 6:1And I saw.— "God does not display His plans tosatisfy mere idle curiosity. If we wouldcomprehend what is revealed within the scrollwe must be sincerely desirous of knowing thedetails of God's Plan in order to an earnest cooperationwith it. Such, and such only, areworthy to know, and such only ever come to see,in the sense of understanding and appreciating,the deep things of God written within the scroll.Such are the righteous for whom the light (Truth)is sown. This worthiness is inquired for not onlyat the beginning, but all along the path of light. Ifwe are not found worthy by the various testsapplied from time to time, we cannot proceed in

the path of light; and unless the unfaithful onesarouse themselves to greater diligence andwatchfulness, the light that already is in themwill become darkness. And how great, howintense must be the darkness of one cast out oflight! (Matt. 6:23.)"— Z.'02-332.When the Lamb opened.— "The opening of theseals has progressed during all the Gospel Age.It has required all of the present Age and willrequire all of the next Age to complete the Plan.We may suppose that the Lord Jesus was madeaware of all its features after His ascension to thepresence of Jehovah. The Master declared that asthe Father revealed them unto Him, so would Hereveal them unto us."— Z.'16-253; Rev. 5:5-9.One of the SEVEN seals.— "Each seal as it wasloosed permitted the scroll as a whole to open alittle wider, and a little wider, thus permitting‘the mystery of God' to be a little more clearlydiscerned."— Z.'97-257.And I heard [as it were the noise ofthunder].— The roar of a Lion.One of the four beasts.— Justice, typified bythe Lion.— Rev. 4:7.Saying, AS IT WERE THE NOISE OFTHUNDER. Come and see.— Come and seeInfinite Justice permitting one of the greatest actsof injustice ever perpetrated.Revelation 6:2And I saw.— John beheld in vision the firststrange and wonderful feature of the Divine Planfor the permission of evil as it related to epochsof the Church beyond his own epoch— that ofSmyrna.FM106And behold a white horse.— The doctrines,teachings of the Lord and the Apostlesrecognized as the one and only rule of faith andpractice of God's Church.And he that sat on him.— The Bishop ofRome, the embryo Pope, the personalrepresentative of Satan.

Had a bow.— "They bend their tongues liketheir bow for lies: but they are not valiant' forthe truth upon the earth; for they proceed fromevil to evil, and they know not Me, saith theLord."— Jer. 9:3.And a crown.— Great honor and authority inthe Church.Was given unto him.— "Under the reign ofConstantine (who murdered his own son in thesame year in which he convened the Council ofNice) the opposition of the empire to Christianitygave way to favor, and the Imperial PontifexMaximus became the patron of the professed butreally apostate Church of Christ; and, taking herby the hand, he assisted her to a place ofpopularity and splendor from which she was ableafterward, as the imperial power grew weak, toput her own representatives upon the religiousthrone of the world as Chief Religious Ruler—Pontifex Maximus."— B290.And he went forth conquering, [and toconquer] AND HE CONQUERED.— Thus wesee the apparent defeat of Infinite Justice in thisfirst epoch. Apparently, God forsook HisChurch, having jeopardized all its interests byplacing the power in the hands of a self-seekingecclesiastical system. But worse things arecoming!Revelation 6:3And when He had opened the second seal.—Revealing the second period of the history of theAntichrist.I heard the second beast.— Infinite Power. SeeRev. 4:7.Say, Come and see.— Come and see InfinitePower consenting to a thing apparently invictorious oppositionmto it.Revelation 6:4And I beheld and lo there went out anotherhorse.— A creed-horse, quite different from theScriptures which it misrepresented.

That was red.— The color of sin—imperfection. "Though your sins be asscarlet."— Isa. 1:18.And power was given to him that satthereon.— The same rider, the Antichrist.To take peace from the earth.— To embroil incontroversy those who were under religiousrestraint— in other words, the entire professedchurch of God.And that they should kill one another.—Depose and destroy one another as teachers, byinveighing the Roman power against alloffenders.And there was given unto him a greatsword.— As the Lord has a great and powerfulsword, the Sword of the Spirit, which is theWord of God (Eph. 6:17), and as itFM107is represented as coming out of His mouth, so thePapacy has a great and powerful sword, inopposition to the Sword of the Spirit, and it, too,comes out of Papacy's mouth. [The word here isdifferent from Rev. 1:16 and refers to the butcherknife— Gen. 22:6, 10.] "The pope (each pope inhis turn) is the head of the false church, which ishis body, even as Christ Jesus is the Head of thetrue Church, which is His Body. Since the headis the representative of the body, and its mouthspeaks for the body, we find, as we shouldexpect, this feature of Antichrist prominentlyreferred to in the Scriptures. In Daniel 7:8, 11,25, and Rev. 13:5, 6, the mouth of Antichrist isbrought specially to our notice as a leadingcharacteristic."— B304.This period, beginning with the year 325 A. D.and extending to the year 539, was the period offormation of creeds. "Come near, put your feetupon the necks of these kings." (Josh. 10:24.)Once they were very powerful, but they are quiteharmless now. The Lord (Joshua-Savior) hashumbled them all by His own Sword of the Spiritin the hands of Pastor Russell.

"Neither Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, norany ecclesiastical writer before the fifth century,makes mention of an assembly of the Apostlesfor the purpose of forming a creed. Had theApostles composed it, it would have been thesame in all churches and ages. But it is quiteotherwise." (McC.)So much for the well-known "Apostle's Creed,"which, it is alleged, "comprehends the leadingarticles of the faith in the triune God." But thiswas not triune enough, so the Nicene Creedimproved the matter, A. D. 325:"We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Makerof all things visible and invisible; and in one LordJesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father,Only-begotten, that is of the substance of the Father;God of God; Light of Light; very God of very God;begotten, not made; of the same substance with theFather; by whom all things were made, both things inHeaven and things in earth; who for us men and oursalvation became flesh, was made man, suffered, androse again the third day. He ascended into Heaven;He cometh to judge the quick and dead. And in theHoly Ghost. But those that say there was a time whenHe was not; or that He was not before He wasbegotten; or that He was made from that which hadno being; or who affirm the Son of God to be of anyother substance or essence, or created, or variable, ormutable, such persons doth the Catholic and postolicChurch anathematize."Fifty-six years later, at the second EcumenicalCouncil of Constantinople, A. D. 381, theNicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed was put onthe market:"I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker ofHeavenFM108and earth, and of all things visible and invisible: andin one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son ofGod, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God ofGod, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten,not made, being of one substance with the Father; bywhom all things were made; who for us men and forour salvation came down from Heaven, and wasincarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, andwas made man, and was crucified also for us under

Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and thethird day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;and ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the righthand of the Father. And He shall come again withglory to judge both the quick and the dead, whoseKingdom shall have no end. And I believe in theHoly Ghost the Lord and Giver of Life, whoproceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with theFather and the Son together is worshipped andglorified, who spake by the Prophets. And I believein the one catholic and apostolic church. Iacknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and thelife of the world to come."This did very well until the fourth EcumenicalCouncil, A. D. 451, when the Chalcedon Creedwas worked up.But very little is said about this creed nowadays;for "the two parties in the council were roused tothe highest pitch of passion, the proceedings,especially during the early sessions, were verytumultuous, until the lay commissioners and thesenators had to urge the bishops to keep order,saying that such vulgar outcries weredisgraceful." However, we give it for what it isworth:"We confess and with one accord teach one and thesame Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, perfect in thedivinity, perfect in the humanity, truly God and trulyman, consisting of a reasonable soul and body;consubstantial with the Father according to theGodhead, and consubstantial with us according to themanhood; in all things like unto us, sin onlyexcepted; who was begotten of the Father before allages, according to the Godhead; and in the last daysthe same was born, according to the manhood, ofMary the Virgin, Mother of God, for us and for oursalvation; who is to be acknowledged one and thesame Christ, the Son, the Lord, the Only Begotten intwo natures, without mixture, change, division orseparation; the difference of natures not beingremoved by their union, but rather the propriety ofeach nature being preserved and concurring in oneperson and in one hypostasis, so that He is notdivided into two persons, but the only Son, the Word,our Lord Jesus Christ, and one and the same person."A merciful oblivion has hidden the name and thedate of authorship of the next creed, the

Athanasian, the cream of all the creeds; but itwas probably manufactured by Satan for useabout 539 A. D. By 570 A. D. it had becomevery famous. "The creed is received in theGreek, Roman and English churches, but is leftout of the service of the Protestant EpiscopalChurch in America." The natureFM109of this creed may be judged by the followingextract from an 1855 issue of the Church ofEngland Quarterly:"The Athanasian Creed finds few real lovers as aportion of a public service. No one supposes that itwas the work of Athanasius. [Athanasius originatedthe monastery-convent system. He was the Bishop ofAlexandria and friend of the Emperor Constantinewho caused the banishment of Arius.] No one is now,at least among us, in any danger from the errors itdenounces; for no one believes that all the membersof the Greek Church are necessarily consigned toeverlasting damnation; and thus, every time the creedis read, the officiating minister has solemnly toenunciate what neither he nor any of his hearersbelieves. It is true that by distinguishing between thecreed itself and the damnatory clauses he may savehimself, mentally, from declaring a falsehood; butsurely this is reason enough for the removal of thecreed from our Liturgy.We have had too much in our Church of mentalreservations. So far as the doctrine of the Trinity isconcerned, it is abundantly insisted on in theApostles' and Nicene Creeds."It seems almost incredible that any one seriouslybelieved the following amazing statements:"Whoever will be saved, before all things it isnecessary that he hold the Catholic faith, which faith,except every one do keep whole and undefiled,without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And theCatholic faith is this: that we worship one God inTrinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding thepersons nor dividing the substance. For there is oneperson of the Father, another of the Son, and anotherof the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, ofthe Son and of the Holy Ghost is all one; the gloryequal, the majesty co-eternal. Such as the Father is,such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. TheFather uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy

Ghost uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, theSon incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghostincomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Soneternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they arenot three eternals, but one eternal. As also there arenot three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, butone uncreated, and one incomprehensible. Solikewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty,and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet there are notthree almighties, but one almighty. So the Father isGod, the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God. Andyet there are not three Gods, but one God. Solikewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord and theHoly Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but oneLord. For like as we are compelled by the Christianverity to acknowledge every person by Himself to beGod and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholicreligion to say there be three Gods and three Lords.The Father is made of none, neither created norbegotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made,nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of theFather and the Son; neither made, nor created, norbegotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, notthree Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one HolyGhost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinitynone is afore or after other; none is greater or lessthan another. But the whole three persons are coeternaltogether, and co-equal. So that in all things, asaforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity inUnity is to be worshiped. "He therefore that will besaved must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, itis necessary to everlasting salvation thatFM110he also believe rightly the incarnation of our LordJesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe andconfess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, isGod and man. God of the substance of the Father,begotten before the worlds; and man of the substanceof His mother, born in the world. Perfect God andperfect man, or a reasonable soul and human fleshsubsisting. Equal to the Father as touching HisGodhead, and inferior to the Father as touching Hismanhood. Who, although He be God and man, yet Heis not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion ofthe Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhoodinto God. One altogether, not by confusion ofsubstance, but by unity of person. For as thereasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God andman is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation,descended into hell, rose again the third day from the

dead. He ascended into Heaven; He sitteth on theright hand of the Father, God Almighty. Fromwhence He shall come to judge the quick and thedead. At whose coming all men shall rise again intheir bodies, and shall account for their own works.And they that have done good shall go into lifeeverlasting, and they that have done evil intoeverlasting fire. This is the Catholic faith which,except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to theHoly Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, andever shall be, world without end. Amen."This put an end to the business of creed making,Satan's powers of concocting gibberish to takethe place of the Bible having been temporarilyquite exhausted. But a thousand years later the"Creed of Pope Pius IV" was issued in the formof a bull in December, 1564. "All bishops,ecclesiastics, and teachers in the Romish church,as well as all converts from Protestantism,publicly profess assent to it." It follows:"I, A. B., believe and profess with a firm faith all andevery one of the things which are contained in thesymbol of faith which is used in the Holy RomanChurch; namely, I believe in one God the FatherAlmighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of allthings visible and invisible; and in one Lord JesusChrist, the only-begotten Son of God, born of theFather before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light,true God of true God, begotten not made,consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things weremade; who for us men and for our salvation camedown from heaven, and was incarnate by the HolyGhost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; wascrucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, sufferedand was buried, and rose again the third dayaccording to the Scriptures, and ascended intoheaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and willcome again with glory to judge the living and thedead, of whose kingdom there will be no end; and inthe Holy Ghost, the Lord and Life-giver, whoproceeds from the Father and the Son, who, togetherwith the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified,who spake by the holy prophets; and one holycatholic and apostolic church. I confess one baptismfor the remission of sins; and I expect the resurrectionof the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.I most firmly admit and embrace apostolical andecclesiastical traditions, and all other constitutions

and observances of the same church. I also admit thesacred Scriptures according to the sense which theholy mother church has held and does hold, to whomit belongs to judge ofFM111the true sense and interpretation of the HolyScriptures; nor will I ever take or interpret themotherwise than according to the unanimous consentof the fathers."I profess, also, that there are truly and properlyseven sacraments of the new law, instituted by JesusChrist our Lord, and for the salvation of mankind,though all are not necessary for every one— namely,baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, extremeunction, orders, and matrimony, and that they confergrace; and of these, baptism, confirmation, and ordercannot be reiterated without sacrilege.I do also receive and admit the ceremonies of theCatholic Church, received and approved in thesolemn administration of all the above-saidsacraments.I receive and embrace all and every one of the thingswhich have been defined and declared in the holyCouncil of Trent concerning sin and justification.I profess likewise that in the mass is offered to God atrue, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the livingand the dead; and that in the most holy sacrament ofthe eucharist there is truly, really and substantiallythe body and blood, together with the soul anddivinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there ismade a conversion of the whole substance of thebread into the body, and of the whole substance ofthe wine into the blood, which conversion theCatholic Church calls Transubstantiation. I confess,also, that under either kind alone, whole and entire,Christ and a true sacrament is received.I constantly hold that there is a purgatory, and thatthe souls detained therein are helped by the suffragesof the faithful. Likewise that the saints reigningtogether with Christ are to be honored and invocated,that they offer prayers to God for us, and that theirrelics are to be venerated."I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, and ofthe Mother of God, ever Virgin, and also of the othersaints, are to be had and retained, and that due honorand veneration are to be given to them.

I also affirm that the power of indulgences was leftby Christ in the Church, and that the use of them ismost wholesome to Christian people.I acknowledge the holy catholic and apostolic RomanChurch, the mother and mistress of all churches; andI promise and swear true obedience to the Romanbishop, the successor of St. Peter, prince of theapostles and vicar of Jesus Christ.I also profess and undoubtedly receive all otherthings delivered, defined, and declared by the sacredcanons and general councils, and particularly by theholy Council of Trent; and likewise I also condemn,reject, and anathematize all things contrary thereto,and all heresies whatsoever condemned, rejected, andanathematized by the Church. This true catholic faith,out of which none can be saved, which I now freelyprofess and truly hold,I, A. B., promise, vow, and swear most constantly tohold, and profess the same whole and entire, withGod's assistance to the end of my life; and to procure,as far as lies in my power, that the same shall be held,taught, and preached by all who are under me, or areintrusted to my care, by virtue of my office. So helpme God, and these holy Gospels of God. Amen."The less Bible, the more Creed, and the thickerand blacker the darkness! Bible students will notfail to notice the progressive darkness of thesecreeds. Incarnation is first mentioned in the thirdcreed, Mariolatry in the fourth, and trinity andpurgatory in the fifth.In the Millennial Age the creed-formers will feellike adding a postscript to their work, readingabout as follows:FM112"P. S.— We have had our eyes opened and nowsee that Jesus was the Alpha, the Beginning ofthe creation of God, and the Omega, the Last ofthe Father's direct creation (Rev. 22:13; 1:8); thatas the Logos, or Representative of the Father, Hewas a God (mighty one) but not the God,Jehovah (John 1:1); that all things were made byHim (John 1:3); that Jehovah sent His Son tosave mankind (1 John 4:10); that the Logos wasmade flesh (John 1:l4) and in the days of Hisflesh (Heb. 5:7) became poor (2 Cor. 8:9), lower

than the angels (Heb. 2:9), a servant (Phil. 2:7), aman (Phil. 2:8); that while a man He did nothave all wisdom (Luke 2:52) but admitted theFather's greater power (John 14:28) andknowledge (Matt. 24:36); that as the Father hadpreviously said that He would give His ownpersonal glory to no one (Isa. 42:8), so Jesusadmitted He and the Father were two separatepersons (John 8:17, 18); that He admitted He hadnot the glory of the Father (John 17:5) andexpected the same unity between the Church andthe Father as existed between Himself and theFather (John 17:21-23); that when He died Hewas really, truly, completely dead, as dead asthough He had never previously existed (1 Cor.15:3; Rev. 1:18); that God raised Him from thedead (Acts 2:24; Gal. 1:1); highly exalted Him(Phil. 2:9) to Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4); makingHim the express image of Himself (Heb. 1:3);but that even since His resurrection our Father isstill Jesus' Father and our God is still His God(John 20:17); that a thousand years hence Jesuswill still be subject to the Father (1 Cor. 15:28);that to us there is but one God (1 Cor. 8:6) andthat every doctrine that confesseth that JesusChrist when He came in the flesh came asanything more or less than a fleshly being is thespirit of Antichrist which dictated every one ofthe creeds aforementioned (1 John 4:3)."FM6:5And when He had opened the third seal.—Disclosing the third epoch in the history ofAntichrist.I heard the third beast.— Infinite Love.Say, Come and see.— Come and see theapparently complete triumph of the powers ofdarkness and the apparent inaction of InfiniteLove in permitting it.And I beheld, and lo, a black horse.—Complete disregard of the Scriptures by clergyand people alike, and in their place the uglycreeds and bulls of popes and councils.And he that sat on him.— The same rider, theAntichrist.

Had a pair of balances in his hand.— "Balancejoined with symbols denoting the sale of cornand fruits by weight, becomes the symbol ofscarcity; bread by weight being a curse in Lev.26:26 and in Ezek. 4:16, 17." (McC.)FM113During this period the common people couldhave in their own tongue only a few words orverses of the Scriptures; and for these they wereobliged to pay large sums to the clergy, whoalone had the ability in translate from the deadlanguages, or even to read at all. As the serviceswere in Latin the people were starved spiritually.Revelation 6:6And I heard AS IT WERE a voice.— Thevoice of the Lord Jesus, the Guardian andCaretaker of the true Church.— Matt. 28:20.In the midst of the four beasts.— "In the midstof the Throne and of the four beasts, and in themidst of the elders, stood a Lamb."— Rev. 5:6.Say, a measure.— "The word chenix denotes ameasure containing one wine quart, and a twelfthpart of a quart."— Diaglott.Of wheat.— The true children of theKingdom.— C137.For a penny.— "A denarius was the day-wagesof a laborer in Palestine (Matt. 20:2, 9)."(Diaglott.) These wages, a little more than aquart of wheat for a day's work, show how greatwas the effort, in those dark and terrible days, tofind some "grains of wheat."— Amos 8:11.And three measures.— Three chenices, threequarts.Of barley.— Spiritual adulterers andadulteresses, courting the friendship of theworld. (Jas. 4:4.) Barley is the symbol of theadulteress as wheat is the symbol of the virgin.—Num. 5:15; Hos. 3:1, 2.For a penny.— For a denarius. It was threetimes as easy to find the faithless as the faithful.

And see thou hurt not the oil.— The supply ofthe oil, the Holy Spirit of full submission to thewill of God was low; the light of the true Churchwas feeble indeed.And the wine.— Wine is a symbol of doctrine,true or false, and its accompanying joys. In thiscase it refers to the true doctrines of theKingdom. But little knowledge of the comingKingdom was prevalent then, and the joys of theChurch were proportionately small. (Seecomments on Rev. 2:12-17, synchronous withevents of second and third seals.)Lest it be supposed that the Roman Catholicchurch is now different from what it once was,and that at present it is holding to the Scriptures,we quote the following from Strength of Will byE. Boyd Barrett, of the Society of the Jesuits,approved by the Roman Catholic censor, RemyLafort, and approved by John, Cardinal Farley,Archbishop of New York, November 24th, 1915:"Catholic ascetics teach us, in this matter, first ofall to have a clear and definite view of the objectwe propose to ourselves— let us suppose that itis to overcomeFM114the passion of anger. Now the resolution, ‘not togive way to anger' would be far too broad andtoo great. Applying the principle, ‘divide etimpera,' we content ourselves with resolving ‘notto give way to external manifestations of anger.'But here again, our resolution is too broad andtoo great. We again apply the principle, ‘divideet impera,' and resolve ‘not to give way to angryretorts.' This resolution is pointed, definite andintelligible— it means that cross and peevishremarks must not occur. A time limit may nowbe added in order to make the resolution stillmore well-defined: ‘Until the last day of thismonth I will not make an angry retort.'Possibly, it might be advisable to limit thisresolution still more, by conditions of place orcircumstances, adding ‘in such a place or to sucha person, or during such a ceremony.' " Simple!All you have to do is to keep dividing.

Revelation 6:7And when He had opened the fourth seal.—Disclosing the history of the Papacy in its fourthstage, the period synchronizing with the Thyatiraand Sardis epochs. See Rev. 2:18-29; 3:1-6.I heard the voice of the fourth beast.— InfiniteWisdom.Say, Come and see.— Come and see whatwould seem to be the most unwise thing the Lordcould possibly permit to happen to His Church.Revelation 6:8And I looked, and behold a pale horse.— Theghastly and horrible teachings that God's truepeople must be "exterminated." "The ghastlygreen of terror and of death. The word is used ofgrass in Rev. 8:7; 9:4; Mark 6:39."— Cook.And his name that sat on him was Death.—Still the same rider, the Papacy; and an aptdescription of its chief claim to recognitionduring the pre-Reformation period."Pope Innocent III, first sent missionaries to thedistricts in which the doctrines had gainedfoothold, to preach Romanism, work miracles,etc.; but, finding these efforts unavailing, heproclaimed a crusade against them and offered toall who would engage in it the pardon of all sinsand an immediate passport to Heaven withoutpassing through purgatory. With full faith in thepope's power to bestow the promised rewards,half a million men—French, German andItalian— rallied around the standard of the cross,for the defense of Catholicism and the extinctionof heresy. Then followed a series of battles andsieges covering a space of twenty years. The cityof Beziers was stormed and taken in 1209, andthe citizens, without regard for age or sex,perished by the sword to the number of sixtythousand, as reported by several historians. Theblood of those who fled to churches, andFM115were murdered there by the holy crusaders,drenched the altars and flowed through thestreets. It is estimated that one hundred thousand

Albigenses fell in one day; and their bodies wereheaped together and burned. The clergy thankedGod for the work of destruction, and a hymn ofpraise to God for the glorious victory wascomposed and sung."— B335.And Hell followed with him.— All the peoplekilled by the pope went to hell, and he himselfwent there also; but none of them went to thekind of hell to which the pope thought he wassending them. They went to the Bible hell, whichis a place quite different from what is supposed.The average man believes in hell, but thinks fewpeople go there and that nobody knows muchabout it. The Bible is the only authority on thesubject, and no one can know anything about it,aside from the Bible. When we consider Christ'sstatement that unless a man loves Him more than"father, and mother, and wife, and children, andbrethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also,he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26), andreflect that probably not one professed Christianin a hundred has reached either this standard orthe other one which He set in the same chapter,that "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh notall that he hath, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke14:33), it should make us willing to considercarefully what is to become of the 9,999 out ofevery 10,000 of earth's population that do notmeet these conditions.We all know that "The wicked shall be turnedinto hell, and all the nations that forget God"(Psa. 9:17); but how many of us know that theywill be re-turned there; that the passage,correctly translated, reads, "The wicked shall bereturned into hell, all the nations that forgetGod"— showing that there are nations which gointo hell once, come out of hell, learn of God,forget Him and are returned there. We may allknow (Jude 11) that Korah, or Core, went to hell;but how many of us know that he wasaccompanied to this place by his house, with allhis household goods, and two otherestablishments similarly equipped? (Num. 16:32,33.) We may all know that the Sodomites wentto hell (Gen. 19), but how many know that theywere accompanied by the city in which they

lived and that there are other cities there? (Matt.11:23.) We may all suppose that many heathenwarriors of long ago went to hell, but how manyof us know that they took with them theirweapons of war, and that their swords are therenow, under their heads, with what is left of theirbones? (Ezek. 32:27.) We may understand thatthe wealthy go to hell, but how many know thatin theFM116same place are sheep, gray hairs, worms, dust,trees and water?— Psa. 49:14; Gen. 44:31; Job17:13-16; Ezek. 31:16.We may all know that bad men go to hell, buthow many of us know that the Ancient Worthies,Jacob and Hezekiah, fully expected to go there,and that faithful Job prayed to go there? (Gen.37:35; Job 14:13.) We may all wish to keep outof hell, but how many of us know that Davidsaid there is not a man that liveth that shalldeliver his soul from its power, and thatSolomon says, thou goest there, whosoever thouart? (Psa. 89:48; Eccl. 9:10.) We may think thatthose who go to hell go there to stay forever, buthow many of us know that Samuel said, "TheLord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth downto hell and bringeth up" out of hell, and thatDavid said, God has the same power to aid thosein hell that He has to bless those in Heaven? 1Sam. 2:6; Psa. 139:8.)We may think that those who go into hell nevercome out, and that there is no record that anyhave come out, yet there are at least two personsin history who have been in hell and come out ofhell. One is Jonah, who prayed in hell and wasdelivered from hell (Jonah 2:2), and the other isChrist, whose soul went to hell, but "His soulwas not left in hell," for God raised Him up outof it. (Acts 2:31.) And when Christ came out ofhell He brought with Him "The keys of hell" andnow has the power and the right to set all itscaptives free. (Rev. 1:18.)We may suppose that hell is to last forever, butthe Prophet speaks of its coming destruction, and

John the Revelator says that it is to be made to"deliver up the dead" which are in it, and it,itself, is to be destroyed. (Hosea 13:14; Rev.20:13.) The last passage cited affords theexplanation of the whole subject, for in themargin opposite Rev. 20:13 the translators haveexplained that the word "hell" means "grave."Reversely, in the margin opposite 1 Cor. 15:55,the translators have explained that "grave" means"hell." The terms are interchangeable and themeaning is the same. In every place foregoing inwhich the citations appear in italic type, thetranslators have rendered Sheol or Hades by"grave" or "pit" instead of "hell." In the marginsof the old family Bibles, printed before PastorRussell was born, we are told in seven places,and in both ways, in both the Old Testament andthe New, that hell means the grave, and the gravemeans hell.— Psa. 49:15; 55:15; 86:13; Isa.14:9; Jonah 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 20:13.And power was given unto them.— To hisHoliness, the Pope, and all the cardinals,bishops, archbishops, priests, inquisitors, kingsand rulers.FM117Over the fourth part of the earth.— OverEurope, but not over Asia, Africa or America.To kill with sword, and [with hunger]FAMINE and [with] death.— The destructionof New Creatures by wresting of the Scripturesand their spiritual starvation are herein evidence;but there was also a literal fulfillment. "Human and Satanic ingenuity were taxed to theirutmost to invent new and horrible tortures, forboth the political and religious opponents ofAntichrist; the latter— heretics— being pursuedwith tenfold fury.Besides the common forms of persecution anddeath, such as racking, burning, drowning,stabbing, starving and shooting with arrows andguns, fiendish hearts meditated how the mostdelicate and sensitive parts of the body, capableof the most excruciating pain, could be affected;molten lead was poured into the ears; tongues

were cut out and lead poured into the mouths;wheels were arranged with knife blades attachedso that the victim could be slowly chopped topieces; claws and pincers were made red hot andused upon sensitive parts of the body; eyes weregouged out; finger nails were pulled off with redhot irons; holes, by which the victim was tied up,were bored through the heels; some were forcedto jump from eminences onto long spikes fixedbelow, where, quivering with pain, they slowlydied. The mouths of some were filled withgunpowder, which, when fired, blew their headsto pieces; others were hammered to pieces onanvils; others, attached to bellows, had airpumped into them until they burst; others werechoked to death with mangled pieces of theirown bodies; others with urine, excrement, etc.,etc."— B346.And with the beasts of the earth.— The evilgovernments. "Kings and princes who trembledfor the security of their crowns, if they to anyextent incurred the pope's displeasure, weresworn to exterminate heresy, and those baronswho neglected to aid in the work of persecutionforfeited their estates. Kings and princes,therefore, were prompt to comply with themandates of the Papacy, and the barons and theirretainers were at their service, to aid in the workof destruction."— B333.Revelation 6:9And when He had opened the fifth seal.—Disclosing the Reformation in the days ofLuther. See Rev. 3:7-13.I saw under the altar.— Altars were originallymade of earth. (Ex. 20:24.) To see under the altaris to see underground, in the tomb, the grave. Atthe bottom of the brazen altar all the blood of thevictim was poured.—Lev. 4:7; 8:15; Heb. 8:5;13:10; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6.The souls.— The beings of those who had died.These souls were not in Heaven.FM118

Of [them] MEN that were slain.— Spirituallybeheaded (some of them literally, also).— Rev.20:4.For.—Dia, "through" or "by means of."The Word of God.— "Of His own will begat Heus with the Word of Truth." (James 1:18.) It isthis Sword of the Spirit that cuts us off from theworld.— Heb. 4:12.And for the testimony.— "And through thetestimony"; through the Word of God. The worddia is here used again. It is the Word that doesthe beheading.Which they held.— As witnesses in their hearts(Rom. 8:16) and to which they adhered at anycost.Revelation 6:10And they cried with a loud voice.— Notactually, but in the same way that the voice ofAbel's blood cried from the ground.— Gen. 4:10.Saying, How long, O Lord.— How long will itbe from this particular time, the Spring of1518?— Rev. 3:7.Holy and true.— See Rev. 3:7; 1 John 5:20;Mark 1:24.[Dost] WILT Thou not judge.— Deliver usfrom the tomb. The judges of old weredeliverers.— Judges 3:9-Revelation 6:11.And avenge our blood.— Cast off from allfavor a system of nominal Christianity which isnot Christianity at all.On them that dwell on the earth.— On thesethat are "Of the earth, earthy."— Rev. 17:5; 3:10;8:13; 13:8, 14. "The answer is given by the angelof the waters. See Rev. 16:4-7." (Cook.) Quitetrue. The Answer is in Vol. III of ScriptureStudies.Revelation 6:11And [white robes were] THERE WAS givenunto [every one] EACH of them a white

obe.— "God's grace cannot admit to heavenlyperfection those who have not robes of spotlessrighteousness. How gracious is the provision ofour God in thus presenting us with the Robewhich covers all the repented-of blemishes of thepast as well as the unintentional and unwittingimperfections of the present!"— Z.'11-342; Rev.3:4, 5; 19:8.And it was said unto them.— Not actually, butby the teachings of the parallel dispensations,which show that as Christ was raised from thedead in A. D. 33, the sleeping saints would beraised 1845 years later, in the Spring of 1878.See Rev. 3:14, 20.That they should rest yet for a little season.—Greek Chronos, 360 years. See Rev. 2:21. This isthe item which Pastor Russell had in mind in thefollowing footnote: "When, in a succeedingvolume, we examine the wonderful visions of theRevelator, it will be clearly seen that the timehere pointed out by the word ‘henceforth,' asmarked by events, synchronizes closely with1878, as indicated by the prophecies hereinnoted." (C241.) Luther nailed the proclamationon the church door at WittenbergFM119Oct. 31, 1517, which was already one month intothe year 1518, Jewish reckoning. But it tooksome time for the news to travel to all parts ofEurope. Three hundred and sixty years from theSpring of 1518 brings us to the Spring of 1878,when we understand that God's promise made tothe sleeping saints was fulfilled. They wereraised from the dead, and Babylon was cast off.Until their fellowservants also.— The othermembers of the Little Flock, all bond-slaves ofJesus.— Gal. 6:17, Diaglott, footnote.And their brethren.— Fellow-believers, theGreat Company.That should be killed BY THEM as theywere.— Similarly make covenants ofconsecration to the Lord.— Rev. 6:9.

Should be fulfilled.— Should be filled full,completed in number. "The Gospel age is for thevery purpose of calling those who shallparticipate in the marriage feast. If, therefore, itbe true that we are in the end of this Gospel age,it implies that a sufficient number of worthyguests have been found, or, to reverse theproposition, if a sufficient number of worthyguests have now been found, it proves that weare in the close of this age. It was after thewedding had been furnished with a propernumber of guests, that ‘the King came in' andbegan the inspection of the guests. This, we haveelsewhere shown, marks the date April, 1878."—Z.'98-137.Revelation 6:12And I beheld when He had opened the sixthseal.— Disclosing the events leading up to andassociated with the Lord's Parousia, presence.And, [lo,] there was a great earthquake.—Literally, the great Lisbon earthquake, Nov. 1,1755, which extended over 4,000,000 squaremiles; shocked all Africa and Western Europe,including Scandinavia and Greenland; slew90,000 persons in Lisbon and many thousandselsewhere; destroyed every church and conventin the city; caused a tidal wave 60 feet high; splitmountains from top to bottom; sunk an immensearea to a depth of 600 feet and threw sailors tothe decks hundreds of miles at sea. It is believedto be the most severe earthquake shock ever felton the earth.Symbolically, the American Revolution, 21 yearslater (the underlying cause of the FrenchRevolution); the most successful and mostextraordinary movement upward of the lowerstrata of human society that had ever been seenin the world up to that time. God has so writtenRevelation that those who will not accept thesymbolical significance of what is expresslydeclared to be a symbolical book (Rev. 1:1) mayfind literal fulfillments, and thus lose the lightthey would otherwise get.

FM120And the sun became black as sackcloth ofhair.—Literally in the dark day of May 19,1780, which extended over 320,000 squaremiles. (D587.)Symbolically, the light of the papal heavens (thepope) became darkened when Napoleon finedthe Pope ten million dollars, organized the Papalterritory into a republic and took the Pope aprisoner to France. (C42, 56.)Symbolically, too, the light of the true heavens,the Gospel light, the Truth, and thus Christ Jesus,has become hidden from view of many by thedenial of the clergy of our day that we werebought with the precious blood and by theteaching of the theory of Evolution.— D590;Joel 2:10, 31And the WHOLE moon became as blood—Literally on May 19, 1780.Symbolically, the creeds (the moon of the papalheavens) have become repugnant, though stillhypocritically professed.Symbolically, also the light of the Mosaic Law(the moon of the true heavens) has been made toappear evil by the claims of the clergy that thetypical sacrifices were bloody and barbaric.—D590, 592.Revelation 6:13And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth.—Literally, the meteoric shower of Nov. 13, 1833,covering 11,000,000 square miles. (D588.)Symbolically, the bishops and the priestly stars ofthe papacy fell from their positions of power andinfluence over the minds and consciences of thepeople. Symbolically, also, the Protestant pulpitstars make a great display in coming down fromspiritual things to the Christian-citizenshippoliticslevel.— D595.Even as a fig tree.— "The fig tree in thisprophecy may be understood to signify theJewish nation. (Matt. 24:32.) If so, it is beingsignally fulfilled; for not only are thousands of

Israelites returning to Palestine, but the Zionistmovement, started recently, has assumed suchproportions as to justify a Convention ofrepresentatives from all parts of the world tomeet in Switzerland to put in practical shape theproposal for the reorganization of a Jewish statein Palestine. These buds will thrive, but will bearno perfect fruit before October, 1914— the fullend of ‘Gentile Times.' "— D604.[Casteth] CASTING her untimely figs, whenshe is shaken of a mighty wind.— Theimmature fruits of the Zionist movement weredashed to the ground by the great war.Thousands of the Jews already in Palestine weredeported to Egypt at the breaking out of the war.At this writing the British are besiegingJerusalem and the Turks are driving the Jewsinto the desert to perish rather than permit themto remain and come under British control. Out ofthis turmoil Zionism will soon start afresh andthe Jews become the actual rulers of their nativeland.FM121Revelation 6:14.And the heaven departed as a scroll.— "The‘sure word of prophecy' indicates very clearlythat the various Protestant sects will form acooperative union or federacy, and thatCatholicism and Protestantism will affiliate,neither losing its identity. These are the two endsof the ecclesiastical heavens which, as theirconfusion increases, shall roll together as ascroll (Isa. 34:4; Rev. 6:14) for self-protection—as distinct and separate rolls, yet in closeproximity to each other."— D258; Psa. 102:26.When it is rolled together.— "It will beimpossible to reestablish the present order, (1)because it has evidently outlived its usefulness,and is inequitable under present conditions; (2)because of the general diffusion of secularknowledge; (3) because the discovery thatpriestcraft has long blinded and fettered themasses with error and fear will lead to a generaldisrespect for all religious claims and teachings

as of a piece with the discovered frauds; (4)because religious people in general, notdiscerning that God's time has come for a changeof dispensation, will ignore reason, logic, justiceand Scripture in defending the present order ofthings.It will be of little consequence then that theecclesiastical heavens (the religious powers,Papal and Protestant) will have rolled together asa scroll. (Isa. 34:4; Rev. 6:14.) The combinedreligious power of Christendom will be utterlyfutile against the rising tide of anarchy when thedread crisis is reached. Before that great army‘all the host of heaven [the church nominal] shallbe dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolledtogether as a scroll.' "—D551.And every mountain.— Kingdom.And [island] HILL.— "Little hills" refer togovernments less autocratic than monarchies; but"hills" sometimes refer to the sharpest, highest,most jagged mountain peaks, and then mean themost autocratic of all governments. This isevidently what is meant here.Were moved out of [their] THE places.— Didnot occupy the same position as before withreference to the people. The places were never"theirs," but belong "to Him whose right it is."(Z.'05-253.) In recent years Turkey and Persiahave been granted parliaments; China, Russiaand Portugal have become republics; and othercountries have become vast socialistcommunities.— Rev. 16:20.Revelation 6:15And the kings of the earth.— The aristocracy.And the great men.— The clergy. (Rev. 18:23,comment.) Rendered "nobles" in Mark 6:21. SeeJob. 12:2; Isa. 9:15.[And the rich men,] and the chief captains,AND THE RICH MEN.— The high militaryofficers.Rendered "high captains" in Mark 6:21. Themagnates and financiers.

FM122And the mighty men.— The labor organizers.And every bondman.— Member of a labororganization.And every free man.— Other worker (if not abond-slave of Christ).Hid themselves in the dens.— See Isa. 2:19-21.And in the rocks of the mountains.— "As thetrouble increases, men will seek, but in vain, forprotection in the great rocks and fortresses ofsociety (Free Masonry, Odd Fellowship, andTrades Unions, Guilds, Trusts, and all societiessecular and ecclesiastical), and in the mountains(governments) of earth."— B139; Jer. 3:23; Hos.10:8.Revelation 6:16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall onus.— "The Greek word epi, here used, isgenerally translated on, but has also thesignificance of over (Rev. 5:10) and about, andis so translated many times in the commonversion. The thought is that of protection, not ofdestruction. The common view of this passage,that it teaches that wicked men will get faithenough to pray for literal mountains to fall, isabsurd. The real fulfillment is already beginning:the great, the rich, and no less the poor, areseeking to the mountains and rocks and caves forshelter from the darkening storm of troublewhich all see is gathering."— B139; Hos. 10:8;Hab. 3:6.And hide us from the face.— Of Justice, nowabout to demand an accounting for ourstewardship.Of Him that sitteth on the Throne.— Jehovah.And from the wrath of the Lamb.— Whosefollowers we have falsely professed to be.Revelation 6:17.For the great day of [His] THEIR wrath iscome.— The wrath of the Father, the Son, and

the glorified saints.— Rev. 2:26, 27; Isa. 13:6-19; Zeph. 1:14-18.And who shall be able to stand.— "The answerthrough the Prophet is, ‘He that hath clean hands[an honest life] and a pure heart [a consciencevoid of offence toward God and man]: he shallascend into the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lordand stand in the holy place.' " (Psa. 24:3, 4;D582.) "Oh, what sorrow it gives us at times tobehold some not standing well the testing of thishour, some who are developing tendencies ofweakness, disloyalty to the cause, ambition forname and fame or position, desire to be greatest,tendencies to lord it over God's heritage, andwho, unless recovered, will be surely cut offfrom membership in the Body, even though, asthe Apostle declares, they may be saved so as byfire, as members of the ‘great company.'— 1Cor. 3:15." (Z.'06-309; Psa. 76:7.) The only oneswho will stand are the two classes named in thenext chapter.FM123REVELATION 7SEVENTH SEAL ANDGREAT COMPANYRevelation 7:1And after [these things] THIS.— After theevents disclosed by the opening of the sixth sealhad already been amply fulfilled, but notsignifying that further, more elaborate and finalfulfillments on an immense scale will not takeplace later.I saw four angels standing on the four cornersof the earth.— The Little Flock, commissioned tocarry the message of Present Truth to theremotest outposts of civilization. "They shallgather together His Elect from the fourwinds."— Matt. 24:31.Holding the four winds of the earth.— "Thewinds of the earth referred to here are, of course,

symbolic. The thought is that the winds from thefour quarters— North, East, South and West—are being held back, and that when the restraintis withdrawn they will rush together, and theresult will be a whirlwind. Certain Scriptures tellof a whirlwind that will be raised up from thecoasts of the earth. See Jer. 23:19; 25:32, 33;30:23, 24. We do not understand that this will bea physical whirlwind, but this symbolicexpression is used to convey the thought of asevere strife of the powers of the air. These‘powers of the air,' or ‘winds,' are not powers ofnatural air, but are the powers referred to by St.Paul when he speaks of Satan as ‘the Prince ofthe power of the air.' (Eph. 2:2.) Those spiritswho have been under the control of Satan— thefallen angels— were to be restrained until theJudgment of the Great Day. (2 Peter 2:4.) Theletting loose of these winds, or air powers, wouldseem to show that God will let go His hand ofrestraint; that He will have to do with thepermission of the terrible trouble that will come.This outside influence will exercise a banefuleffect upon men, when finally granted theliberty. These fallen spirits have been underrestraint for these many centuries, but they haveexercised their influence to whatever extent theyhave had permission. If they had had unlimitedpower they would have wrecked the world longago; but they have been restrained. ApparentlyGod will soon cease to restrain the fallen angels,and they will then proceed to vent their furyupon humanity, so that the whole earth will befull of violence, the same as in the days of Noah.FM124The power manifested by the demons whenloosed, will, we believe, be with a view to theinjury of mankind. We do not know but thatmany of our readers will have a share in thatinjury. We have every reason to suppose that, ifthese fallen angels shall get loose, they will venttheir first anger upon the Lord's people."—Z.'14-166.That the wind should not blow.— "As soon asthe power that is now controlling them shall be

emoved, we shall have a reign of evil all overthe earth. The evil spirits will do all the evil thatis in their power, and this will constitute the trialof all the fallen angels— the lifting of therestraints to see whether they will go contrary tothe Divine will. All who thus manifest theiralliance with evil in any way will becomesubjects of the Second Death; while others whoshow their loyalty to God will mark themselvesas worthy, presumably, of everlasting life.It may be something in connection with thesaints that will constitute the test of these angels.This will be the key, the secret connected withthe awful Time of Trouble which the Bible tellsus will mark the conclusion of this Age andwhich will constitute the forerunner or beginningof the New Dispensation." (Z.'11-359.) THETEST IS ON.On the earth, nor on the sea, nor on anytree.— "Symbolically, the earth representsorganized society; the sea represents thedisorganized masses (Dan. 7:2; Luke 21:25; Rev.17:1, 5), and the trees represent the Household ofFaith. The letting loose suddenly of the fallenangels will account well for the suddenness ofthe coming trouble, which everywhere in theScriptures is one of its particular features— 'inone hour'; ‘suddenly as travail upon a woman';‘as it was in the days of Noah,' and ‘as it was inthe days of Lot.' "— Z.'11-157."There is only one way, so far as we can see, inwhich these fallen angels can have a trial, theirtrial consisting in having a fuller opportunity tosin, if they so desire, or an opportunity to show,if they wish, that they are sick of sin and desireto return to harmony with God. We cannot thinkthat God will allow this trial of the angels duringthe Millennial Reign, for then, nothing shall hurt;nothing shall destroy; Satan will be bound andall evil influences will be restained. No; it cannotbe then. And in order to be tried at all, thesefallen angels must have certain liberties granted,to prove them. Otherwise, where would be theirtrial? Consequently, reasoning along this basis (2Peter 3:7), we reach the conclusion that the trial

of these fallen angels is in the near future—perhaps to some extent already begun. In whatway?" (Z.'11-318.) He that hath ears to hear, lethim hear!— 1 Cor. 6:2.FM125Revelation 7:2And I saw another angel.— The Messenger ofthe Covenant; our Lord Jesus it His SecondAdvent.— Mal. 3:1.Ascending from the east.— "This speakssymbolically of the Sun of Righteousness and itsfull light of Divine truth and blessing scatteringthe shadows of sin, ignorance, superstition anddeath, and healing and restoring the willing andobedient of humanity."— D653; Luke 1:78; Mal.4:2.Having the seal of the living God.— Theseventh seal.And He cried with a loud voice.— PastorRussell was the voice used. Beautiful voice ofthe Lord: strong, humble, wise, loving, gentle,just, merciful, faithful, self-sacrificing; one of thenoblest, grandest characters of all history. "I liftmy pen, not in defense of any doctrine, creed ordogma, but in defense of a man, in defense offairness, justice and righteousness. Pastor C. T.Russell, of Brooklyn, N. Y., stands outprominently as a target for the pulpits andreligious press of the country today. I believethere is no one more bitterly persecuted, harshlycondemned, woefully misrepresented andmisunderstood than this fearless, conscientiousman of God.No infidel writer, such as Hume, Voltaire orIngersoll, ever suffered such ruthless attacks ashave been made upon Mr. Russell. Whether thispersecution and misrepresentation is due toprejudice or ignorance of this man's realcharacter and writing, is not for me to say, but Ibelieve both are elements that play a part in thewidespread criticism uttered both from the pulpitand the press. Naturally, men will resent anyattack made upon the creed of their persuasion,

for they hold to their religious creed andaffiliations with more tenacity than they realize,until some strong mind, backed by Scriptureproof, begins to uproot their doctrine by showingtheir inconsistencies and errors. This is what Mr.Russell proceeds to do. As a logician andtheologian he is doubtless without a peer today.In his research for Biblical Truth and harmonyhe is without a parallel in this Age. Without ablemish in his character, with the loftiest idealsof God, and the possibilities of man, he towerslike a giant, unmatched. His defects fade intoinsignificance. He has been too busy spreadingDivine Truth, as he honestly sees it, to wastetime in frivolous speculation in matters not insome way connected with man's future state, asoutlined in ‘The Plan of the Ages.' Unselfish,liberal and courteous to Christians of alldenominations, but fearlessly condemning, inunmeasured terms, the errors and inconsistenciesin their creeds, as he sees them, he ranks withimmortal benefactors, and is stamping hisopinion on the world as no other man hasFM126done since the days of the Reformation. Effortsto throttle the press to prevent the publication ofhis sermons have repeatedly been made. Whythis opposition? Why would any one opposeinvestigation or revelation and searching theScriptures? Why? What right has any one toprevent free thought, free speech, or the freedomof the press? What manner of men are we? Letmen, preachers or what not, beware of blockingthe way of such a man. Jesus said, ‘Andwhosoever shall offend one of these little onesthat believe in Me, it is better that a millstonewere hanged about his neck, and he were castinto the sea.' Mark 9:42. Better be like Gamalielin the days of the Apostles, when St. Peter andothers were on trial. Gamaliel rose up and said,‘Refrain from these men, and let them alone, forif this work be of men it will come to naught; butif it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, for youfight against God.' "— Prof. C. E. Ellis.

To the four angels.— The church in the flesh,the Harvest workers.— Matt. 24:31.To whom It was given.— By completing theHarvest work and thus releasing the restraints onthe evil spirits.To hurt the earth.— Throw order-lovingpeoples into desperation.And the sea.— So enrage the masses, not underreligious restraint, as to make it impossible tocontrol them.Revelation 7:3Saying, Hurt not the earth.— Do not completethe Harvest work too soon, and thus allow thedemons to invade the minds of men until theappointed time. (Many writers claim that this hasalready happened to the ex-Czar of Russia, toKaiser Wilhelm and to the chief of modern"evangelists.")Neither the sea.— I will see to it that the workof Harvest shall hold in check those not underreligious restraint until the work of Harvest isfinished and the demons are released, when,maddened by the obsession of the evil spirits,there are no lengths to which the godless will notpresume to go. All Bible Students, followers ofPastor Russell, know how urgently he haswarned for forty years that this deluge of evilspirits is sure to come.Nor the trees.— See Rev. 8:7. Have youenjoyed this work thus far? Are you convinced itis of the Lord—prepared under His guidance?Have you carefully and prayerfully read thecomments on Rev. 7:1? Then brace yourself forthe truth that it is evidently God's purpose soonto allow the minds of many of His little ones tobecome an open battle ground, upon which thefallen angels shall be judged, and the manner inwhich we meet the tests will prove ourworthiness of crowns at the sameFM127time that it proves these disobedient spiritsunworthy of life on any plane. This is somethingwith which some but not many are yet familiar.

Truly, we know the Apostle in writing of thisevil day says, "We wrestle not against flesh andblood, but against principalities, against powers,against the rulers of the darkness of this world,against spiritual wicked ones in heavenly places"(Eph. 6:12). Truly, we know the Lord Jesus, atthe First Advent began His ministry with fortydays of conflict with the Adversary, who all thattime sought to sway His mind (Matt. 4:1-11).Truly, we have reason to believe He must havehad other terrible battles when He spent all nightin prayer, and especially when He was sodepressed in the garden of Gethsemane. Butwithout actual experience it is quite impossibleto conceive of the intensity of such struggles asare here indicated. The base of the brain is seizedas in a vise. Interpretations of Scripture,ingenious, but misleading beyond description,are projected into the mind as water might beprojected through a hose. Visions may be tried,wonderful illuminations of the mind as by a softbut glorious greenish or yellowish haze.Seductive suggestions may be made, based oncircumstances of the environment. Offers ofinspiration may be made. The privilege of sleepmay be taken away for days at a stretch. All thisis with the object of forcing the unfortunate intoat least temporary insanity so as to destroy hisinfluence and, if possible, his faith in God.Failing in all other attempts, the mind may beflooded with thoughts that are vile beyonddescription. THEN REMEMBER THE VOW.The fact that Jehovah intends some uniqueexperiences for the antitypical Isaac may bejudged from the fact that between Isaac'sconception (Gen. 17:19 and 18:10), and his birth(Gen. 21:1), occurred the destruction of Sodom(Gen. 18:16 to end of 19th Chap.), andAbraham's denial of Sarah (Gen. 20). Butreading the latter account, the child of God iscomforted with God's care of His little ones(Gen. 20:3) with the assurance that none ofSatan's plans can mature (Gen. 20:18) withoutthe Lord's permission. Isaac was a type of thecomplete Christ; and if now The Christ iscomplete, as we believe, and ready to be born

into the Kingdom, we should not be surprised atanything that might look like our repudiation atthe Father's hands. If He pours the cup, it willonly be because He knows that we can drink it,and because He wishes to prove to angels and tomen that we are worthy of the honors He is togive us."— Luke 22:42, 43; 1 Tim. 1:16.Till we.— You "four angels," Harvest workers inthe flesh, and Myself, the Lord of the Harvest.FM128Have sealed the servants of our God.— SeeRev. 19:20: 14:1. Satan is a diligent student oftime prophecy (Luke 12:39); but not having theHoly Spirit he is unable to reach accurateconclusions. Seeing a definite Plan, and adefinite time for every important feature of thatPlan, his aim has ever been to thwart thepurposes of the Almighty. This attempt todestroy the Seed began with the death of Abeland still continues. No doubt Satan believed theMillennial Kingdom was due to be set up in1915; and no doubt, also, he knew that sevenyears prior to the time of the setting up of thatkingdom the restraints upon the evil spiritswould be lifted.Be that as it may, there is evidence that theestablishment of the Kingdom in Palestine willprobably be in 1925, ten years later than we oncecalculated. The 70 jubilees, reckoned as 50 yearseach, expire October, 1925. (B186.) Gen. 15:1-16:3, read connectedly, indicates that Abraham'svision as to when he would receive the Kingdomwas not granted until ten years after theCovenant was made, or 2035 B. C. The ages ofthe animals offered aggregated eleven years,which, applied prophetically, on the scale of ayear for a day, equal 3960 years, the length oftime from the date of the visions to A. D. 1925(Z.'07-79).It seems conclusive that the hour of NominalZion's travail is fixed for the Passover of 1918.(See Rev. 3:14.) That will be 7 years prior to1925. At that time there is every reason tobelieve the fallen angels will invade the minds of

many of the Nominal Church people, drivingthem to exceedingly unwise conduct and leadingto their destruction at the hands of the enragedmasses, who will later be dragged to the samefate. The great war now raging is most certainlythe work of evil spirits, and the Kaiser is not theonly clever ruler who has been deceived by evilspirits, as history will sometime show.— Luke12:56If our reasoning is correct, we inquire whetherthere was any indication of a move on Satan'spart 7 years prior to 1915, showing that heexpected the restraints to be removed from theevil spirits at that time; and we answer that therewas something very definite indicated at thattime. In the Vow, advised by Pastor Russell inthat year, and in the experiences of many, for andagainst it, it is plain that the Enemy thenattempted to come in like a flood, but was heldback— restrained until the sealing work is done.(Matt. 10:25; Luke 22:42-44; Heb. 12:4; Isa.63:3.) After the demons have been turned looseon the swine class, we shall see what happens.(Matt. 7:6; 8:31-34.) Those now fearful that theymight learn some thing will be terror-strickenthen for a different reason.FM129In their foreheads.— "The storm is held incheck until the faithful servants of God are‘sealed in their foreheads' (Ex. 13:9, 16; 28:26-38; Deut. 6:8; Ezek. 9:4-6; Rev. 14:1), i.e., untilsuch are given an intellectual appreciation whichwill not only comfort them, and shield them, butalso be a mark, seal or evidence of their sonship,as indicated by our Lord when He promised thatthe Holy Spirit should show to the faithful‘things to come.' (John 16:13.") (B169.) Whenthe demon test comes, those who have the markof sonship (Ezek. 9:2-4) will know it and willstand the test, while all others will surely fail. Aletter from one of the Bethel workers, writtenshortly after Pastor Russell's death, says: "Aboutthree months ago I asked several questions at thetable, the last one being as follows, ‘Since I nowsee that the Jewish Time of Trouble did not end

until the year 73 A. D., as I fully proved tomyself by consulting the historians, what thenare we to expect in the parallel year 1918?'Brother Russell put the question to threeprominent brethren, all of whom replied that theydid not know, but were willing to wait and see.When he called upon me I said, ‘Since the year73 A. D. saw the complete overthrow of nominalNatural Israel in Palestine, so in the parallel year1918, I infer we should look for the completeoverthrow of nominal Spiritual Israel; i. e., thefall of Babylon. (Rev. 18.) Brother Russellreplied: ‘Exactly. That is exactly the inference todraw.'" The conclusion of the Church's careercomes first. (Rev. 3:14.)"If you see the ‘door' of opportunity for sacrificeand service open before you, enter in. But enterquickly; for the night of darkness and of intenseopposition to the truth will ere long be upon usand will hinder you from engaging in the service.‘The morning cometh, and also the night.' ‘Thenight cometh in which no man can work.' Whenthat is true, you may know that ‘the door is shut,'that all the wise virgins have entered in, that allhave been proved, and that all vacancies havebeen acceptably filled. All the special ‘servantsof God' having by that time been ‘sealed in theirforeheads' (given an intellectual appreciation ofGod's Plan), the four winds will be loosed andwill produce the great ‘whirlwind' of trouble inthe midst of which the remnant of the Elijahclass will be ‘changed,' and exalted to Kingdomglory."— C225.Revelation 7:4And I heard the number of them which weresealed.— "We have every reason to believe thatthe definite, fixed number of the Elect is thatseveral times stated in Revelation, namely,144,000 ‘redeemed from amongst men.' " (F179;Rev. 14:1.) This is the equivalent of one saintfully developed for each five days of the Age.

FM130And there were sealed 144,000.— On this pointone of Pastor Russell's coworkers has well said:"That this is not a symbolical, but an exactnumber, seems certain from the fact that, in thesame chapter reference is made to anothercompany, also spirit-begotten. In the 9th versewe read: ‘I beheld, and lo, a great multitudewhich no man could number.' It is not probablethat this multitude is so great that no one couldactually count them, but rather that none canstate their number, God having left it indefinite."Of all the tribes of the children of Israel.—"As a name, Israel signified ‘The people blessedof the Lord.' ‘The people of God,' ‘The Lord'speople.'— 2 Chron. 7:14." (D654; Gal. 6:16;Rom. 9:6-8.) Each of the saints is reckoned asbelonging to one of the twelve tribes of"Israelites indeed," which tribes bear the namesof the twelve patriarchs of natural Israel. In everyfamily each child is beloved for somecharacteristic peculiarly its own; and in themeaning of the names of the children of Israelwe may recognize certain of the qualities whichmake each overcomer precious in the Father'ssight.Revelation 7:5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelvethousand.— Juda signifies Celebrated, lauded,praised.Nothing is more praiseworthy than justice,noble-mindedness, the doing to everybody asone would wish to be done by. Our Lord was theJust One of the tribe of Juda. All who knewPastor Russell intimately, recognized that justicewas the foundation principle of his character.The mention of the Lord's tribe first shows thatthere is a Divine order in the arrangement of thenames, inasmuch as that order is different fromthe order of the birth of Jacob's sons. Doubtlessthe brightest crowns will be worn by those thatare wholly without self-love, either in heart or inlife.— Gen. 38:12-26; 43:3-10; 44:14, 34; 46:28.

Of the tribe of Reuben [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Reuben's name signifying "See ye,a son, provided in my affliction" or The Pity ofGod, seems to refer to the five-talented brethrenwho make their calling and election sure. To bepossessed of ability and means to get the fullestenjoyment out of life, and to sacrifice it allgladly, requires a standard of character so highthat the Lord expressly states that not manyattain it. (1 Cor. 1:26; Gen. 37:21, 22, 29, 30;42:22, 37.) A taint of love of the world (spiritualuncleanness) is all that prevents from attainingthe very highest place.— Gen. 35:22; 49:3, 4; 2Cor. 7:1.Of the tribe of God [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Gad's name, signifying A troop ofchildren cometh, seems to give the third highesthonor to those faithful men and women whohave been blessed of God in bringing manyFM131of their own descendants into the Divine family.Instances are on record where as many as twelvechildren in one family have all come into thelight of Present Truth and consecrated, as a resultof the life and teachings of a noble father andmother. There is a family interest on the part ofthe Heavenly Father in every family that rightlyseeks His face. Not a crown is available forothers, so long as even one child of one of theconsecrated is ready to run for that crown. "Thepromise is unto you [first], and to your children[next], and [after that] to all that are afar off,even as many as the Lord your God shall call."(Acts 2:39; 1 Cor. 7:14.) "Of the childhood andlife of the patriarch Gad nothing is preserved. Atthe time of the descent into Egypt, seven sons areascribed to him, remarkable from the fact that amajority of their names have plural terminations,as if those of families rather than persons."(McC.)— Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:15-18. 7:6Of the tribe of Aser [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Aser's name signifies Happy. "AndLeah said, Happy am I, for the daughters willcall me blessed: and she called his name Asher."(Gen. 30:13.)

Apparently the fourth highest place of honorgoes to the happy Christians. Wherever else thelong-faced saints go they do not get into theAsher tribe. "Rejoice in the Lord alway: andagain I say rejoice. Finally, my brethren, rejoicein the Lord."— Phil. 4:4; 3:1; 2 Chron. 20:22.Of the tribe of Nephtalim [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Naphtali's name signifies Greatwrestlings, and suggests that the fifth highestplace will go to those who have especiallysought the face of the Father in prayer. By hisbirth Naphtali was allied to Dan, the class thatgoes into the Second Death. (Gen. 35:25; 49:17.)The suggestion is not strained, then, that here is aclass that has overcome largely because theyhave so much appreciated, and have used to suchgood purpose, the privilege of seeking theFather's face in prayer.—Luke 11:5-13; James1:5; 3:17.Of the tribe of Manasses [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Manasseh's name signifiesForgetting, "For God hath made me forget allmy toil and all my father's House." (Gen. 41:51.)The sixth honor apparently refers to a classhaving naturally very strong human attachments,for the dear ones of their earthly families, and yetlove the Lord still more. Great is the love, greatthe faithfulness of those that hear and heed theDivine proposal: "Hearken, O daughter, andconsider, and incline thine ear; forget also thineown people, and thy father's House."— Psa.45:10.FM1327:7. Of the tribe of Simeon [were sealed]twelve thousand.— Simeon signifies Hearing."Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated,He hath therefore given me this son also." (Gen.29:33.)This suggests that the seventh place of honor isreserved for those who have been hated in theirhome circles because of faithfulness to the Wordof the Lord. The Lord saw that the beauties oftheir characters would only shine forth to thebest advantage if they were made ready in just

such environment. How sweet, how beautiful, isthe patient heart developed under suchconditions!— Rom. 5:3; Col. 1:11, 12; 1 Pet.1:7; 4:12; 5:10; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; James1:12.Of the tribe of Levi [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Levi's name signifies A joining."This time will my husband be joined unto me,because I have borne him three sons."The next honor is apparently reserved for thosewho have literally sacrificed all their possessionsin this world in order that they might be moreclosely joined to the Lord and His service. Levihad no inheritance in the land, as a tribe, and asan individual the only event recorded in the lifeof the patriarch is one of destruction of theunfaithful.— Gen. 34:25-29.Of the tribe of Issachar [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Issachar signifies There is reward,or He brings reward. "God hath given me myhire, because I have given my maiden to myhusband." "Issachar is a strong ass couchingdown between two burdens: and he saw that restwas good, and the land that it was pleasant; andbowed his shoulder to bear." (Gen. 30:18; 49:14,15.)This seems to signify that the next honor goes tothe zealous, those who joyfully undertake, in theLord's name and cause, to work hard for theglory of His name.— 1 Cor. 15:58.Revelation 7:8Of the tribe of Zabuion [were sealed] twelvethousand.— Zebulun signifies Habitation orDwelling. It signifies the blessed satisfaction thatcomes to those who, like the Master, during theirearthly pilgrimages have not known where to laytheir heads; but, although they have wrestledwith poverty throughout life's little day, havenevertheless held faithfully to the Lord, servingHim, with limited education, strength, talentsand opportunities, in hope of finally reaching"The Home where changes never come, nor pain,nor sorrow, toil nor care." What a homecoming

they will have! In the Father's House of manymansions theirs will be the happiest home.Of the tribe of [Joseph were sealed]BENJAMIN twelve thousand.— Benjaminsignified Son of my Sorrow originally, but thename was changed to signify Son of the righthand. The youngest of Jacob's children, he seemsFM133in some aspects to typify the Great Companyclass (Z.'811-7), but succeeds in gaining thehigher reward, probably because of being thecompanions of those that occupy more advancedpositions in the Body. Thus the humble-mindedand faithful servants and companions may anddo fill up that which is behind of the afflictionsof Christ, even though their personal sufferingsbe slight.— Heb. 10:33.Of the tribe of [Benjamin were sealed]JOSEPH twelve thousand.— The Sinaitic MS.mentions Joseph last, with peculiar fitness.Joseph was one of the most beautiful charactersof the Bible. His name signifies Whom may Godincrease.He had so many virtues that it is inadvisable toattempt their enumeration, but the story is told atlength in Gen. 37-50. He is one of the very fewcharacters named in the Bible about whomnothing uncomplimentary is expressed. He wellrepresents all the other members of the Divinefamily, all of whom have attained the Divinelikeness in their hearts and given expression tothat likeness as well as the frailties andweaknesses of the flesh would permit.It will be noticed that the tribes of Dan andEphraim are omitted from the foregoing list. Danevidently represents the class that goes into theSecond Death. The name signifies "God hathJudged me." (Gen. 30:6.)We know that all God's Judgments are Just and,look for the reason for Dan's rejection. Jacobprophesied that it would be Dan "that biteth thehorse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."(Gen. 49:17.) Horses are symbols of doctrines.

Dan evidently represents a class tampering withdoctrines, resulting in the overthrow of the NewCreature. A study of the history of the tribe ofDan confirms this. Originally Dan was given oneof the choicest parts of Palestine, one of the mostfertile and the most secure. It was completelyembraced by its two brother tribes Ephraim andBenjamin, while on the south-east and south itjoined Judah, and was thus surrounded by thethree most powerful states of the wholeconfederacy. The Danites however failed toconquer the land originally assigned to them(representing the failure of the New Creature togain the victory over the mind of the flesh) andchose another inheritance to the far north (Judges18:131). This selection of the farthest northresembles Satan's similar choice (Isa. 14:13) andsuggests that the Danite New Creatures were ledaway from their original inheritance by ambition.The context shows an unreasonably highvaluation of their own Judgment and a wilfulinterference with the priestly office, and this wemay Judge hasFM134been a frequent offense of those who commit thegreat sin that lies just beyond the sin ofpresumption. (Psa. 19:13; 2 Sam. 6:6, 7.) THETEST IS ON ; take heed! take heed!The half tribe of Ephraim represents the GreatCompany, mainly to be found in the NominalChurch. They are more or less intoxicated witherror (Isa. 28:1, 7), they fear to let go of theiridols of creeds and catechisms (Hos. 4:17), theyare, in a way, half-baked Christians, not whollydevoted to the Lord— "Ephraim is a cake notturned." (Hos. 7:8.) From first to last theprophecy of Hosea is eloquent with Jehovah'spleadings to the Great Company class not to missthe great prize of Immortality.Revelation 7:9After this, I beheld, and lo, a greatmultitude.— When the Apostle tells us in 2John 8, "Look to yourselves that ye lose notthose things which we have wrought, but that ye

eceive a full reward," he is teaching that aHeavenly reward may be gained that is not asfull as if a course more pleasing to the HeavenlyFather is pursued.Instead of teaching that the saved of our race willall be saved to the same thing, the Scripturesshow two degrees or kinds of Heavenlysalvation, and two degrees or kinds of earthlysalvation. In the second chapter of Genesis thestream which went forth from the Garden ofEden was divided into four parts. This is aScriptural recognition of the fact that fromAdam, the original fountain of life, will flowfour streams: The Little Flock, who are to sitdown with Christ in His Throne; the GreatCompany, who are to stand before the Throne,having the palms of martyrdom but without thecrowns of glory; the Ancient Worthies, theJewish fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel,etc., who are to be made princes in all the earth;and the world of mankind, who will constitutethe subjects of the Kingdom over which theAncient Worthies will rule. The same lesson istaught in the division of the Levites into fourcamps, each located on a different side of theTabernacle. (Num. 3:15; D653; F129.) It is alsotaught in the Apostle's statement in 2 Tim. 2:20,that in God's great House there will ultimately befound four classes of vessels to His praise.The question for the saints is not as to which ofthe earthly classes may ultimately include them,for they have given up their earthly hopes inexchange for Heavenly hopes. The question iswhether they shall be wise virgins, faithfulstudents of the Word, building with the gold,silver and precious stones of Divine Truthinstead of foolish virgins (pure of heart) (Matt.25:2; C94; F75) who build faith structures withthe wood, hay and stubble of human tradition.The Apostle says the fiery trials of life willFM135try every man's work so as by fire, and intimatesthat those who do not build wisely shall sufferloss— not go into eternal torment, but fail togain the great reward which otherwise might be

theirs. (1 Cor. 3:12; T69.) The question iswhether as branches in Christ the Vine, to goonward to fruit-bearing, or as other branches, tobe principally devoted to leaves (professions), ortendrils (feelers after earthly honors andemoluments). (John 15:2; F78, 170.) Christ saidof a similar class in His day, "How can ye believe [effectively] which receivehonor one of another, and seek not the praisewhich cometh from God only!" The question iswhether we are to be termed children ofdisobedience (Col. 3:6; Z.'99-141) because,though God's children, we have failed to mortify,or put to death, our earthly and sinful tendencies;whether we are sinners against the covenant wehave made with God to lay down our lives in Hisservice (Psa. 1:1; Z.'00-181), whether, like Lot'swife, we look back to the earthly good things wehave given up (Gen. 19:26; C194), or whetherwe retain the singleness of heart and purpose,without which the prize of the High Callingcannot be gained.The question is whether, as babes in Christ, weshall wink at the unscriptural divisions of God'speople, into followers of Paul or Apollos,Cephas or Luther, Calvin or Wesley (1 Cor. 3:1;D17); whether, like Rahab, we shall be in thecitadel of error when it falls, or like Joshua whocaused it to fall (Josh. 6:25; Z.'07-267); whether,like the fitches and cummin, we shall easilydivest ourselves of the entangling associations oflife, represented by the pods from which thefitches and cummin are so easily shaken, orwhether we shall be like the "bread-corn" whichrequires a vast amount of threshing before it willlet go of the close-clinging chaff. (Isa. 28:27;Z.'84-1-4.)The question is whether, like the rejectedmembers of Gideon's army, we shall forget ourmission, and bury our heads in the waters oftruth; or whether, with equal appreciation of itsmessage, we shall remember why the Lord gaveit to us, and shall drink of it, with our eyes outover the horizon, seeking to serve, to spend andbe spent in the Master's service. (Judg. 7:6;

Z.'07-331.) The question is whether, like Caleband Joshua, we shall retain our confidence inHim who has called us, and bring back truereports of the land we hope ere long to possess,or, whether we shall be of the larger companythat through fear and faint-heartedness neverenter in. (Num. 13:31; Z.'07-251.) Shall werejoice to lay down our lives for the Lord'sbrethren, or shall we, through fear of thissacrificial death, be all our lifetime subject tobondage? (Heb. 2:15;FM136T70, 71.) The question is whether we shall belike the servant who hid his Lord's talent in theearth (in earthly enjoyments and pursuits) (Matt.25:24; Z.'01-61; Z.'06-318), whether we shall bedouble minded, having some idea of attainingheavenly things and some idea of getting all wecan of earthly things (Jas. 1:8; Z.'07-316),whether, like Obadiah, we are merely friendlytoward the Truth and those who stand for theTruth, but conceal our interest for fear of theconsequences to ourselves and our families.— 1Kings 18:3; Z.'04-221.If, in these tests of faith and character, we comeoff victorious in the Lord's sight, we shall notneed to be of those who wash their robes andmake them white in the blood of the Lamb, inthe great tribulation with which this Age willclose, but shall keep our robes unspotted so thatthey will not need such a general cleansing. If wehave fled to the Lord before the winter time ofHis disfavor has come upon the man-madesystems of our day, we shall be spared the rigorsof the flight, of which He said, "Pray that yourflight be not in the winter [of 1917-1918 (?)]"(Matt. 24:20; D578), and we shall be spared, too,the bitter disappointment of saying at that time,"The Harvest [the time of special favor] is past,the summer is ended and we are not saved" [notsaved with the chiefest salvation, with thesalvation to which we aspired]. (Jer. 8:20;D578.) In the time of Zion's travail thesechildren of God will all be delivered. (Isa. 66:8;Z.'94-135.) Let us be glad of our hope that we

shall be of the Man-child delivered before thattravail comes. Let us hope we may not be of thelambs (Isa. 34:6; D17) or the goats foundtogether in the nominal sheepfolds when the timehas come to wind up present ecclesiasticalsystems. All down the Age, some of God'schildren have been "turned over to Satan for thedestruction of the flesh, that the spirit might besaved in the day of the Lord" (1 Cor. 5:5; T69,71), because they have not lived up to theircovenants. The sufferings of the scapegoat class,turned into the wilderness, dying of thirst,hunger, snake-bites, thorns, briars, burrs, fleas orattacks of wild animals, were far greater thanthose of the Lord's goat, killed sacrificially. (Lev.16:7-10; T60.) Those who withhold from theLord what they have promised Him suffer farmore than those who fight manfully the goodfight of faith and lay hold with both hands on thehope set before us.The Great Company class will say "Alleluia" assoon as they perceive that the Church iscomplete. (Rev. 19:1; A240; F178.) But likeRebecca's damsels of old, they must go the samelong journey as the Bride class, only toFM137be received as servants in the end. (Gen. 24:61;Psa. 45:14; F121, 171.) Shall we enter fully intoour inheritance now, while the door is still opento do and dare in the Master's Cause; or shall webe like the class mentioned in Ezekiel 44 thatfinds the door shut because the start is made toolate, and must know that forever the HeavenlyPriesthood, the prize of the High Calling, isclosed, and that the most that can be thenattained is the place as keepers or servants in theTemple? (Ezek. 44:114; Z.'05-269.) Let usrejoice if we are heirs of salvation at all; but letus resolve, by God's grace, that we shall, in thewords of our text, "Look to ourselves, that welose not those things that we have wrought, butthat we receive a full reward"— all that theFather is pleased to give to those who love Himsupremely.

"What we see going on about us seems natural toour minds. The way in which other people spendtime and money is a temptation to the Lord'speople which must be steadfastly resisted. For usto do what others do, and to devote to the Lord'sservice only what the world considers areasonable day's work, would not be fulfillingour Covenant of Sacrifice at all. Those who seekmerely to do right, and to put in eight hours or soa day faithfully, after the manner of the world,will be judged from this standpoint; and they willmerely obtain a place in the Great Company.They are not fulfilling the conditions of theCovenant of Sacrifice."— Z.'14-71."We do not think we should understand theScriptures to teach that the Great Company willattain to the same degree of spiritualdevelopment as the Little Flock. They fail todisplay that love and zeal which the Lord has setas the mark for participation in the RoyalPriesthood." (Z.'14-68.)"In determining to sacrifice themselvespiecemeal when and how they and their friendsmight please, is the primary mistake." (Z.'96-191.)"While the living members of the Bride are beingseparated from others by the Truth, the ears ofthis class are dull of hearing and they are slow tobelieve and slow to act." (A20.)"In one parable the Lord styles this class awicked and slothful servant. He does not denyhim the honor of being a servant, He does notcharge him with becoming an enemy. He iscounted wicked and slothful because, havingundertaken certain responsibilities as a servant,he has failed to manifest the proper spirit ofearnest devotion."-Z.'07-315.Which no man could number.— "Whosenumber no man is able to tell (i. e., it is not aforeordained or fixed number — none werecalled to be of this company.)"— Rev. 5:11.FM138

Of all nations, and kindreds, and people, andtongues.— "As the number of the Bride ofChrist is to be 144,000, it would be reasonable tothink that each number of this class may have144,000 to look after, as 144,000x144,000 equals20,736,000,000 (twenty billions seven hundredand thirty-six millions), evidently just about theright number to be cared for— 144,000 would bequite a host for each individual of the Bride classto look after. So we can see the necessity for thework of the Great Company."— QuestionMeeting.Stood before the Throne.— Not in the Throne,as in the case of the Bride. (A214.) "TheScriptures inform us that as that which isbegotten of the flesh is flesh, so that which isbegotten of the Spirit is spirit. That is to say, thatwhoever has been begotten of the Holy Spirit hasexperienced a change of nature so radical that itwould be impossible for him to share aresurrection with the world on the humanplane."— Z.'07-316.And before the Lamb.— "Since their hearts areloyal to the Redeemer, and since they maintaintheir faith in the precious blood and hold fast anddo not deny the same, therefore the Lord Jesus,the Advocate, the Captain of our Salvation, wholeads the Very Elect to glory through the steps ofwilling sacrifice, will lead these to a spiritualblessing— to perfection on a lower plane ofspirit-being— because they have trusted in Himand have not denied His name or His work."—F169.Clothed with white robes.— "They let slip theiropportunity for becoming members of the Bride;but they are, nevertheless, virgins, pure in theirheart-intentions."— F127; Rev. 7:14.And palms in their hands.— "The palm isespecially the symbol of martyrdom. The palmof martyrdom has become in the language of theChurch, a classical and sacramental expression.In the diptychs, the acts of the martyrs, and themartyrologies, we read, ‘He has received thepalm of martyrdom'— he has been crowned withthe palm of the martyrs." (McC.)

Many of the martyrs of the Dark Ages wereundoubtedly of the Great Company.FM7:10And [cried] THEY CRY with a loud voice.—In grand and happy chorus of exultant praise andthanksgiving over their final deliverance.— Rev.19:6, 7.Saying, Salvation.— Our glorious andunmerited boon of life on so high a plane.To our God.— Be ascribed to Him as theAuthor.— Psa. 3:8.[Which sitteth] upon the Throne.—Jehovah.— Rev. 4:2; 5:13.FM139And unto the Lamb.— The Tower of the Flock,Christ as the instrument of salvation.— Micah4:8.Revelation 7:11And all the angels.— The beautiful sons of themorning who shouted for joy in the dawn ofearth's creative week 48,000 years ago.— Job38:7; Luke 2:9-14; Matt. 4:11; 28:2; F51.Stood round about the Throne.— With eagerjoy welcoming this new addition to the family ofGod.And about the elders.— The prophecies, manyof which have pointed out this second andgreater company. But notice the exquisite nicetyof the Word of God and the Wisdom of ourFather! Not all the elders do mention the GreatCompany, and therefore the designation "fourand twenty," in this instance, is omitted.And the four beasts.— Justice, Power, Loveand Wisdom.And fell before the Throne on their faces.—No wonder such humble characters "alwaysbehold the face of the Father."— Matt. 18:10.And worshipped God.— There is no selfseekingamong the angels. When an angelappeared to Manoah and his wife, and Manoah

sought to know his name, he left an everlastinglesson in his reply, "Why askest thou thus aftermy name, seeing it is secret?"— Judges 13:2-23.7:12Saying, Amen.— So be it! We are not at alljealous. We are delighted to have these newhelpers in the Heavenly realm.Blessing .— The praises and blessings of all whoowe their existence to His goodness.And wisdom.— To continually and foreverunfold some new and wonderful features ofgoodness and grace towards the work of Hishands.And thanksgiving.— From "every creaturewhich is in Heaven and on earth."— Rev. 5:13.And honor.— To the Name so long and sounjustly and foully dishonored, by the eternaltorment theory.And power.— Restrained for thousands ofyears, but now about to be exercised in man'sbehalf.— Psa. 76:10.And might.— The ability to accomplish fully allHis purposes.— Isa. 55:11.Be unto our God for ever and ever, Amen.—Be ascribed to Jehovah for eternity.— Rev. 5:13,14.Revelation 7:13.And one of the elders.— The prophecy ofIsaiah 1:10-20.Answered, saying unto me.— Undersymbolism of Sodom because of theiridentification with spiritual Sodom's work andhopes.— Rev. 11:8.What are these which are arrayed in whiterobes.— Who are these of whom it is said,"Your hands are full of blood.

FM140Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil ofyour doings before mine eyes, etc."?— Isa. 1:15,16; Rev. 7:9.And whence came they.— Why are theyfiguratively represented as stained with blood?Revelation 7:14And I said unto him, [Sir,] MY LORD, thouknowest.— It is doubtless contained in yourprophecy.And he said unto me.— In Isa. 34:5, 6, "Mysword shall be bathed in Heaven: behold, it shallcome down upon Idumea, and upon the peopleof My curse, to judgment. The sword of the Lordis filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness,and with the blood of lambs."— D17.These are they which came out of greattribulation.— " ‘The tribulation, the greatone'— the twofold article being speciallyemphatic. See Rev. 3:10; 6:17; Matt. 24:21."(Cook.) "They are those," he said, "who havejust passed through the great distress." (Weym.)"The slaughter of this day of vengeance is said tobe of the ‘lambs and goats.' (Isa. 34:6.) Thelambs would represent the tribulation saints."(D17.)"The Great Company will pass through a greattribulation, with a view to effecting in them aproper penitence for sin and a properappreciation of the Divine standard of truth andrighteousness. This class, particularly large in thepresent day, will be delivered over to theAdversary— to suffer in a Time of Trouble suchas was not since there was a nation— the greattime of trouble with which this Age shall end.Such of them as fail to respond to thosetribulations and to seek the Lord will die theSecond Death, but such as respond faithfully willbe counted as overcomers." (Z.'07-232.)"Many such are now being closely bound in withthe various bundles of tares for the burning; andnot until the fiery trouble of the latter end of theHarvest period shall burn the binding cords of

Babylon's bondage shall these be able to maketheir escape— 'saved so as by fire.' They mustsee the utter wreck of Great Babylon and receivesome measure of her plagues." (C364.)"Sad disappointments attach to the experiencesof this company: it is because they fear thereproaches of Christ that they shirk presentprivileges and opportunities for walking withHim in white in the ‘sufferings of this presenttime:' behold, they not only miss the present joyand rejoicing of those who are faithful, buteventually they must come through still greatersufferings, if they would attain even to a lowerplace. Although loving the Lord and His people,they are somewhat ashamed of them and hide, asit were, their faces from them, in the presence ofthe worldly: and behold the Master at HisComing for His ‘Bride' cannot confess theirnames in the presence of theFM141Father and the holy angels." (Z.'97-162.) "Thesewill be helped out of Babylon when she isfalling, and will flee in the winter-time, saying inthe words of the Prophet, ‘The Harvest is past,the Summer is ended [Winter has come], and weare not saved.' (Jer. 8:20.)" (D578.)"These, surely, we cannot expect to see shieldedfrom the very trouble which the Lord declaresthey need; and which in special mercy He willinflict for their perfecting."--Z.'96-191.And have washed their robes.— Spotted andsoiled by contact with the world.— Z.'97-161.And made them white in the blood of theLamb.— "Not that their sufferings will washtheir robes, but that in their sufferings they willlearn to appreciate as never before theirrelationship to the Lamb of God and to Hisatoning merit, and by faith will be permitted toapply the same to their own cleansing."— Z.'07-233; 1 John 1:7.

Revelation 7:15Therefore.— Because, in the final test, theysuffered martyrdom and cleansed their robesrather than deny the Lord.Are they before the Throne of God.— "Withthe world in the next Age, the Lord's power willbe represented through the Great Company class,under the Bride. They will be a great policeforce, looking out for the whole people. Theywill have enough to do; for God has guaranteedthat ‘nothing shall hurt or offend in all His holyMountain'— Kingdom (Isa. 11:9). That willmean a careful supervision. Yes, indeed! Howwill they hinder wrong-doing? If a person wereabout to speak blasphemy or slander, the tonguemight be instantly paralyzed. Very easy! Apoliceman right on the spot!— not waiting untilthe offender had done the mischief and thenpunishing him, but fixing him so that he will notget the chance to do it, and punishing him fortrying to do so."—Question Meeting.And serve Him day and night in HisTemple.— "Although they can never be theliving Temple of which Christ is the Head (Rev.3:12; 11:1), we are told they shall be servants inthat Temple; and although they shall never sit inthe Throne, they are highly privileged to serve‘before the Throne.' Grand and gloriousprivileges will be theirs."— Z.'97-162; Rev.22:3.And He that sitteth on the Throne.— Jehovah.[Shall dwell among] KNOWETH them.— Tobe known of the Lord is to be the sure recipientof blessings.Not to be known or recognized of Him is thegreatest of all calamities. God keeps a record ofHis friends (Mal. 3:16) but no record of Hisenemies; and therein lies their ruin. "I neverknew you; depart from Me."— Matt.FM142Revelation 7:23.7:16. They shall NOT hunger [no more].—Poor things, how hungry they have been! How

the light has shone in their poor, hunted, starvedfaces, as they have listened to Pastor Russell, bythe tens of thousands; and yet, when the lecturewas over, they have wearily gone back to the"husks," from a sense of duty to the memory ofsome man, dead for hundreds of years, whowould, if alive today, be a follower of theReformer, Charles T. Russell, because hefollowed Christ.Neither thirst any more.— "The waters ofTruth shall no longer be brackish with error,being healed at the very spring by a clearerunderstanding of the Word of God."-B266.Neither shall the sun light on them, nor anyheat.— During the Harvest time the Lord'speople, illuminated with the light of PresentTruth, have been shining forth, not with anybrilliancy of their own, but with much of thecoming splendor of the "Sun of Righteousness."Coming in contact with them, it has beeninevitable that the Great Company class shouldfrequently be singed, unable to answer the Truth,and should feel considerable heat. Theircondition has been aptly described by theProphet, "It shall be a vexation only tounderstand the report." (Isa. 28:19.) "As if a mandid flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or wentinto the house and leaned his hand on the wall,and a serpent bit him."— Amos 5:19. 7:17For the Lamb.— Jesus Christ, their eternalFriend— "The same yesterday, today, andforever."— Heb. 13:8.Which is in the midst of the Throne.—Authority, rulership.— A92; Rev. 5:6.Shall feed them.— Be their shepherd. (John10:1-28; 21:16.) They will not have immortality.Their lives will always require to be sustained, asin the case of the angels.And shall lead them unto [living] fountains ofwaters OF LIFE.— They will not have withinthem the "well of water springing up untoeverlasting life," as will the Bride class, but mayfreely take of the "Water of life" which flowsforth from the united well-springs of the

Fountain and its 144,000 associates.— John4:14; Rev. 22:1, 17; Ezekiel 47:1-5.And God shall wipe away all tears from theireyes.— There will be tears at first that willrequire wiping away, when they see all they havemissed. Nevertheless, "With gladness andrejoicing shall they be brought into the King'sPalace." (Psa. 45:10.) And it is a good place;there we leave them, to bask in the sunlight ofHis presence forevermore. We shall know themall, then, even as we shall be known by them.—1 Cor. 13:12.FM143REVELATION 8FOUR PRELIMINARYREFORMATIONSRevelation 8:1And when He.— The Lord Jesus, whoseprivilege it is to open them all.— Rev. 6:1.Had opened the seventh seal.— "The seal ofthe living God." (Rev. 7:2.) The opening of theseventh seal is progressive. The opening andunfolding of the Truth goes on as the saints aresealed. By the time the saints are all sealed intheir hearts and minds with the Present Truth, thedeepest features of the Truth itself will have beendisclosed. "The time will undoubtedly come in the nearfuture when the number of the Elect will becomplete. Then only such vacancies as mightstill occur by some falling out would remain."(Z.'14-68.)"God's people down through this Gospel agehave been privileged to know something of the‘Secret of the Lord'— the Divine Plan. But notuntil the last seal is broken, does the scroll flywide open, permitting the ‘Mystery of God' to befully disclosed; as it is written: ‘In the days ofthe voice of the seventh angel, when be shallbegin to sound, the Mystery of God should befinished, as He hath declared to His servants theProphets.' (Rev. 5:1; 10:7.)"— Z.'97-257.

There was silence.— "Assemble yourselves,and let us enter into the defenced cities, and letus be silent there: for the Lord our God hath putus to silence." (Jer. 8:14.) "They (the clergy)somehow realize that neither reason norScripture supports their false doctrines, and thatthe wisest method is to keep silent, in the shadowof old superstitions and under the protection ofso-called Christian governments."— C158.In heaven.— In the nominal ecclesiasticalheavens.About the space of half an hour.— On thescale of a year for a day this would mean but aweek, and indicates that, as soon as the fullnumber to complete the Body of Christ havebeen sealed with the Present Truth, persecutionin a public way, and on an unprecedented scale,may be expected to begin almost immediately.(This verse should properly be included inChapter 7.)Revelation 7:23. 8:2.And I saw.— As the next vision of the grandseries. Something never seen until the seventhseal is broken and the Mystery of God finished.The seven angels.— Instrumentalities suitablefor the work to be performed.FM144Which stood before God.— Featuring theReformation.And to them were given seven trumpets.—Bugles with which to blow bugle-blasts ofliberty from the oppressions of the papacy,leading up to and including the final blast of"Liberty throughout all the land unto all, theinhabitants thereof."— Lev. 25:10.Revelation 7:23. 8:3.And another angel.— Not the "voice of theLord," mentioned in the preceding chapter, butthe corporate body— the Watch Tower Bible andTract Society, which Pastor Russell formed tofinish his work.

This verse shows that, though Pastor Russell haspassed beyond the veil, he is still managingevery feature of the Harvest work. "The WatchTower Bible and Tract Society is the greatestcorporation in the world, because from the timeof its organization until now the Lord has used itas His channel through which to make known theGlad Tidings." — Z.'17-22; Rev. 14:18; 19:17.Came and stood.— Waited before the Lord,after the Pastor's death, ready to do the Master'swill.At the altar.— The Brazen Altar, the place ofsacrifice. (Ex. 38:1-7; Lev. 16:12, 13.) The firefor the sacrifice at the Golden Altar was obtainedhere and then carried to the golden altar wherethe incense was crumbled in it.Having a golden censer.— Censers, or firepans,were of two forms, with handles andwithout. In this case the kind with the handle,used only on the Day of Atonement, is the onereferred to. The incense was burnt while the highpriest held the censer in his hand. Thus, in thisprophecy, the great antitypical High Priestidentifies Himself with the work of the Society,and places in its care— holds in His hand— thefire-pans, the things that lead us to the placewhere we sacrifice ourselves. Thus seen, thecenser represents teachings, undertakings of theWord; for it is our understanding of the Wordwhich leads us to offer up all we have in theLord's service.— Num. 16:6, 7.And there was given unto him muchincense.— The heart's best endeavors of thefaithful fellow-members of the Body.That he should offer it.— To Jehovah, throughthe Son.— Rev. 5:8.With the prayers of all saints.— The Society isthe only entity in the world answering to thisdescription. It alone has offered on its behalf theprayers of all the saints, in harmony with theclause of the Vow which reads, "Daily will Iremember at the Throne of heavenly grace thegeneral interests of the Harvest work— the dear

co-laborers at the Brooklyn Tabernacle andBethel, and everywhere."Upon the golden altar [which was] before theThrone.—The offerings take place "before the Throne," onthis side the veil.— Rev. 1:4; 5:6; Ex. 30:1-10.FM145Revelation 8:4And the smoke.— The fragrant, sweet perfume.Of the incense.— Life's dearest ties, sacrificedin the Master's cause.Which came with the prayers of the saints.—In harmony with the Vow of faithfulness.— Psa.141:2; Luke 1:10; Acts 10:4.Ascended up before God out of the angel'shand.— "An odor of a sweet smell, a sacrificeacceptable, wellpleasing to God."— Phil. 4:18.Revelation 8:5And the angel.— The Watch Tower Societythrough its proper representatives.Took the censer.— The Seventh Volume ofStudies in the Scriptures, Divinely provided.And filled it with fire of the altar.— Coalsfrom the altar signify burning truths; and suchthe Lord's prophecies always are, when rightlyunderstood.— Isa. 6:5-8. This is a plainintimation of God's purpose to use the Society infurther unfoldings of His Truth as it becomesdue. "We believe that the Lord will not scatter,but will ‘turn His hand [power] upon the littleones,' in this dark hour of trial (Zech. 13:7)."—Z.'17-30.And cast it.— Greek, "Deliberately hurled it."Into the earth.— Among order-lovingpeople.— Ezek. 10:2; Luke 12:49.And there were [voices and] thunderings.—Seven Volumes of "Scripture Studies," this onebeing the last of the series. (Rev. 10:3, 4.)Thunders are symbolical of controversy, and thisvolume may cause some.

Particularly is it to be expected that the clergywill thunder against whatever Truth it contains.Thunder is caused by the flashing of lightningthrough the heavens, opening them up, as itwere. Immediately after the flash they cometogether with an angry roar. Thunder, of itself,never does anybody any harm.— Rev. 16:18.And voices.— "These voices have beencirculated here and there throughout the wholecivilized world, not by worldly agents, notthrough book-sellers, but by those who havethemselves been blessed by the light, and whodesire to render a service to the Lord and to theTruth, and to lay down their lives for thebrethren by taking to them the glorious andencouraging message now due to the Lord'speople." (Z.'02-118.) Voices also symbolizediscussion, contention.And lightnings.— See Rev. 4:5; 11:19; 16:18.And an earthquake.— "The term earthquake isused to symbolically represent revolution— it isin this sense ofFM146the word that it is used throughout the Book ofRevelation. What we are to look for then will bea great revolution, the great symbolicearthquake, the great shaking of the presentinstitutions which will overthrow everything thatis not of the Lord's establishment and approval.Perhaps the symbolical earthquake will beaccompanied by a literal one."— B. S. M.Revelation 8:6And the seven angels which had the seventrumpets.— "We, in common with almost allexpositors, recognize that the seven trumpets ofRevelation are symbolical and not literal."—Z.'02-116; Josh. 6:4.Prepared themselves to sound.— "Christianpeople in general understand that five of thesetrumpets have already ‘sounded' and are in thepast— we would say six. It is admitted that thosethat have already ‘sounded' have not been literalblasts of a bugle on the air. But literal things are

so much more easily received by the natural manthat many advanced Christians, Bible studentsand ministers, are really expecting some day tohear what is sometimes denominated ‘Gabriel'shorn,' shrill enough and loud enough to awakenthe dead." (Z.'02-116.) As thoughtful Christianswe should expect that, as this period is that inwhich the great sects have risen, its historyshould pay particular attention to them, and thuswe find. The Reformation particularly affected"three parts" of the papal dominion, Germany,England and France.— Rev. 8:7-10.Revelation 8:7.And the first [angel] sounded.— Themovement began, which later developed into theLutheran General Synod, Lutheran United SynodSouth, Lutheran General Council, LutheranSynodical Conference, United NorwegianLutheran Synod, Ohio Independent LutheranSynod, Buffalo Lutheran Synod, Hauge'sLutheran Synod, Eleisen's Lutheran Synod,Norwegian Lutheran Synod, Danish in AmericaLutheran Synod, Icelandic Lutheran Synod,Immanuel Lutheran Synod, Suomai FinnishLutheran Synod, Finnish National Synod,Finnish Apostolic Synod, Norwegian FreeLutheran Synod, Danish United Lutheran Synod,Church of the Lutheran Brethren andIndependent Lutheran Congregations.— 1 Cor.3:3.And there followed hail.— Sharp, cutting, hardtruth, contained in Luther's 95 theses nailed onthe church door at Wittenberg.And fire.— Destructive judgments upon thepapacy. Luther sized up the Papal system of"Heads, I win; and tails, you lose" in a fewwords when he said, "The Romanists have withgreat dexterity built themselves about with threewalls, which have hitherto protected themagainst reform. In the first place, when thetemporal power has pressedFM147them hard, they have affirmed and maintainedthat the temporal power has no jurisdiction over

them— that on the contrary, the spiritual isabove the temporal. Secondly, when it isproposed to admonish them from the HolyScriptures they said, ‘It beseems no one but thepope to interpret the Scriptures,' and thirdly,when they were threatened with a council, theyinvented the idea that no one but the pope cancall a council."Mingled with blood.— Blood is a symbol ofdeath-dealing doctrine, and this teaches thatLuther did not get entirely free from error. Thefollowing illustrates this point: "There graduallydeveloped a group of radicals who wereconvinced that Luther had not the courage of hisconvictions. They proposed to abolish theidolatry of the Mass and all other outward signsof what they deemed the old superstitions.Luther's colleague at Wittenberg, Carlstadt,began denouncing the monastic life, the celibacyof the clergy, the veneration of images; andbefore the end of 1521 we find the firstcharacteristic outward symptoms ofProtestantism. In January 1522, Carlstadtinduced the authorities of Wittenberg to publishthe first evangelical church ordinance. Theservice of the Mass was modified, and the laitywere to receive the elements in both kinds.Reminders of the old religious usages were to bedone away with, and the fast-days were to be nolonger observed. These measures led Luther toreturn to Wittenberg in March, 1522, where hepreached a series of sermons attacking theimpatience of the radical party. In 1525 theconservative party, which had from the firstfeared that Luther's teaching would result insedition, received a new and terrible proof, as itseemed to them, of the noxious influence of theevangelical preachers."The peasant movements which had caused somuch anxiety at the diet of Augsburg in 1518,culminated in the Peasant Revolt in which thecommon man, both in country and town, rose inthe name of God's justice to avenge longstandingwrongs and establish his rights. Lutherwas by no means directly responsible for thecivil war which followed, but he had certainly

contributed to stir up the ancient discontent. Hehad asserted that, owing to the habit offoreclosing small mortgages, ‘Any one with ahundred gulden could gobble up a peasant ayear.' The German feudal lords he pronouncedhangmen, who knew only how to swindle thepoor man. Yet in spite of this harsh talk aboutprinces, Luther relied upon them to forward thereforms in which he was interested. The peasantsdemanded that the gospel should be taught themas a guide in life, and that each communityshould beFM148permitted to choose its pastor and depose him ifhe conducted himself improperly. More radicaldemands came from the working classes in thetowns. The articles of Heilbronn demanded thatthe property of the Church should be confiscatedand used for the community; clergy and nobilityalike were to be deprived of all their privileges,so that they could no longer oppress the poorman. The more violent leaders renewed the oldcry that the parsons must be slain. Hundreds ofcastles and monasteries were destroyed by thefrantic peasantry, and some of the nobles weremurdered with shocking cruelty. Luther, whobelieved that the peasants were trying to cloaktheir dreadful sins with excuses from the gospel,exhorted the government to put down theinsurrection.‘Have no pity on the poor folk; stab, smite,throttle, who can.' The German rulers tookLuther's advice with terrible literalness, andavenged themselves upon the peasants, whose lotwas apparently worse afterwards than before."—Brit.And they were cast upon the earth AND THETHIRD PART OF THE EARTH WASBURNED UP.— Luther's teaching had theeffect of transforming the order-loving Germanpeople into anarchists.And the third part.— The German part.Of trees.— Trees are symbols of saints. "St.Paul gives us the picture of a tree, the roots of

which push down deep into the knowledge of theDivine Plan, while the tree of character growshigher and higher, developing and maturing therich fruits of the Holy Spirit of God; forinstruction is a form of construction."— Z.'14-312; Isa. 61:3.Was burnt up.— Hindered from standing alone,and absorbed into the Lutheran system.And all green grass.— Natural men ofindependent thought.— Isa. 40:6, 7.Was burnt up.— Similarly absorbed into theLutheran system, a welcome substitute forpapacy's intolerable yoke.Revelation 8:8And the second [angel] sounded.— TheAnglican church movement began.And as it were a great mountain.— England inthe time of Henry VIII. Mountains symbolizekingdoms.— Dan. 2:35; Jer. 51:25.Burning with fire.— Aflame with another greatmovement destructive to the papacy.Was cast into the sea.— Was suddenly throwninto a condition of isolation from the papacy—no longer placed under religious restraint to it.And the third part of the sea.— The Englishpart.Became blood.— The much-married HenryVIII., founderFM149of the Anglican Church, and the second greatsect-founder, has some slight blemishes on hisescutcheon also."Henry VIII himself stoutly maintained theheadship of the pope, and as is well known, afterexamining the arguments of Luther, publishedhis defence of the Seven Sacraments in 1521,which won for him from the pope the glorioustitle of ‘Defender of the faith.' By 1527 the kinghad become hopeless of having a male heir byCatherine. He was tired of her, and in love with

the black-eyed Anne Boleyn, who refused to behis mistress.The king's agents secured the opinion of anumber of prominent universities that hismarriage was void, and an assembly of notables,which he summoned in June 1530, warned thepope of the dangers involved in leaving the royalsuccession in uncertainty. Henry's next movewas to bring a charge against the clergy,accusing them of having violated the ancientlaws of praemunire in submitting to the authorityof papal legates (although he himself had ratifiedthe appointment of Wolsey as legate a latere).The clergy of the province of Canterbury werefined 100,000 pounds and compelled to declarethe king their singular protector and onlysupreme lord, and, as far as that is permitted bythe law of Christ, the supreme head of theChurch and of the clergy."The following year, 1532, an obedientparliament presented a petition to the king(which had been most carefully elaborated by theking's own advisers) containing twelve chargesagainst the bishops. For the remedy of theseabuses parliament turned to the king ‘in whomand by whom the only and sole redress,reformation and remedy herein absolutely restsand remains.' [These charges were answered bythe clergy, but the answer did not suit the king soon the 15th of May, 1532] The king's mosthumble subjects, daily orators and bedesmen ofthe clergy of England, in view of his goodnessand fervent Christian zeal and his learning farexceeding that of all other kings that they haveread of, agree never to assemble in convocationexcept at the king's summons, and to enact andpromulgate no constitution or ordinances exceptthey receive the royal assent and authority. [ThenHenry divorced Catherine and married AnneBoleyn and the English Reformation wasofficially launched.]The king had now clarified the ancient laws ofthe realm to his satisfaction, and could proceedto seize such portions of the Church'spossessions as he deemed superfluous for the

maintenance of religion. [On the 30th of July,1540, three Lutheran clergy-men were burnedand three Roman Catholics beheaded, the latterfor denying the king's spiritual supremacy. Theking's ardent desires that diversities of minds andopinionsFM150should be done away with and unity be‘charitably established' was further promoted bypublishing in 1543 A Necessary Doctrine andErudition for any Christian Man, set forth by theKing's Majesty of England, in which the tenetsof mediaeval theology, except for denial of thesupremacy of the bishop of Rome and theunmistakable assertion of the supremacy of theking, were once more restated. The First PrayerBook of Edward VI was issued in 1549 and wasfollowed in 1552 by the Second Prayer Bookand] "The foundations of the Anglican churchwere laid."— Brit.Revelation 8:9And the third part.— The English part.Of the creatures.— The clergy "apostolically"of the Church of Rome, but actually doingbusiness under Henry VIII. Be it noted that theywere not counted worthy of being called "men."Which were in the sea.— No longer underreligious restraint to the papacy.And had life.— The apostolic succession, fromthe line of popes, etc., described in Rev. 2:13comments.Died.— Were excommunicated by the pope, losttheir "apostolic (?) succession."And the third part.— The English part.Of the ships.— Independent bodies of Christianworshippers called Lollards, followers ofWycliffe.— Mark 4:36; 6:48-51; John 6:21.Were destroyed.— Compelled to acknowledgeHenry VIII as head of the Church or lose theirlives. "Thus, when the English Reformation ofthe 16th century commenced, it derived a newimpulse from the earlier Lollard movement

which it was destined to absorb into itself."—McC.Revelation 8:10And the third angel sounded.— TheCalvinistic movement began, which laterdeveloped into the Northern PresbyterianChurch, Cumberland Presbyterian Church,Welsh Calvinistic Church, United PresbyterianChurch, Southern Presbyterian Church,Associate Presbyterian Church, AssociateReformed Southern Presbyterian Church,Reformed Synod Presbyterian Church, ReformedGeneral Synod Presbyterian Church, ReformedCovenanted Presbyterian Church, ReformedPresbyterian Church in the United States andCanada, Dutch Reformed Church, GermanReformed Church, Christian Reformed Church,Hungarian Reformed Church, andCongregational Church.— 1 Cor. 3:3.And there fell a great star from heaven.—John Calvin tore a large-sized hole in theCatholic firmament when he started themanufacture of a firmament of his own.Burning as it were a lamp.— The precipitationof the Calvinistic movement in France andSwitzerland was as sudden as the Anglicanmovement had been in England or theFM151Lutheran movement in Germany. In 1533Francis I, King of France, "anxious to conciliateboth German Protestants and anti-papal England,invited some of the reformers to preach in theLouvre," as an offset to a fierce attack that hadbut lately been made upon them, caused by themutilation of a statue of the Virgin. On thefestival of All Saints, Cop, the rector of theUniversity of Paris, was to deliver the address,but Jean Cauvin (Calvin) persuaded the rector toread an address which he had written. It was adefense of the new evangelical views and soaroused the Sorbonne that Calvin and Cop wereboth obliged to flee from Paris. Calvin went toBasle, Switzerland, and in 1536 wrote andpublished the first great textbook of Protestant

theology, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Hedid his best, but his best was not very good.And it fell upon the third part.— The Frenchpart.Of the rivers.— Channels of religiousinstruction.And upon the fountains of waters.— TheWord of God. Although Calvin misunderstoodand misapplied them, yet he constantly appealedto the Scriptures as the support for his theories.Revelation 8:11And the name of the star.— Calvin is entitledto the honor of having at one time been a papalstar."He was from the first educated for the Church,and before he was twelve years old waspresented to a benefice in the Cathedral ofNoyon. Six years after this he was appointed to acure of souls at Montville, and thus, although notyet twenty, and not even in the minor orders, hewas enjoying the titles and revenues of acure."—McC.Is called Wormwood.— What an ideal name forthe doctrine which has caused more bitternessagainst God than any other doctrine ever taught,and for the man who roasted Servetus at thestake.And the third part of the waters.— Manyportions of the Scriptures, misunderstood,miscontrued and misapplied.Became.— Were made to appear in the eyes ofmany.Wormwood.— Bitter as gall. "None now wouldjustify Calvin's course in sentencing Servetus tobe burned. Others burned at the stake usually hadthe fuel piled at their feet. The flames wereinhaled with the smoke, and the victim wasspeedily unconscious to suffering. For ServetusSatanic ingenuity arranged the burning fagots ata distance. He literally roasted alive, in horribletorture, nearly five hours— in the name of God,of Jesus, of Righteousness, Truth, Justice, Love,

Christianity and Civilization." (P. D.)— Jer.9:15; 23:15, 9-40; Deut. 29:18.And many men died of the waters.— Lost theirmanhood, reason and common sense bybecoming Calvinists.FM152Because they were made bitter.— Because theScriptures were made to appear to teach whatactually they do not. "It seems remarkable thatonly now are we realizing that a man so deficientin the spirit of his Master as to murder hisbrother, should not be an accepted teacher of theWord of God and its spirit. Only now are Biblestudents realizing that Brother Calvin was notthe inventor of the doctrine of election, butmerely of the doctrine that all the non-electwould suffer everlastingly. Now we see that theterms, ‘the elect,' ‘the very elect,' are Bibleterms! and that those who make their calling andelection sure, will be glorified in the FirstResurrection. Now we see that the Elect will beassociated with Jesus in His Kingdom, whichwill bless the non-elect— 'all the families of theEarth.' "— P. D.Revelation 8:12.And the fourth angel sounded.— The Baptistsectarian movement began, resulting in BaptistChurches North, Baptist Churches South, BaptistChurches Colored, Seventh-Day Baptists,General Baptists, Separate Baptists, UnitedBaptists, Baptist Church of Christ, PrimitiveBaptist Church, Primitive Colored BaptistChurch, Old Two Seed in the SpiritPredestinarian Baptist Church, Church of Godand Saints of Christ, Mennonites, Six PrincipleBaptist Church, Free Baptist Church, FreewillBaptist Church— not forgetting the SelfwillBaptist Church, which also has a largemembership, but is not listed.— 1 Cor. 3:3.From an examination of history "It does notappear that the Baptists were formed into anystability (as a sect) until the time of Menno,about the year 1536. About 1644 they began tomake a considerable figure in England, and

spread themselves into several separatecongregations. They separated from theIndependents about the year 1638, and set up forthemselves under the pastoral care of Mr. Jesse;and, having renounced their former baptism, theysent over one of their number to be immersed byone of the Dutch Anabaptists of Amsterdam, thathe might be qualified to baptize his friends inEngland after the same manner." (Buck.)"Menno Simons, born in 1492 at Witmarsum inFriesland, at the age of 24 entered the priesthood.Doubts about transubstantiation made himuneasy; some of Luther's tracts fell in his way,and he was comforted by Luther's dictum thatsalvation does not depend on human dogmata.Hence he began to study the New Testament.The question as to the right age for baptism cameup; he found this an open matter in the earlychurch. Then the execution, in March, 1531, atLeeuwarden, of the tailor Sicke Freerks, who hadbeen rebaptized in the previous December atEmden,FM153introduced further questions. Menno was notsatisfied with the inconsistent answers which hegot from Luther, Bucer and Bullinger; heresolved to rely on Scripture alone, and from thistime describes his preaching as evangelical, notsacramental. Anabaptism of the Munster typerepelled him. A brother of Menno joined theinsurgent followers of Matthyzoon and waskilled at Bolsward, April 1535. Blaming theleaders by whom these poor people had beenmisled, Menno blamed himself for not havingshown them a straight course. Accordingly onthe 12th of January 1536 he left the Romancommunion.Among the so-called Anabaptists were fourparties, the favorers of the Munster faction, theBatenburgers, extremists, the Melchiorites andthe Obbenites. For a time Menno remained alooffrom both Melchior Hofman and Obbe Philipsz.Before the year was out, yielding to the prayer ofsix or eight persons who had freed themselvesfrom the Munster spell, he agreed to become

their minister and was set apart January 1537 tothe eldership at Groningen, with imposition ofhands by Obbe Philipsz. Menno repudiated theformation of a sect; those who had experiencedthe ‘new birth' were to him the true Christianchurch. His Christology was in the mainorthodox though he rejected terms such asTrinity which he could not find in Scripture. Ofthe introduction of Anabaptist views intoEngland we have no certain knowledge. Foxrelates that ‘the registers of London makemention of certain Dutchmen counted forAnabaptists, of whom ten were put to death insundry places in the realm, anno 1535; other tenrepented and were saved. In 1536 King HenryVIII issued a proclamation concerning faithagreed upon by Convocation, in which the clergyare told to instruct the people that they ought torepute and take ‘The Anabaptists opinions fordetestable heresies and to be utterly condemned.'Thomas Fuller tells us from Stow's Chroniclesthat in the year 1538 four Anabaptists, three menand one woman, all Dutch, bare faggots at Paul'sCross, and three days after a man and woman oftheir sect was burnt in Smithfield.The early English Baptists, while they utterlyrejected the baptism of infants, were as yetunpledged to immersion and rarely practicedit."— Brit.And the third part of the sun was smitten.—Though not apparently so stated in anyconfession of faith, it is a prevalent view amongBaptists that the Old Testament has been entirelyfulfilled. Believing thus they lose the force of alarge part of the Gospel Message, typified by thesun.And the third part of the moon.— Similarly,they do notFM154see the force of the teachings of the LawDispensation, as in the Tabernacle arrangements,etc., in their application to the Church.And the third part of the stars.— Theteachings of the true light-bearers, the Apostles,

cannot be fully appreciated except in connectionwith the prophecies of the Old Testament.So as the third part of them was darkened.—If pressed to estimate the relative worth to us asNew Creatures of the writings of the Old andNew Testaments, we would admit that thewritings of the New Testament are worth perhapstwice as much to us as those of the OldTestament because they contain the messageaddressed to the New Creation, but we want allthree thirds or the Word.And the day.— The Scripture teaching of thecoming Millennial Day.Shone not for a third part of it.— At least athird or the light we get on the subject of theLord's Millennial Reign is from the OldTestament.And the night likewise.— The same is true ofthe world's dark night of sin and death, and thedarkest feature of that night— the Time orTrouble such as was not since there was a nation.The Old Testament has much of light andinstruction on this subject.Revelation 8:13.And I beheld, and heard an [angel]EAGLE.— One of Pastor Russell's humblefollowers (Matt. 24:28) apprehending correctlythe significance of the three woes.Flying through the midst of heaven.—Beginning with the papal heavens and then intheir order of development, the Lutheranheavens, Anglican heavens, Calvinistic heavensand Baptist heavens (and others shortly.)Saying with a loud voice.— With considerableplainness of speech.Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of theearth.— Great distress and perplexity of mind toall all supporters of Satan's Empire.By reason of the other voices.— Latermovements in the ecclesiastical heavensdescribed in Chapters 9 and 10.

Of the three angels, which are yet to sound.—The four great denominations— Lutheran,Anglican, Presbyterian and Baptist— wereformed in swift succession within twenty yearsfrom the time Luther nailed the theses on theWittenberg door. But the work of forming newmovements away from papal bondage did notstop there.Ye curious minds, who roam abroad,And trace creation's wonders o'er,Confess the footsteps of your God,|And bow before Him, and adore.FM155REVELATION 9TWO INEFFECTIVEREFORMATION WOESRevelation 9:1And the fifth angel sounded.— The Wesleyanmovement began, leading up to the MethodistEpiscopal Church, United American MethodistEpiscopal Church, African Methodist EpiscopalChurch, African United Methodist ProtestantChurch, African Methodist Episcopal ZionChurch, Methodist Protestant Church, WesleyanMethodist Church, Methodist Episcopal ChurchSouth, Congregational Methodist Church, NewCongregational Methodist Church, Zion UnionApostolic Church, Colored Methodist EpiscopalChurch, Free Methodist Church, ReformedMethodist United Episcopal Church, andIndependent Methodist Churches.— 1 Cor. 3:3.And I saw a star.— John Wesley became a starin the Anglican heavens in 1728, at which timehe was ordained a priest by Bishop Potter.Fall from heaven unto the earth.— For manyyears Wesley had no thought of forming a sect;and yet, unconsciously, he began to do so fromthe time he was ordained. He was then in OxfordUniversity, where "the completeness of his selfdevotionto the service of God, combined withhis rare moral courage and superior strength of

character, caused him to be recognized as theleader of a group of under-graduates which wasnicknamed the ‘Holy Club' by the ungodly of theUniversity, who derided its members for theirrigid rules and charitable practices by callingthem ‘Methodists.' " (McC.)"He fully accepted the recognized teaching of theChurch of England, and publicly appealed to thePrayer-Book and the Thirty-nine articles injustification of the doctrines he preached.Methodism began in a revival of personalreligion, and it professed to have but one aim, tospread Scriptural holiness over the land. Itsdoctrines were in no sense new." (Brit.) Thework in the Western World. particularly in theUnited States, grew to vast proportions."The preachers in the South determined uponadministration of the sacraments, and acommittee was chosen who ordained themselvesand others. The Northern preachers opposed thisstep and for several years the Connexion was onthe verge of disruption.Wesley perceived that the Society woulddisintegrate unless effectiveFM156measures were speedily taken, and, aided by twopresbyters of the Church of England, (one ofwhom was James Creighton) early in 1784 heordained Thomas Coke, a presbyter of thatChurch, as Superintendent."— Brit.His brother Charles heartily disapproved of thisand wrote the following (which does not,however, appear with his other hymns in theMethodist hymnal):So easily are bishops madeBy man or woman's whim;Wesley his hands on Coke hath laid,But who laid hands on him!In 1787 the American Conference changed Mr.Coke's title to "Bishop." Mr. Coke tried tointroduce this title into the English Conferenceof which he was president, but the EnglishBrethren could not accept it, despite his great

earnestness in the cause. It must have been astrange sight to see a bright man like Wesleyengaging those two presbyters of the Church ofEngland to help him ordain somebody to ahigher office than any of them had ever held. Butthe plan worked. All Methodists believe thatBishop Coke, the first Bishop of the MethodistChurch received some "apostolic succession"from the original line described in comments onRev. 2:13. These brethren have grieved thatPastor Russell did not get his ordination from thesame source.And to him was given the key of the[bottomless] pit OF THE ABYSS.— Wesleywas given the key to nothing and to nowhere.Revelation 9:2.[And he opened the bottomless pit].— Wesleyopened nothing. He did interpret Rom. 8:21 asmeaning that the lower animals would go toHeaven, but that was an error. He was honestenough, however, to object to using the wordTrinity because he did not find it in the Bible."Christian Advocates" please note.And there arose a smoke.— Confusion— ablinding haze.[Out of] OVER the pit.— In the "air," theecclesiastical heavens.As the smoke of a great furnace.— Methodismwas no ordinary smudge.And the sun.— The true Gospel.And the air.— The Anglican Church.Were darkened by reason of the smoke of thepit.— Methodism damaged the Anglicancommunion as much as it did the Truth.Revelation 9:3And there came out of the smoke locusts.—An immense number of followers.— Judges7:12.FM157Upon the earth.— Among order-loving people.

And unto them was given power.— To attendan old-time Methodist meeting and witness the"getting the power" was to see the sight of a lifetime.As the scorpions of the earth have power.—"A well-known injurious insect of hot climates,which is shaped very much like a lobster. Theyare carnivorous in their habits, and move alongin a threatening attitude with the tail elevated.The sting, which is situated at the extremity ofthe tall, has at its base a gland that secretes apoisonous fluid, which is discharged into thewound by two minute orifices at its extremity.The scorpion makes a painful wound in men andbeasts which produces fatal results unless speedyremedies be provided such as scarifying thewound or sucking out the poison."— McC.Revelation 9:4And it was commanded them that they shouldnot hurt the grass of the earth.— Men ofindependent thought — Rev. 8:7.[Neither any green thing.] Neither any tree.—Saint.— Rev. 8:7.But [only] those men.— The unconverted.Which have not the seal of God in theirforeheads.— Methodists understand that to beconverted from being a sinner means to have theseal of God in one's forehead. All the energies ofthe Church are devoted to gathering in goats tothe sheepfold.Revelation 9:5And to them it was given that they should notkill them.— No such sane and merciful sentenceas "The wages of sin is death" has any place inMethodist theology. Wesley was born at a timewhen the original meaning of the word "Hell"had become hidden, and was saturated with thelater teachings that it signifies a place of torment.He threw his whole heart into the work ofspreading this error throughout the earth.But that they should be tormented fivemonths.— In symbolic time, 150 years. (Rev.2:21). Wesley became the first Methodist in

1728. (Rev. 9:1). When the Methodistdenomination, with all the others, was cast offfrom favor in 1878 (Rev. 3:14) its power totorment men by preaching what Presbyteriansdescribe as "Conscious misery, eternal induration" came to an end legally, and to a largeextent actually.— Rev. 9:10.And their torment.— The torment of thosetormented by the tormenting doctrine of torment.Was as the torment of a scorpion, when hestriketh a man.— See Rev. 9:10.Revelation 9:6And in those days.— Throughout the 150 yearsof widely prevalent "Methodist hell-fire".FM158Shall men seek death.— Would be glad toknow that "The wages of sin is death."— Rom.6:23.And shall not find it.— Because all the textswhich plainly teach that "All the wicked willGod destroy," were preverted to mean "All thewicked will God immortalize in hell."And shall desire to die.— Real men wouldprefer to die and stay dead rather than forevercompanion and worship the greatest devil of theUniverse.And death shall flee from them.— They weretold that men only seem to die, although touch,hearing, sight and smell all bear eloquenttestimony to the contrary.— Rom. 6:23; Ezek.18:4; Gem. 3:19; Psa. 115:17; Ecc. 9:5; Psa.37:10, 20; Ecc. 3:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:13, 18; Dan.12:2.Revelation 9:7.And the [shapes] LIKENESSES of the locustswere like unto horses prepared untobattle.— The battle-cry of the old-timeMethodist was "All at it, and always at it".And on their heads were as it were crownslike gold.— Those born of the spirit, changedfrom human conditions and made like the Lord,

have received the very highest blessing, the"Crown of life", the Divine nature. Gold is asymbol of Divinity. To receive a crown of goldis to be born of the spirit. All old-timeMethodists felt certain that they were "born ofthe spirit" when converted, no begetting orquickening being necessary. But here is pointedout that these good people had "as-it-were"crowns instead of real ones.And their faces were as the faces of men.—They were not "Born of the spirit" as theysupposed.Revelation 9:8.And they had hair as the hair of women.— "Ifa woman have long hair it is a glory to her: forher hair is given her for a covering." (1 Cor.11:15.) The Church's glory is her wedding robe,the robe of Christ's righteousness. It is to thecredit of old-time Methodists that they trustedfor salvation in the precious blood of Christ.And their teeth were as the teeth of lions.—Lions are able to chew and swallow almostanything. When the conference at Baltimore in1787 turned John Wesley's Superintendent into aBishop, the Methodist people swallowed it all;and to this day most of them really believe thattheir clergy are a Divinely appointed institution,despite the fraud perpetrated.— Joel. 1:4-6.Revelation 9:9.And they had breastplates.— "Breastplates ofrighteousness."— Eph. 6:14.As it were breastplates of iron.— An ironbreastplate would be a good one but an "as-itwere"breastplate would need examination. Itwas not uncommon for old-time Methodists todeceive themselves into thinking theyFM159had not sinned for years. Those who had suchbreastplates wore the "As-it-were" variety.And the sound of their wings.— When engagedin "getting the power".— Rev. 9:3.

Was as the sound of chariots.— The noisiestvehicles known in the Revelator's day.Of many horses running to battle.— The oldtimeMethodist hell-fire revival was in days goneby the noisiest place on earth, excepting thecamp-meeting. Those good old days have longsince gone.Revelation 9:10And they had tails.— Followers— classleaders.Like unto scorpions.— The old-time classleaderwas an invaluable adjunct of theMethodist Church. Upon him devolved the dutyof requiring each probationer to attend the classmeetingand report his spiritual progress weekly,whether he had made any or not. After eachreport it was the class-leader's duty to squirt in alittle more of the poisonous doctrines from thetwo orifices referred to in comments on Rev. 9:3.From the "heaven" orifice came the doctrine "Ifyou are good you will go to Heaven when youdie"— and from the "hell" orifice came themessage "If you are bad you will go to hell whenyou die." It was all very simple. Everybody wassimple in those days.And [there were] stings.— Revivals in whichthe attendants were stung, doctrinally andfinancially.AND in their tails [and] WAS their power[was] to hurt men five months.— One, hundredand fifty years, from Wesley's ordination in 1728to the casting off of Methodism in 1878.— Rev.9:5.Revelation 9:11.[And] they [had a] HAVE THEIR king [overthem].— The same king as exercises generalrulership over all the ecclesiastical affairs of thisprevent evil world.[Which is] the angel of the [bottomless pit]ABYSS.-"The prince of the power of the air."—Eph. 2:2.

Whose name In the Hebrew tongue isAbaddon.— And he is "a bad one," sureenough.— 2 Cor. 4:4.But in the Greek tongue hath his nameApollyon — That is, Destroyer. But In plainEnglish his name is Satan, the Devil. As a meansfor preventing people from seeing the Truth,Methodism has been as efficient as any of thefive systems previously described, or any thatfollow. All have been sadly misled and deceivedby our great and wily Adversary; "Taken captiveby him at his will"— 2 Tim. 2:26.Revelation 9:12.One woe is past— Methodism was the first woeof the epoch leading up to and associated withthe Time of the End. It was a serious blow to thepretensions of the Papacy, but its days ofusefulness have long since passed.FM160And, behold, there come two woes more[hereafter].— One outlined in the remainder ofthis chapter and one in Chapter 10. It was thediscovery of Methodism as the first woe that ledto an identification of the four movements of theReformation proper which preceded it— Rev.8:7-13.Revelation 9:13.[And] AFTER THESE THINGS the sixthangel sounded.— The Evangelical-Alliance-Spiritism movement began in 1846-1848culminating in the Federal Council of theChurches of Christ in America. The followinggreat denominations which comprise 90% of theProtestant Church membership are represented inthis council: Baptist (North), Free Baptist,Christian, Congregational, Disciples of Christ,Evangelical Association, Evangelical Synod,Friends, Lutheran General Synod, MethodistEpiscopal, Methodist Episcopal (South), GermanEvangelical Synod, Colored MethodistEpiscopal, Methodist Protestant, AfricanMethodist Episcopal, African MethodistEpiscopal Zion, Mennonite, Moravian,

Presbyterian, Presbyterian (South), WelshPresbyterian, Reformed Presbyterian, UnitedPresbyterian, Protestant Episcopal, ReformedChurch in America, Reformed Church in the U.S. A., Reformed Episcopal, Seventh-Day Baptist,United Brethren in Christ, United Evangelical.National Baptist Convention.Although these sects are the only ones nowmembers of the Federal Council, yet, in hatred ofthe Truth, and darkness in regard to God's Plan,the following are also entitled to membership:Evangelical Adventists, Advent Christians,Seventh-Day Adventists, Church of God, Lifeand Advent Union, Church of God in JesusChrist, fifteen kinds of Baptists named incomments on Rev. 8:12, four kinds of-Dunkardbrethren, the Conservative,Old Order, Progressive and Seventh-DayGerman varieties, four kinds of PlymouthBrethren, three kinds of River Brethren, theBrethren in Christ, Old Order or Yorker andUnited Zion's Children,' Catholic Apostolic, NewApostolic, Christadelphians, Dowie's ChristianCatholic, Christian Union, Church of ChristScientist, Winnebrenarian Churches or God,Colored Churches of the Living God, ChristianWorkers for Friendship, Apostolic, Church ofChrist in God, Churches of the New Jerusalem,General Convention, General Church, ChurchTranscendent, Communistic Societies, Shakers,Amana, Churches of Christ, Apostolic FaithMovement, Peniel Missions, MetropolitanChurch Association, Hepziba Faith Association,Missionary Christian Association, HeavenlyRecruit Church, Apostolic Christian Church,Christian Congregation, Colored VoluntaryMissionary Society, Hicksite Friends, WilburiteFM161Friends, Primitive Friends, Friends of theTemple, German Evangelical Protestant, Latter-Day Saints, Reorganized Latter-Day Saints,twenty-one kinds or Lutherans shown incomments on Rev. 8:7, Swedish EvangelicalMissionary Covenant, Swedish Evangelical FreeMission, Norwegian Evangelical Free Church,

twelve kinds of Mennonites, Bruederhoef,Amish, Old Amish, Conservative Amish,Reformed, General Conference, Church of Godin Christ, Old Wisler, Bundes Conference,Defenceless, Brethren in Christ, sixteen kinds ofMethodists shown in comments on Rev. 9:1,Union Moravian, Pentecostal Church of theNazarene, Other Pentecostal Associations,twelve kinds of Presbyterians shown incomments on Rev. 8:10, 11, Christian Reformed,Hungarian Reformed, Reformed Catholic,Salvation Army, Schwenkfelders, SocialBrethren, Society for Ethical Culture,Spiritualists, Theosophical Society, OldConstitution Brethren, Unitarians, Universalists,etc.Their "faiths" are quite as varied as their names,but without exception they deny the central truthof the Scriptures (1 John 4:2, 3) that when JesusChrist came to earth He came as a man only,devoid of immortality or Divinity, that when Hedied He was as dead as though He never hadlived, and that by that death He bought for Adamand his race the Restitution of all things foretoldby "the mouth of all the holy Prophets since theworld began." (Rev. 4:10.) The common groundupon which they stand is this, their denial of theRansom, their affirmation of Spiritism, in someform, and their adherence to the principle ofFederation. All of these things are condemned inthe Scriptures but the Scriptures will never beallowed to stand in the way of those who live byshearing the wool from the sheep. (2 Tim. 4:3. 4;Deut. 18:10, 11: Isa. 8:9-22.) The latter passageis full of the deepest significance at this time."Christian Heralds" that refused to publishadvertisements of Pastor Russell's books nowgive space to advertisements of godless,Christless, Buddhist, demoniacal books,glorifying the New Thought system of mindworship, the boot-strap system of religion bywhich men, by cultivation of the will, liftthemselves into money, piety and immortality,and by making assertions to and demands of thealleged "sub-conscious mind" invite and receivethe assistance of evil spirits, and finally come

under their control. Modern "Christianity" isBuddhism."The Rev. Dr. Day, Chancellor of the SyracuseUniversity, recently, in an address to the Y. M.C. A., is reported by the public press to havesaid: ‘Wouldn't you rather live in America thanin Heaven? I would. I'd like toSM162go to Heaven when I can't be here. In fact, Ithink I'd be rather discontented in Heaven till Igot adjusted. You can get anything you wanthere. You can live under forty odd governments,meet all the nations of the world, eat all the fruitsof the world and get any kind of climate that youchoose. So America is the best place to live; butI think when a man can't stay here any longer heought to steer for Heaven.' " (Z.'08-196.)Having concluded to stay here as long aspossible, "Christians" are now flocking bythousands to the purchase of works which willshow them how to use spiritism to takeadvantage of their fellow men. The religious andother periodicals are now filled withadvertisements of these books. We quote a fewextracts to show their Satanic character:"It is necessary to control others, to discovertheir plans. This you may be able to do if youhave developed your inner faculties. We showyou how to so develop your intuitional naturethat you are able to detect the feelings of others;to penetrate their secret motives; and to discoverwhat they try to conceal. The Golden Rule mustbe followed in controlling others. ‘Do untoothers as you would that they should do untoyou.' There comes more and more the power ofseeing the future, so that more and more truebecomes the old adage that coming events casttheir shadows before. Health in time takes theplace of disease; for all disease and itsconsequent suffering is merely the result of theviolation of law, whether consciously orunconsciously. There comes a spiritual powerwhich, as it is sent out, is adequate for thehealing of others the same as in the days of old."

"Many omniscient men and women will soonwalk the earth. Omniscience and Freedom arethe goal of all, and in this Great Age of Lightmany Egos are approaching the blessedomniscience state.""Suddenly it seemed that the top of my head hadbeen lifted, and I became aware of an immenseincrease of personal consciousness. I becameconscious, I say— I know what I am writing—of the vast sky above, and the mighty deepsbelow, and the wide sweep of present humanlife, and the long forward and backward stretchof human history. It seemed that I could sensethe All. Since that day all is well. Life is deeper,richer, stronger-assured, fearless, and saturatedwith perennial vital interests." (What reallyhappened to this man was that he becameobsessed by demons.)— Rev. 7:3."Though strength of these delusions lies in thegrave errors mixed with truths long held byChristian people, because of the ‘falling away'from the pure faith of the ApostolicFM163Church, foretold in the Scriptures. Among theseerrors none is designed to open the heart andmind to these delusive and destructive theoriesof today more effectually than the general beliefof the first lie— 'Ye shall not surely die.' (Gen.3:4.) The general acceptance of it results from afailure to understand the Bible doctrineconcerning life and immortality, which werebrought to light by our Lord Jesus through HisGospel of salvation from sin by His Ransomsacrifice.The advocates of these false doctrinesare surprisingly alert and active everywhere,especially in the United States, where thought ismost active and where liberty often meanslicense.Hundreds of thousands have embraced theseerrors as new and advanced light. The extent oftheir success is not fully apparent to many; fortheir success lies in a still hunt for prey. Theiradvocates are to be found In almost everycongregation of every denomination, and

especially among the more cultured; and the‘angel of light' feature is seldom neglected. Thenominal churches are already permeated,leavened with these false doctrines.The Scriptural prophecy that ‘a thousand shallfall at thy [the true Church's] side, and tenthousand at thy right hand' (Psalm 91:3-14), isnow fulfilled before our eyes."— Z.'15-343.And I heard a voice.— William Miller, from A.D. 1829 to 1844.From [the four horns of] the golden altarwhich is before God.— "The Golden Altar inthe ‘Holy' would seem to represent the ‘littleflock,' the consecrated Church in the presentsacrificing condition."— T120.Revelation 9:14.Saying.— By pointing to the near fulfillment ofthe 2300 days.— Dan. 8:14.To the sixth angel which had the trumpet.—The Evangelical Alliance-Spiritism movement.The Alliance proper was organized Sept. 2nd,1846, at the end of the 2300 years. The spiritismfeature began January, 1848. The two have beengrowing towards each other ever since until nowthey are substantially one and the same thing.Loose the four angels.— Four errors in the ninefundamental principles of the EvangelicalAlliance. We give the erroneous clauses bynumber: (3) "The unity of the Godhead, and thetrinity of persons therein." See Rev. 6:4; 5:7. (5)"The incarnation of the Son of God." (8) "Theimmortality of the soul." (9) "The Divineinstitution of the Christian ministry" (i. e., theclergy).Which are bound.— Hindered from gainingfullest expression.In the great river Euphrates.— The world ofmankind.-B209, D24.FM164And the four angels.— The four great errors oftrinity, incarnation, immortality and lordshipover God's heritage.

Were loosed.— Given greater liberties than everbefore.Which were prepared.— Each sect for itself,and in its own time.For [an] THE hour.— The hour of judgment,1918.[And a day] and [a] month, and [a] year.—Thirteen symbolic months, the 390 years ofProtestantism's siege of the Papacy.— Ezek. 4:5.For to slay.— To make nominal Christians of, totake away the manhood of.The third part of men.— According to theWorld Almanac for 1917, the total number ofChristians in the world at the beginning of thetwentieth century was 571,400,000, of whomone third, 177,300,000, were Protestants.Revelation 9:16.And the number of the army of the horsemen-In round numbers, at the time of identification.Were two hundred thousand thousand.—Approximately two hundred millions.[And] I heard the number of them.— Heard,heeded, or noted, the count as given in the WorldAlmanac, as correct. This is a tribute to a journalnotorious for its ignoble, unjust and dishonestattacks on Pastor Russell. "Out of thine ownmouth will I judge thee." And have you noticed,on the same principle, that nearly all theencyclopedic references herein are to the greatstandard Protestant works to be found in everycapable minister's library? How is it that they donot know these things?Revelation 9:17And thus I saw the horses in the vision.—Horses are symbols of teachings. It is thedoctrines a man has been taught that carry himalong to do things. "As a man thinketh, so is he."The man and his beliefs are inseparable.— Joel2:4. (The four kinds of horses of Zech. 6:1-8seem to refer to four companies of saved ones.Red, the Ancient Worthies; black, the Little

Flock; white, the Great Company; bay, the worldof mankind.)And them that sat [on] UPON them.— Thetotal Protestant church membership.Having breastplates of fire.— Keeping thedoctrine of hell-fire well to the front in theirteachings.And of jacinth.— "The hyacinthus of theRomans is invariably blue and lustrous. Thisdescription suggests the blue flame which issuesbetween the fire and the brimstone, representedas ‘smoke' in verse 18."— Cook.And brimstone.— Yes, indeed, plently ofbrimstone went along with the hell-fire.— Rev.14:10.And the heads.— "The ancient and honorable,he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies,he is the tail."FM165Isa. 9:15. "In a genus of serpents or ophidianreptiles called amphisboena the tail and head areequally obtuse, and the scales on the head sosimilar to those on the back as to render itdifficult to distinguish one extremity from theother. Hence these reptiles have been supposedto have the power of creeping backwards orforwards with equal facility." (Cook.)— Isa.29:10-14; John 4:9-2.Were as the heads of lions.— Able to swallowthe most ridiculous and impossible theories.— 1Chron. 12:8.And out of their mouths issued fire.—Sermons full of hell-fire.And smoke.— See Rev. 9:18.And brimstone.— O yes. surely; plenty ofbrimstone, to go with the hell-fire.Revelation 9:18.By these [three] PLAGUES was the thirdpart of men.— The Protestant third ofChristendom.

Killed.— Deprived of reason, manhood anddignity.By the fire.— The sermons full of hell-fire.And [by] the smoke.— Smoke is a symbol ofconfusion. The following is an extract from anarticle on the brain written by a well-knownphysician and alienist: "To illustrate howeffectually such conceptions served to block allprogress in the science of life we may quote oneinstance from a ponderous volume in my librarywith the date 1618 on Physiology and Anatomyby Hilkiah Crooke, Physician and Professor onAnatomy and Chirurgery to His Majesty, JamesI. Speaking of the origin and growth of hair, hesays: ‘The immediate matter of the haires is asooty, thike, and earthly vapour, which in thetime of the third concoction (distillation) iselevated by the strength of the action of naturallheate, and passeth through the pores of the skin,which heats exiceateth or drieth this moysture ofthese sootie and thicke vapours, for the vapourbeing thicke, in his passage leaveth some part orit selfe, to wit, the grossest, in the very outlet,where it is impacted by a succeeding vapourarising where the former did, is protruded andthrust forward, so that they are wrought togetherin one body. The straightness of the passages ofthe skin were through the matter of the haires isauoyded, formeth them into a small roundness,even as a wyre receyeth that proportion whereofthe whole is, where through it is drawne.' Onegreat office of the hairs of the head, therefore,Crooke perceived to be to lead off ‘the vaporswhich otherwise would choke and make smoakythe braine,' though how hopelessly choked thebrains of all bald heads hence would be he doesnot mention." A study of the foregoing leads tothe conclusion that all modern churchorganizations were founded byFM166bald-headed men, and the smoke being unable tofind its way out through their scalps naturallyhad to come out of their mouths!

And [by] the brimstone.— Yes, indeed; plentyof brimstone.Which issued out of their mouths.—Especially when an evangelist firm is in townlooking for shekels.Revelation 9:19For [their power] THE POWER OF THEHORSES is in their mouth.— Assuredly,assuredly; it certainly is not in the Scriptures.And in their tails.— Followers, "Workers,"class-leaders.— Isa. 9:15.For their tails were like unto serpents.—Bright enough to know better.And had heads.— Wills of their own— unlikethe "Beheaded" saints (Rev. 20:4.)And with them they do hurt.— Damage thecause of Truth.Revelation 9:20.And the rest of the men.— Those ordinary"good fellows" (and bad ones too), men of theworld who had too much sense to swallow whatis taught by any of the sects.Which were not killed by these THEIRplagues.— Who remained "unconverted" to themass of errors masquerading in the name ofreligion.Yet repented not of the works of theirhands.— Failed to turn their money, brains andservice over to the nominal church, butcontinued on in their own way.That they should not worship devils.—Joining, if they choose, the Masons, Odd Fellowsand other secret organizations teaching a debasedform of religion.— Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; 1Cor. 10:20.And idols of gold, and silver and [brass]COPPER.— Having their affection set uponcurrency in hand and in the bank.— Psa. 115:1-4; Dan. 5:22, 23.

And stone, and of wood.— Giving theirattention to earthly affairs, improvements in realestate, etc.Which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk .—But are more or less permanent, tangible andfixed.Revelation 9:21.Neither repented they of their murders.—Belief in hell-fire keeps nobody from being amurderer or a slanderer.— Rev. 21:8.Nor their sorceries.— Use of drugs, Greek.Belief in hell-fire keeps nobody from being adrug fiend or pseudo-philosopher.— Rev. 21:8.Nor of their [fornication] WICKEDNESS.—Belief in hell-fire keeps nobody from being awicked man.Nor of their thefts.— Belief in hell-fire keepsnobody from engaging in "high finance."FM167REVELATION 10THE TRUE REFORMATION WOERevelation 10:1.And I saw another angel.— "The Messengerof the Covenant,' the Lord Jesus.— Mal. 3:1.Come down from Heaven.— At the time of theSecond Advent, Oct. 1874.— Rev. 3:20.Clothed with a cloud.— " ‘He cometh withclouds;' and while the clouds of trouble areheavy and dark, when the mountains (kingdomsof this world) are trembling and falling, and theearth (organized society) is being shaken,disintegrated, melted, some will begin to realizewhat we now proclaim as already at hand— thatJehovah's Anointed is taking to Himself Hisgreat power and beginning His work, of layingjustice to the line and righteousness to theplummet. (Isa. 28:17.)"— B138.And [a rainbow was] THE HAIR upon Hishead, and His face was as it were the sun, and

His feet as pillars of fire.— See Rev. 1:14-16;7:2; 18:1.Revelation 10:2.And [He had] HAVING In His hand.— In Hispower, given to Him by the Father.— Rev. 5:7,5.A little book open.— The Present Truthmessage.— C89.And He set His right foot.— Exerted thestrongest power of restraint.Upon the sea.— The masses not under religiouscontrol, who, without the Lord's control of thesituation, would have long since swallowed upthe present order of things.— Rev. 7:1-3; Luke21:25; Psa. 46:2, 3.And His left foot on the earth.— "Throughoutthe Scriptures, earth, when used symbolically,represents society; seas, the restless, turbulent,dissatisfied masses of the world."— A318.Revelation 10:3.And cried with a loud voice.— Pastor Russellwas the voice used.— Rev. 7:2.As when a lion roareth.— Symbolical ofJustice.— Rev. 4:7; Amos 3:8.And when.— In 1881 A. D.He had cried.— With the first great cry, "Foodfor Thinking Christians," 1,400,000 copies givenaway, free.Seven thunders.— Seven volumes of"STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES."— Rev. 8:5.Uttered their voices.— Were foreseen asnecessary to the complete statement of the Plan,and the fulfillment of this and other Scriptures.FM168And [when] WHATSOEVER the seventhunders had uttered [their voices], I.— PastorRussell as a representative of the John class.Was about to write.— Intended to put on paperat once.

And I heard a voice from Heaven.— Theguidance of the Heavenly Father, directing andoverruling, knowing that the results would bebetter if the interest of His little ones weresustained by expectancy throughout the wholetime of Harvest, rather than to give them all thelight at once.— John 16:12.Saying [unto me], Seal up [those] WHATthings [which] SOEVER the seven thundersuttered.— Do not immediately disclose theirfull contents.— Dan. 8:26; 12:4, 9.And write them not.— Observe how the Lordretarded the publications: Vol. I was publishedin 1886. "In sending forth this first volume of theMILLENNIAL DAWN, it is but proper that weapologize to the many friends who have waitedfor it so patiently since promised." (A3.)Volume II was published in 1889, and III in1891. "Some have urged greater haste in thewriting and publishing of the several volumes ofthis series, and, to a large extent, I have sharedthe same feelings of impatience; but myobservations of the Lord's dealings and leadingsand unfoldings of His Plan are graduallyconvincing me that He has not shared ourImpatience.Indeed, I can clearly trace His hand in some ofthe hindrances encountered and can realize bythe delay I have been enabled to grasp thesubjects more thoroughly, and to present themmore fully, than if the work had been hastenedmore. Not only has this delay worked for mygood and yours, but in another way also. It hasafforded time for a more thorough digestion ofthe truths of each volume, and thereby has givento the faithful student the very necessarypreparation for that which was to follow. Andnot only so, but it has also given opportunity forpracticing the lessons learned, and for exercisingthe talents of each in spreading the advancinglight before others of God's saints." (C12.)Volume IV was published in 1897, V in 1899,VI in 1904 and VII in 1917. This makes a totallapse of 36 years from the publication of FOOD

FOR THINKING CHRISTIANS to the lastvolume of the SCRIPTURE STUDIES.Meantime the Harvest work grew to a movementof vast proportions; and Volume VII wasdelayed.Revelation 10:5And the angel which I saw.— The Lord Jesus,since 1874.— Rev. 10:1.Stand upon the sea and upon the earth.— Incontrol of the masses not under religiousrestraint as well as order-loving society.FM169Lifted up His RIGHT hand to Heaven.— Theseventh angel was in that hand when He didso.— Rev. 1:16, 20.Revelation 10:6.And aware by Him that liveth for ever andever.— By Jehovah, His Father and our Father,His God and our God.— John 20:17.Who created Heaven, and the things thattherein are.— "The heavens declare the glory ofGod."— Psa. 19:1-6; Neh. 9:6; Rev. 4:11; 14:7.And the earth, and the things that therein are,[and the sea, and the things which aretherein].— "When the morning stars sangtogether, and all the sons of God shouted forjoy."— Job 38, 39, 40 and 41 chapters.That there [should be] IS time no longer.—"There shall be no further delay."— Weym.Revelation 10:7.But in the days of the voice of the seventhangel.— Pastor Russell was the seventh angel.—Rev. 3:14.When he shall begin to sound.— In the autumnof 1881, at which time FOOD FOR THINKINGCHRISTIANS was circulated, and the GeneralCall ceased.— Rev. 11:15.The mystery of God [should be] WASfinished.— "The great unfolding of the Divinemystery we are expressly told was reserved until

the close of the Gospel Age." (Z.'97-255.) "ThePlan ceases to be a mystery, because there is nofurther object in perpetuating its secrecy. ‘Thegreatness of the mystery, so long kept secret, andthe wonderful grace bestowed on those called tofellowship in this mystery (Eph. 3:9), suggest tous that the work to follow its completion, mustbe an immense work, worthy of such greatpreparations. What may we not expect inblessings upon the world, when the veil ofmystery is withdrawn and the showers ofblessing descend!It is this for which the whole creation groans andtravails in pain together until now, waiting forthe completion of this mystery, for themanifestation of the Sons of God, the promised‘Seed' in whom they shall all be blessed.— Rom.8:19, 21, 22." (A87.) "While the door standsopen, it indicates that any believer who isanxious to enter and ready to comply with theconditions may yet do so, even though thegeneral ‘call' or invitation to enter is no longersent out. The opportunity to labor and sacrificehas not yet closed though the general call ceasedin 1881."— C213.As He hath declared to His servants.— TheHarvest Workers.AND the Prophets.— Daniel (12:4-12) andHabakkuk (2:1-3).— Rev. 1:1. 10:8.And the Voice which I heard from Heaven.—The Heavenly Father's voice.— Rev. 10:4.Spake unto me again.— By His Holy Spirit.FM170And said.— Through the Bible, His Word, HisVoice.Go take the tittle book.— "Study to showthyself approved unto God, a workman thatneedeth not to be ashamed."— 1 Tim. 2:15.Which is open in the hand of the angel.— TheLord Jesus. Rev. 10:1, 5.Which standeth upon the sea and upon theearth.— See Rev. 10:2, 5.

Revelation 10:9.And I went unto the angel.— "In coming out ofbondage to human traditions, creeds, systemsand errors, we are coming directly to our Lord, tobe taught and fed by Him, to be strengthened andperfected to do His pleasure, and to stand, andnot fall with Babylon."— C167.And said unto Him.— By my act in obeyingHis command.— Rev. 18:2.Give me the little book.— Take me into Yourconfidence; give me Your Holy Spirit; show me,as promised, the "things to come."— John 16:13.And He said unto me, Take it, and eat it up.—"It is absolutely useless for us to pray Lord,Lord, give us the Spirit, if we neglect the Wordof Truth which that Spirit has supplied for ourfilling."— E245, 225; Ezek. 2:9.And it shall make thy belly bitter.— Lead toself-sacrifice, with its attendant sufferings, butcreate an appetite for more. "The after effects arealways more or less blending of the bitterness ofpersecution with the sweetness."-C89; Ezek.2:10; 3:14; Dan. 8:27.But it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.—"O the blessedness."— Dan. 12:12; Psa. 19:10;119:103.Revelation 10:10.And I took the little book out of the angel'shand and ate it up.— "Thy words were foundand I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto methe joy and rejoicing of mine heart."— Jer.15:16.And it was in my mouth sweet as honey.— "SoI opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat thatroll. And it was in my mouth as honey forsweetness."— Ezek. 3:2, 3.And as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was[bitter] FILLED.— "It satisfies my longings asnothing else could do."Revelation 10:11.

And [He said] THEY SAY unto me.— TheScriptures do the saying.Thou must prophesy again.— Continue toproclaim the Message of Truth Divine.Before many peoples, and nations, andtongues, and kings.— Until it has been fullytestified to all.— 1 Tim. 2:6. The concludingword of this Scripture suggests that the lastwitness of the church in the flesh is, like theirLord's, as alleged malefactors, before earth'srulers.FM171REVELATION 11THE TIME OF THE ENDRevelation 11:1.And there was given me.— The John class inthe Time of the End.A reed like unto a rod.— The Lord's Word isboth a rod to lean upon, (Isa. 11:4) and a reedwith which to measure, (Jer. 1:11-12). The wordhere rendered "rod" is rendered "staff" in Matt10:10; Heb. 11:21.[And the angel stood, saying], HE SAITH.— Itis the "reed" or "rod" itself, the Divine Word,that does the saying.Rise.— "At the exact ‘time appointed,' 1799, theend of the 1260 days, the power of the Man ofSin, the great oppressor of the Church, wasbroken, and his dominion taken away. With onestroke of His mighty hand, God there struck offZion's fetters, and bade the oppressed go free.And forth came, and are coming, the ‘Sanctuary'class, the ‘holy people,' weak, and halt, andlame, and almost naked, and blind, from thedungeon darkness and filth and misery of papalbondage. Poor souls! they had been trying toserve God faithfully in the very midst of the luridflames of persecution, clinging to the cross ofChrist when almost every other truth had beenswept away, and courageously endeavoring, toemancipate God's ‘Two Witnesses' (the Old and

New Testaments), which had so long beenbound, and which had prophesied only under thesackcloth of dead languages."— C122.And measure the Temple of God.— "Thatsymbolic Temple which is The Christ." (T 70.)"The mention of worshippers proves that themeasuring is symbolical. To ‘measure' is toseparate for sacred purposes; what is excludedfrom the measurement is, accordingly, more orless mingled with evil. Hence, in this place, whatis measured— the true believer typified— is tobe exempted from the judgments in which whatis not measured (ver. 2) is involved. (Cook)."If the, direction be understood figuratively, asapplicable to the Christian Church, the work tobe done would be to obtain an exact estimate ormeasurement of what the true Church was—asdistinguished from all other bodies of men, andas constituted, and appointed, by the direction ofGod; such a measurement that its characteristicscould be made known; that a church could beorganized according to this, and that the accuratedescriptionFM172could be transmitted to future times." (Barnes.)-Ezek. 40:3; Rev. 21:15.And the altar.— The Golden Altar, within the"Holy", the true Church, as sacrificers.— Ex.30:1-10.And them that worship therein.— The severalvolumes of Scripture Studies and the bookletTabernacle Shadows are devoted to the"measurements" herein prophesied.Revelation 11:2.But the court which is [without] WITHIN theTemple leave out.— The court here representsthe same thing as is represented in the Court ofthe Tabernacle in the wilderness, the condition ofprogression toward complete justification.—Ezek. 40:3; 42:20.And measure it not.— Devote all attention tothe higher privileges of the "Holy". The "Court"was merely provided as a proper approach to the

Holy. Acceptance of Christ as one's Savior,appreciation of His work at Calvary, andwashing one's self in the water of the Word asrepresented respectively by the First Gate,Brazen Altar, and Laver of the "Court" are notthe things to which we are particularly invited;but consecration to God's will, illumination byHis Spirit, appropriation of His promises andsacrifice of our all, acceptable to the Fatherthrough our great High Priest, representedrespectively by the Second Gate or Door, theCandlestick, Table of Shew-bread and GoldenAltar of the "Holy", are the things to which wewere called: so that we might pass the ThirdGate or Veil, actual death of the body, andfinally become a part of The Christ, representedby the Ark of the Covenant, of which our Fatheris the Head.For it is given ALSO unto the Gentiles.—With the deliverance of the Little Flock, thecondition represented by the "Holy" ceases. Thisleaves the Great Company still in the "Court"and the special objects of Gentile wrath as theirkingdoms fall into ruin. "Being denied the libertyaccorded to the Priests, these will have merelythe standing of justification, which, if theymaintain, will constitute them worthy of eternallife. But that life will not be human life, becausethey gave that up in order to become Priests.Their failure puts them out of the Holy conditionback into the Court condition." (Z.'11-22.)"After the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom,this distinction between the Church proper, jointheirswith Christ, and the larger company ofantitypical Levites, will be perpetual, and theservices of the two will be different. The formerwill be a Priesthood corresponding to that ofMelchizedek— a Priest upon His Throne.The work of the latter will correspond more tothat accomplished by the Levites; namely,teaching the people, etc., as servantsFM173of the Priests, from whom they will receive theirdirections."— Z.'14-79.

And the Holy City.— The embryo Kingdom ofGod.Shall they tread under foot.— "The Kingdomof Heaven suffereth violence, and the violenttake it by force."— Matt. 11:12.Forty and two months.— 1260 years frompapacy's establishment as a temporal power, 539A. D. to 1799 A. D.— B 91. 310; C 50, 64; Dan.7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:6, 14; 13:5; Jas. 5:17.Revelation 11:3.And I will give power unto My TwoWitnesses.— 'The Lord refers to the Old andNew Testament Scriptures, and faithfully theyhave borne their testimony to every nation."— D258.And they shall prophesy.— Teach.A thousand, two hundred and three scoredays.— 1260 years, from A. D. 539 to 1799.Clothed in sackcloth.— "Kept covered in deadlanguages."— C 50.Revelation 11:4.These are the Two Olive Trees.— Sources ofthe oil, the holy Spirit.— Zech. 4:1-6. Rom.10:17.And the Two Candlesticks.— " ‘The light ofthe world, during all the darkness of the past."—D652.Standing before the [God] LORD of theearth.— Jehovah. "The earth is the Lord's."—Psa. 24:1.Revelation 11:5.And If any man will hurt them.— "And if anyman desireth to hurt them. The present tense herepoints to the continued enmity of the world tothe Church, during the entire course of theWitnesses' testimony."— Cook.Fire proceedeth out of their mouth.— "I willmake My words in thy mouth fire, and thispeople wood, and it shall devour them."— Jer.5:14.

And devoureth their enemies.— "Historysupplies the illustrations— the fire thatconsumed the opponents of Moses (Num. 16:28,35), and that which came down at the word ofElijah. (2 Kings 1:10, 12)"— Cook.And if any man will hurt them, he must in thismanner be killed.— "Therefore have I hewedthem by the Prophets; and I have slain them bythe words of My mouth."— Hos. 6:5.Revelation 11:6.These have power to shut heaven.— The literalheavens and the spiritual heavens.— 1 Kings17:1.That it rain not.— That there be no literalshowers, or spiritual, showers of blessings.In the days of their prophecy.— Literally inthe three and one half years in Elijah's day inwhich there was no rain (James 5:17) andspiritually in the three and one half times, or1260 years, from A. D. 539 to 1799 in whichFM174the showers of blessing were withheld from theworld.— Rev. 2:20.And have power over waters.— Literal andsymbolic.To turn them into blood.— Literally as whenMoses turned the waters of Egypt into blood(Exodus 7:21.)Symbolically during this Harvest time in whichthe Heavenly Harvest truths have become"bloody", repulsive, abhorrent, symbolizingdeath where they should be received as ablessing.— Z.'07-279.[And] to smite the earth with all plagues.—Literal and symbolic.As often as they will.— Literally in the plagueswhich Moses poured out upon the Egyptians(Exodus 7 to 11.)Symbolically in the spiritual plagues, the sevenlast upon Christendom.— Rev. 16.

11:7. And when they shall have finished theirtestimony.— In the dead languages, about thetime of the end of papacy's power to persecute.The beast that THEN ascendeth out of the[bottomless pit] ABYSS.— The governmentwithout a foundation; revolutionary Franceduring the "Reign of Terror."Shall make war against them.— "In 1793 adecree passed the French Assembly forbiddingthe Bible; and under that decree the Bibles weregathered and burned, every possible mark ofcontempt was heaped upon them."— Smith.And shall overcome them, and kill them.—"All the institutions of the Bible were abolished;the weekly rest day was blotted out, and everytenth day substituted for mirth and profanity.Baptism and the communion were abolished.The being of God was denied, and deathproclaimed an eternal sleep. The Goddess ofReason, in the person of a vile woman, was setup, and publicly worshipped."— Smith.Revelation 11:8.And their dead bodies shall lie in the street.—France.Of the great city.— Christendom, the OldRoman Empire.— Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:9, 18;18:2, 10, 16, 18, 19, 21.Which spiritually is called Sodom.— "‘Remember Lot's wife!' is our Lord's pointedwarning. How intensely forceful it is as a cautionto God's people here, in the close of the GospelAge. When we learn that Babylon is doomed,and hear the Lord's message, ‘Come out of herMy people that ye be not partakers of her sinsand that ye receive not of her plagues,' it isindeed like the voice of the messengers whohastened Lot and his family out of Sodom,saying, ‘Stay not in all the plain; escape for thylife; escape to the mountain lest thou beconsumed; look not behind thee,' (Gen. 9:17).Christendom is ‘that greatFM175

city [Babylon] which spiritually is calledSodom.' "— D607, 608; Rev. 17:5; Isa. 1:9, 10;3:8, 9; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:48, 41.And Egypt.— "Egypt is recognized as a symbolor type of the world or mankind, full of vainphilosophies, but ignorant of the true Light."—C315; Ezek. 23:3, 4, 8, 27.Where also [our] THE Lord was crucified.—Catholic France, through its connection with thepapacy, is a part of the old Roman Empire, inanother part of which our Lord was slain. Inanother aspect France is identified with the deathof the Lord. Anything done to the least of one ofthe Lord's little ones is counted as done toHimself. When Saul of Tarsus persecuted theLord's saints, the One who met him in the waysaid, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." (Acts9:4, 5; 22:7, 8; 26:14, 15.) A plot was laid inFrance to destroy all the Protestants; and on Aug.24, 1572, sixty thousand were murdered, and thestreets of Paris literally ran with blood. TheProtestants were in Paris under a solemn oath ofsafety, to celebrate the marriage of the king ofNavarre. Admiral Coligny, a Protestant of greatability and prominence, was basely murdered inhis own house, and his head was sent to hisholiness, the Pope, as proof that he was reallydead. The "Holy Father of Fathers", the "Vicar ofChrist", the "Chief Pastor and Teacher", was sopleased that "bells were rung, and guns werefired, bonfires were set ablaze; and Gregory XIII,attended by cardinals, archbishops, bishops, anda great throng of prelates, marched in procession.A Te Deum was chanted, and the Popecommissioned the painter Vasari to paint thescene of the massacre, and employed an artist toengrave a medal commemorative of the event.The preachers in Rome delivered eloquentorations, and a messenger carried a golden roseto Charles as a present from the Pope."— Coffin.Revelation 11:9.And they of the people.— The Protestantpeople.

And kindreds and tongues and nations.— Ofother parts of Europe.[Shall] see their dead [bodies] BODY.— "As ifthough silenced in death they continuedwitnesses still." (Cook.) Take note of the horribleeffect upon France of their effort to exterminatethe Scriptures. "The more deeply the FrenchRevolution is considered, the more manifest is itspreeminence above all the strange and terriblethings that have come to pass on this earth.Every ancient institution and every time honoredcustom disappeared in a moment. The wholesocial and political system went down before thefirst stroke. Monarchy, nobility andFM176church were swept away almost withoutresistance. The good things of this world,—birth, rank, wealth, fine clothes and elegantmanners,— became worldly perils, and worldlydisadvantages. The people waged a war of suchextermination with everything established, as toabolish the common forms of address andsalutation, and the common mode of reckoningtime, abhorred ‘you' as a sin, and shrank from‘monsieur' as an abomination, turned the weeksinto decades, and would know the old months nomore. The demolished halls of the aristocracy,the rifled sepulchres of royalty, the decapitatedking and queen, the little dauphin so sadly doneto death, the beggared princes, the slaughteredpriests and nobles, the sovereign guillotine, therepublican marriages, the Meudon tannery, thecouples tied together and thrown into the Loire,and the gloves made of men's and women'sskins: these things are most horrible." (T. H.Gill, The Papal Drama.)— D537.Three days and an half.— See Rev. 11:11.And [shall not] suffer NOT their dead bodiesto be put in [graves] A GRAVE .— On thecontrary, this very attempt "served to arouseChristians everywhere to put forth new exertionsin behalf of the Bible."— Smith.Revelation 11:10.

And they that dwell upon the earth.— Thepeople of France, then infidels, without anyhopes except for the present poor earth-life.[Shall] rejoice over them, and make merry.—Literally fulfilled when the Assembly proscribedthe Scriptures.And [shall] send gifts one to another.—Literally fulfilled, fulfilled, the gifts beingexpressions of joy over the sudden liberty," "acustom usual in times of festivity.— Neh. 8:10,12; Esth. 9:19, 22."— Cook.Because these Two Prophets tormented.— Bycontinuing to proclaim the coming Reign ofChrist and His Church.Them that dwelt on the earth.— The classeswhose hopes and destinies are earthly.Revelation 11:11.And after three days and an half.— Threeyears and one half.The Spirit of life from God entered intoThem.— In a symbolic sense They were "raisedfrom the dead."— Ezek. 37:5, 9, 10, 14.And They stood upon Their feet.— See Ezek.37:10. "In 1793, a decree passed the FrenchAssembly suppressing the Bible. Just three yearsafter, a resolution was introduced into theAssembly superseding the decree, and givingtoleration to the Scriptures. That resolution layon the table six months, when it was taken up,and passed without a dissenting vote. Thus, injust three years and a half, the Witnesses ‘stoodupon their feet.'"— Smith.FM177And great fear fell upon them which sawthem.— "Nothing but the appalling results of therejection of the Bible, could have induced Franceto take her hands off these Witnesses." (Smith.)"In the light of the foretold character of comingevents of this battle, we may regard the FrenchRevolution as only the rumbling of distantthunder, giving warning of an approachingstorm; as a slight tremor preceding the general

earthquake shock; as the premonitory click of thegreat clock of the ages, which gives notice tothose already awake that the wheels are inmotion, and that shortly it will strike themidnight hour which will end the present orderof affairs and usher in a new order,— the Year ofJubilee, with its attendant commotion andchanges of possession."— D635.In comments on Rev. 3:14, reasons are given foranticipating the deliverance of the Little Flockabout Passover, 1918 [possibly on the Passoverday, as a result of activities by the tribe of Dan.(Jer. 8:16.)] There we noted the Lord's use of thehalf-week principle. In this prophecy, we havethe same principle. The French Revolution isDivinely provided as a picture of events now athand, and we therefore expect three and a halfyears of proscription of the Truth, from thespring of 1918 to the fall of 1921. This will givethe Great Company splendid opportunities formartyrdom and allow another three and a halfyears, to the spring of 1925, for the world tothink the matter over, by which time, doubtless,they will be quite ready to listen to the voice thatspeaketh from Heaven.— Heb. 12:19.Revelation 11:12.And they heard a great voice from Heaven—The voice last referred to— the Lord JesusHimself, the "voice," the Word," of the HeavenlyFather.Saying unto them, Come up hither.— "TheTwo Witnesses of God, the Old and NewTestaments, ascended to heaven, the place ofhonor and power, as the Scriptures symbolicallyrepresent the matter."— Z.'15-199.And they ascended up to heaven.— "TheBritish and Foreign Bible Society (which hasdistributed 230,000,000 copies of the Bible) wasestablished in 1803; the New York Bible Societyin 1804; the Berlin-Prussian Bible Society in1805; the Philadelphia Bible Society in 1808;and the American Bible Society (127,000,000copies distributed) in 1817. Bibles by themillion, in over 300 languages, are published

yearly and sold at low prices, and manythousands are given away to the poor. It isdifficult to estimate the wide influence of thiswork. Its quiet teaching is the greatest of alllevelers and equalizers."— C51.FM178In a cloud.— In a time of trouble, the FrenchRevolution. The exaltation which the Word ofGod received as a result of the FrenchRevolution is as nothing compared with theexaltation which awaits it after the "Time ofTrouble such as was not since there was anation."And their enemies beheld them.— As theenemies of the Word of God were compelled bythe stern logic of events to consent to itsrestoration in the French time of trouble, so theLord's enemies, and the enemies of His Church,will be compelled to submit to the Reign ofTruth when their forces have been exhausted inthe Battle of the great Day of God Almighty.—Luke 19:27; Isa. 54:11-17.Revelation 11:13.And the same hour was there a greatearthquake.— "In the symbolic language ofRevelation, the French Revolution was indeed a‘great earthquake'— a social shock so great thatall ‘Christendom' trembled until it was over; andthat terrible and sudden outburst of a singlenation's wrath, only a century ago, may givesome idea of the fury of the coming storm, whenthe wrath of all the angry nations will burst thebands of law and order and cause a reign ofuniversal anarchy. In fact, the French Revolutionseems referred to by our Lord in His Revelationto John on Patmos as a prelude to, and anillustration of, the great crisis nowapproaching."— D631.The French Revolution lasted ten and a halfyears, from June 17th, 1789, when the Assemblybegan its reign, until Napoleon seized thegovernment and caused himself to be appointedFirst Consul, November 9th, 1799.

This coincides well with the thought previouslyexpressed (Rev. 7:3) that all phases of Babylonwill not be disposed of until about ten and a halfyears from the fall of 1914. The Assembly wasin control from the first, but did not execute theking until January 21st, 1793, three years andone-half from the time the trouble started.The Assembly continued in control until June25th, 1795, six years from the time the troublebegan, when the government was intrusted tofive persons under the name of the Directory. Itwas on October 4th of the same year thatNapoleon cleared the streets of Paris of themobs, and from that point onward his star beganto rise.Some interesting developments in connectionwith the setting up of the Kingdom may occur in1920, six years after the great Time of Troublebegan. It would not be strange if this were so,when we recall that after forty years wanderingin the wilderness the Israelites came intopossession of the land of Canaan after a furthersix years. As these matters are still future we canbut wait to see.FM179We anticipate that the "earthquake" will occurearly in 1918, and that the "fire" will come in thefall of 1920.— 1 Kings 19:11, 12; Z.'98-207,208.And the tenth part of the city fell.— TheFrench part of Christendom; one of the ten toesor the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar; one of theten horns of Daniel's beast and John's dragon.—Dan. 2:41-43; 7:24; Rev.Revelation 12:3.And in the earthquake were slain of menseven thousand.— "And by the earthquake weredestroyed seven thousand names of men."(Diaglott.) "France made war, in her revolutionof 1793-98, on all titles of nobility. It is said bythose who have examined the French records,that just seven thousand titles of men wereabolished in that revolution."— Smith.

And the remnant were affrighted and gaveglory to the God of Heaven.— "Their Goddishonoringand Heaven-defying work filledFrance with such scenes of blood, carnage, andhorror, as made even the infidels themselvestremble, and stand aghast; and the ‘remnant' thatescaped the horrors of that hour ‘gave glory toGod'— not willingly, but the God of Heavencaused this ‘wrath of man to praise Him,' bycausing all the world to see that those who makewar on Heaven make graves for themselves; thusglory redounded to God by the very means thatwicked men employed to tarnish that glory. Forthe statistics and many of the foregoing thoughtson the Two Witnesses, we are indebted to anexposition of the subject of The Two Witnesses,by the late George Storrs." (Smith.)"And here I gratefully mention assistancerendered by Brothers George Stetson and GeorgeStorrs, the latter the Editor of The BibleExaminer, both now deceased. The study of theWord of God with these dear brethren led step bystep into greener pastures and brighter hopes forthe world."— Pastor Russell's Autobiography.Z.'16-170.Revelation 11:14.The second woe is past.— In the narrative ofChapter XI are briefly summed up the three mostimportant events of the Time of the End.Between the French Revolution and the greatTime of Trouble occurs a most significant event,which leads up to and is the direct cause of thegreat Time of Trouble. That event is the secondwoe. It is described in detail in Rev. 9:14-21. Butfor this the great Time of Trouble would neverhave been necessary (Mal. 4:6); but it isnecessary now, as necessary as was the Flood inNoah's day, and for the same reason— to rid theearth of the progeny of the evil spirits, the"abominations of the earth."— Rev. 17:5;Revelation 9:13.FM180And, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.—The third woe is the Reign of the Lord begun,

with its attendant upsetting of the present order.The woes are visited upon those interested inmaintaining the present order of things, whowould like to retain indefinitely the advantagesthey have obtained. "The battle of this great Dayof God Almighty will be the greatest revolutionthe world has ever seen. Behold, how, even now,the searchlight of general intelligence isdiscovering the secret springs of politicalintrigue, financial policies, religious claims, etc.,and how all are brought to the bar of judgment,and by men, as well as by God, declared right orwrong as judged by the teachings of the Word ofGod."— D541.Revelation 11:15.And the seventh angel.— Pastor Russell. SeeRev. 3:14; 10:7.Sounded.— "We find the ‘shout,' the ‘voice ofthee Archangel' and ‘the trump of God' allsymbols, and now in process of fulfillment."(B149, 197.) "The ‘great trumpet' we understandto be the antitypical ‘trumpet of Jubilee,' assymbolic as the preceding six, none of whichever made any literal sound. It has beensymbolically sounding since October, 1874, andwill continue to the end of the Millennium."—D601; Rev. 10:7.And there were great voices in heaven.—"These voices have been uttered, and to someextent heard, in the symbolic heavens, thenominal church. For some years past a ‘volunteerwork' has been steadily progressing amongst thebrethren— the work of rendering assistance tothe members of the Household of Faith still inBabylon, still in darkness respecting the Lord,His true Character, His true Plan, and respectingthe nearness of His Kingdom."— Z.'02-118.Saying, --The [kingdoms] KINGDOM of thisworld [are] IS become the [kingdoms]KINGDOM of our Lord, and of His Christ.—"The volunteer matter prepared for this presentyear (the issues of our journal for February 15and March 15) had already been prepared beforewe thought of how wonderfully this year's

distribution will agree with the declaration of ourtext. Here will be a million voices proclaimingthroughout the nominal Church (symbolicheavens) the great message of this present time;namely, the Second Presence of our Lord as thereaper of the Harvest of the Gospel Age,gathering the ‘wheat' into the ‘garner,' destroyingthe tares (as tares—not as human beings) andestablishing His glorious Kingdom upon a firmfoundation of righteousness and equity, for theblessing of every creature."— Z.'02-119.FM181And He shall reign for ever and ever.AMEN.— Sea Rev. 5:13; Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 18,27.Revelation 11:16.And the [four and] twenty-FOUR elders.—The prophecies pertaining to the Kingdom ofGod.— Rev. 4:10.Which [sat] SIT before God on their seats.—Rev. 4:4.Fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.—Rev. 4:10.Revelation 11:17.Saying, We give thee thanks.— See Rev. 5:11-13.O Lord God Almighty.— "Represented inChrist— 'All things are of the Father,' and ‘allthings are by the Son,' His honoredRepresentative."— D624.Which art, and wast, and [art to come].— SeeRev. 1:4. He is not to come. He has come.Because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy greatpower, and hast reigned.— " ‘Thy Godreigneth!' The oft-repeated prayer of the Churchhas been answered: the Kingdom of God hasindeed come. The dead in Christ are even nowrisen and exalted with our Lord and Head. Andthe ‘feet' members of the Body of Christ, whostill tarry in the flesh, catching the inspiration ofthe glorified throng who have already ascendedinto the Mount (Kingdom) of God, reflect a

measure of that transcendent glory, as did Moseswhen be came down from Mount Sinai." (C301.)"In describing the events under the SeventhTrumpet, this order is observed: — (1) thepower is taken by the Lord as King or Earth, andHis Reign begun; (2) as a consequence the greatjudgment-trouble comes upon the world."—D623; Rev. 19:6; Psa. 99:1.Revelation 11:18.And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath iscome.— "Although they are called Christiannations, they have not received the Spirit of theLord; they have not received the spirit ofmeekness, gentleness, long-suffering, brotherlykindness and love, the fruits of the Holy Spirit;but on the contrary, the spirit which St. Paul saysconsists of hatred, wrath, strife, murder— worksof the flesh and the Devil. For this reason theydid not even wait for God's wrath to come, butbegan to bring it upon themselves nearly twomonths in advance.They became so angry that they began to destroyeach other even before their lease of power hadexpired."— Z.'14-328.And the time of the dead, that they should bejudged.— "They cannot be judged without Hiswords, and the vast majority,— 'dead intrespasses and sins,' blinded and deafened by theAdversary, through sin,—have not thus far beenenabled to hear their Redeemer's wonderfulwords of life. In the Millennial Kingdom thedead world will have the eyes of itsunderstanding opened and its ears unstopped,and the knowledge of the Lord shall fill theFM182whole earth and reach every member of the deadrace, not only those who have not yet gone downinto the tomb, but ‘all the families of the earth;'for, ‘all that are in the grave shall come forth' forthe very purpose of hearing the ‘wonderfulwords of life,' and of being judged by them. Ifthey shall accept them heartily they shall, byrestitution processes, be brought fully up to life

conditions."— Z.'02-18; Dan. 7:10; Rev. 14:7;15:4.And that Thou shouldest give reward untoThy Servants the Prophets.— Who aretherefore without their rewards until Christ'sSecond Advent.— Heb. 11:39, 40.And to the saints.— "We hold that it is a mostreasonable inference, and one in perfect harmonywith all the Lord's Plan, that in the spring of1878 all the holy Apostles and other‘overcomers' of the Gospel Age who slept inJesus were raised spirit beings, like unto theirLord and Master."— C234.And them that fear Thy name, small andgreat.— All other classes of believers, past,present and future.And shouldest destroy them.— The Papal andProtestant sects.Which destroy the earth.— Corrupt the earth,Greek.— Rev. 13:2.Revelation 11:19.And the Temple of God.— The true Church.—1 Cor. 2:16.Was opened in heaven ABOVE.— Wasrevealed as in the ascendency over the nominalecclesiastical heavens.And there was seen in His Temple.— Clearlyrevealed to His Church.The Ark.— The repository of the sacred andhidden things of Revelation and Ezekiel.Of [His] THE testament of God.— TheSecret— "The Finished Mystery."— Psa. 25:14;Col. 1:27; Rev. 14:17; 16:1, 17.And there were lightnings, and voices andthunderings.— See Rev. 8:5.And an earthquake.— See Rev. 8:5; 16:18.And great hall.— A deluge of Truth in its mostcompact form.— Isa. 28:17; Rev. 16:21.The tidal wave is coming, the Year of Jubilee;With shout and song it sweeps along, like billows of the sea,

The jubilee of nations shall ring through earth and sky;The dawn of grace draws on apace— 'tis coming by and by.FM183REVELATION 12THE BIRTH OF ANTICHRISTRevelation 12:1.And there appeared a great wonder.— Sign,Greek.— Rev. 1:1.In heaven.— In the power of spiritual control.—A318; Eph. 2:4-6; Phil. 3:20.A Woman.— The early Church, Nominal Zion,(D591), originally a chaste Virgin.— 2 Cor.11:2; Matt. 9:15; 22:2; John 3:29; Eph. 5:25, 32.Clothed with the sun.— Resplendent in the full,clear light of the unclouded Gospel.— D591.And the moon under her feet.— "The moonunder her feet represents that the Law whichsupports her is nevertheless not the source of herlight."— D591.And upon her head a crown of twelve stars.—"The twelve stars about her head as a crownrepresent her Divinely appointed and inspiredteachers— the Twelve Apostles." (D591.)"Now if God ordained only twelve stars as lightsfor His Church, as here represented, is it not agreat mistake for popes, bishops and clergy toregard themselves as successors of theApostles,— stars also?"— D594.Revelation 12:2And [she] being with child.— As a result of theMystery of Iniquity which was working withinher.— 2 Thess, 2:7.[Cried], AND SHE CRIETH travailing inbirth.— Felt the weight of the burden even inapostolic days.— Rev. 2:2.And pained to be delivered.— Desired to getrid of the loathsome thing from which, by themachinations of Satan, she was at the timesuffering. In a sense the birth of the Antichrist

from the early Church was a counterfeit of thebirth of Christ from the virgin Mary, the one amanifestation of the power of God, the other ofSatan.— John 16:21, 22.Revelation 12:3.And there appeared another wonder inheaven.— Among the ecclesiastical powers ofthe same epoch.And behold a great red dragon.— The PaganRoman Empire, which had its own religioussystem. "The Roman Empire had not onlyconquered the world and given it politics andlaws, but, recognizing religious superstitions tobe the strongest chains by which to hold andcontrol a people, it had adopted a scheme whichhad its originFM184in Babylon, in the time of her greatness as rulerof the world. That plan was, that the emperorshould be esteemed the director and ruler inreligious as well as in civil affairs. In support ofthis, it was claimed that the emperor was a demigod,in some sense descended from their heathendeities. As such he was worshipped and hisstatues adored; and as such he was styledPontifex Maximus — i. e., Chief Priest orGreatest Religious Ruler."— B388.Having seven heads and ten horns.— See Dan.7:7, 20; Rev. 13:1; 17:3, 9-12; 5:6; 1 Sam. 2:10;Deut. 33:17; 1 Kings 22:11. The Eastern, orByzantine Empire, was founded in A. D. 395,when Theodosius divided the Roman Empirebetween his two sons, Honorius and Arcadius,assigning to the latter all the portion lying east ofthe Adriatic sea. At this time the Roman Empirebecame the two legs of Nebuchadnezzar's vision.At the time the division was made the fivepotential races in the East were the Greeks,Lombards, Ostrogoths, Heruli and Vandals. Thefive potential races in the West were the Franks,Britons, Saxons, Visigoths and Suevi. During thenext one hundred and fifty years great migrationsand invasions have so confused history that thereis great difference of opinion among historians

on many important details. It is plain, however,that three of the migratory races disappearedfrom history, all within a few years of each other,apparently in order to leave Rome and itsenvirons free for the development of the papacy.The Heruli, a race from Germanic territory,disappeared from Italian territory in A. D. 489;the Vandals, a race from the shores of the Baltic(never in control of Rome except on a brief raid,but a great enemy of the papacy) disappeared inA. D. 534; and the Ostrogoths, an Asiatic race, inA. D. 539. The Western Empire itselfdisappeared in A. D. 476. The matter is treatedby Pastor Russell at greater length in C 76, 77,and all his statements are, of course, correct.And seven crowns upon his heads.— In theEastern Empire, corresponding to the presentTurkey and the Balkans, and in Lombardy,corresponding to the present Austria, we may seethe two horns which remained of the five Easternpowers after the Ostrogoths, Heruli and Vandalsdisappeared. And in the Visigothic Kingdom,corresponding to Spain; Suevia, corresponding toPortugal; the Kingdom of the Franks,corresponding to France and the Netherlands;Saxonia, corresponding to Germany andScandinavia; and Brittania, corresponding toGreat Britain, we may see the five horns whichrepresented theFM185five western powers. The following explainswhy Italy is not included in the list:"The difficulty of Italian history lies in the factthat until modern times the Italians have had nopolitical unity, no independence, no organizedexistence as a nation. Split up into numerous andmutually hostile communities, they never,through the fourteen centuries which haveelapsed since the end of the old Western Empire,shook off the yoke of foreigners completely; theynever until lately learned to merge their local andconflicting interests in the common good ofundivided Italy. Their history is therefore not thehistory of a single people, centralizing andabsorbing its constituent elements by a process

of continued evolution, but a group of cognatepopulations, exemplifying divers types ofconstitutional developments."— Brit.The foregoing justifies Pastor Russell's thoughtthat the Western Empire should be counted asone of the horns rooted up to make way for thePapacy. As to whether it or the Vandal raceshould be counted as the third horn, since bothwere destroyed, is a matter of no greatimportance to us. The point of greatest interestnow is that the Lord is about to destroy the otherseven, including the Papacy. All the powersnamed, except Spain, are already in the greatWar. Indeed, except South America, whichexpects to be dragged in, the only countries ofthe world not now (June, 1917) engaged in thewar are Scandinavia, Holland, Switzerland,Spain, Abyssinia and Mexico.— Jer. 25:15-38.And his tail.— Constantine, the last of theRoman emperors to maintain his capital atRome. "After the senate and people of Rome hadceased to be the sovereigns of the Roman world,and their authority had been vested in the soleperson of the emperor, the eternal city could nolonger claim to be the rightful throne of the state.That honor could henceforth be conferred uponany place in the Roman world which might suitthe convenience of the emperor, or serve moreefficiently the interests he had to guard.Furthermore, the empire was now upon itsdefense. When Constantine, therefore,established a new seat of government atByzantium, he adopted a policy inauguratedbefore his day as essential to the preservation ofthe Roman dominion. He can claim originalityonly in his choice of the particular point at whichthat seat was placed, and in his recognition of thefact that his alliance with the Christian churchcould be best maintained in the new atmosphere.The city was founded by Constantine the Great,through the enlargement of theFM186old town of Byzantium in A. D. 328, and wasinaugurated as a new seat of government on the11th of May, A.D. 330. To indicate its political

dignity, it was named New Rome, while toperpetuate the name of its founder it was styledConstantinople. The chief patriarch of the Greekchurch still signs himself ‘Archbishop of NewRome.'"— Brit.Drew the third part.— "The Roman EmperorConstantine saw a vision— probably when wideawake— a vision of greater prosperity forhimself and his Empire, by a recognition ofChristianity as the religion of his Empire insteadof paganism, which had previously beenrecognized. Constantine's influence in Churchaffairs became great. He proposed the calling ofa council of all the bishops, numbering aboutone thousand. He wanted to know why theseapostolic bishops, all inspired with the sameSpirit of God, taught so differently. He offered topay the expenses of all the bishops to theCouncil of Nice; but the majority, fearing thatthe Emperor would be under the control of theRoman bishop (not yet claiming to be pope),declined to attend. Only 384 came. But even theywere unable to agree. Many held to the Bibleteaching, but the mystification thought of trinityhad gained a hold on some of the bishops.Thereupon Constantine decided the matter; andthe Nicene Creed, backed by the Emperor'spower, was declared to be the Christian faith,and anything contrary to it, heresy. Yet be itremembered that only about one-third of thebishops were present at the Council; and thatthey could not be coerced into substituting‘mystery' for the Word of God, until the Emperorlent his influence.Thus was the mystery of trinity enshrined by aheathen emperor, not baptized— not evensprinkled. The history of the persecution of allwho would not worship the trinitarian mysterywould fill volumes. One sad illustration isfamiliar to all— the burning of Servetus, bygood Brother Calvin's signature to the deathwarrant.Is it any wonder that with such conditionsprevailing for centuries, the Bible ignored andthe creeds worshipped, the true teachings of the

Bible on many subjects were completely lostsight of? Is it any wonder that, when in thesixteenth century God began to bring the Bibleback to the attention of the world, it was burnedby the Episcopal bishops in front of St. Paul'sCathedral in London? Is it any wonder that theChristians of that time were persecuted forstudying it, and could meet only in secret?"— B.S. M.Of the stars of heaven.— False stars,"wandering stars," man-ordained lights of thenominal heavens.— D595. There the bishopsbecame substitutes for the true Apostolic stars.FM187And did cast them to the earth.— Forced themto teach what he told them or else be banished, aswas Arius.And the dragon.— Imperial Rome, representedby Constantine.Stood before the woman which was read to bedelivered.— The early Christian Church.For to devour her child.— Absorb it, make it asubordinate feature of the Roman system ofgovernment.At soon at it was born.— As soon as thedevelopment of the clergy class and othersequally unfaithful to Christ had made itimpossible for them to be retained longer in thetrue Church.FM12:5.And she brought forth a man child.— Thepapacy.— Z.'79-12-2.Who was to rule all nations with a rod ofiron.— "In a bull, or edict, Sixtus V declares:‘The authority given to St. Peter and hissuccessors, by the immense power of the eternalKing, excels all the power of earthly kings andprinces. It passeth uncontrollable sentence uponthem all. And if it find any of them resistingGod's ordinance, it takes more severe vengeanceon them, casting them down from their thrones,however powerful they may be, and tumbling

them down to the lowest parts of the earth as theministers of aspiring Lucifer.'"A bull of Pope Pius V., entitled ‘The damnationand excommunication of Elizabeth, queen ofEngland, and her adherents' reads as follows:‘He that reigneth on high, to whom is given allpower in heaven and in earth, committed oneholy, catholic and apostolic church (out of whichthere is no salvation) to one alone upon earth,namely, to Peter, the Prince of the apostles, andto Peter's successor, the bishop of Rome, to begoverned in fullness of power. Him alone hemade prince over all people and all kingdoms, topluck up, destroy, scatter, consume, plant andbuild.'"— B310.And her child was caught up unto God, and [to]UNTO His throne.— "St. Bernard affirms that‘none except God is like the pope, either inheaven or on earth.' ‘The Emperor Constantine,'says Pope Nicholas I., ‘conferred the appellationof God on the pope; who, therefore, being God,cannot be judged by man.' Said Pope InnocentIII.— "The pope holds the place of the true God;'and the canon law, in the gloss denominates thepope— 'our Lord God.' Innocent and Jacobatiusstate that ‘the pope can do nearly all that Godcan do,' while Decius rejects the word nearly, asunnecessary. Jacobatius and Durand assert that‘none dare say to him any more than to God—Lord, what doest Thou?'"— B311.FM188Pope Martin stated the matter in his own behalfas follows: "All the earth is my diocese, and Iam the ordinary of all men, having the authorityof the King of all kings upon subjects. I am all inall, and above all, so that God Himself, and I, thevicar of God, have both one consistory, and I amable to do almost all that God can do. In allthings that I list my will is to stand for reason,for I am able by the law to dispense above thelaw, and of wrong to make justice in correctinglaws and changing them. Wherefore, if thosethings that I do be said not to be done of man,but of God— What can you make me but God?Again, if prelates of the church be called and

counted of Constance for Gods, I then, beingabove all prelates, seem by this reason to beabove all Gods. Wherefore, no marvel if it be inmy power to change time and times, to alter andabrogate laws, to dispense with all things, yea,with the precepts of Christ."— B314; Dan. 7:25.12:6. And the woman.— The true Church ofGod.Fled into the wilderness.— "Error, always morepopular than truth, when exalted to Influence andpower, hunted down, proscribed and madedisreputable the truth, and all who held it. Thiswas the time when the true Church (woman) fledinto the wilderness— into solitude— an outcastbecause of her fidelity to the truth, and to the trueLord and Head of the Church."— B329.Where she hath a place prepared of God.—"The secret place of the Most High."— Psa.91:1.That they.— The antitypical ravens that fed theElijah class, the unknown, "faithful men" who, insecret, broke the bread of life to those thathungered for righteousness.Should feed her there.— As Elijah was fed inthe wilderness.— Rev. 2:18.A thousand two hundred and threescoredays.— 1260 years, from A. D. 539 to 1799.—Rev. 11:2, 3.Revelation 12:7.And there was war in heaven.— Between thetwo ecclesiastical powers, Pagan Rome andPapal Rome.Michael.— "Who as God," the Pope.— B275;C62.And his angels.— The Bishops. The followingis the reply given in the Catholic catechism tothe question, "Who are the successors of theApostles?" Ans. "The bishops who are rightlyconsecrated, and are in communion with thehead of the Church, the Pope."

[Fought against] TO WAR WITH thedragon.— Attempted to get the temporal poweraway from the civil rulers.— Rev. 2:12.And the dragon.— Imperial Rome.— B288;Rev. 12:3; 20:2.FM189Fought and his angels.— Did everythingpossible to circumscribe the growing power ofthe papacy, but all in vain.— Rev. 2:12.Revelation 12:8And THEY prevailed not AGAINST HIM,neither was [their place] HE THEN found anymore in heaven.— The Papacy came out of thecontest victorious. "Paganism, defeated,relinquished all things pertaining to religiousaffairs and contented itself with social, civic andpolitical affairs," so stated one of Pastor Russell'scoworkers.FM12:9.And the great dragon was cast out.— Verses9 to 12 contain the rejoicings of the Papacy overtheir triumph.That old serpent, called the Devil, [and]Satan.— "To this fourth beast, representingRome, Daniel gives no descriptive name. Whilethe others are described as lion-like, bear-likeand leopard-like, the fourth was so ferocious andhideous that none of the beasts of earth could becompared with it. John the Revelator, seeing invision the same symbolic beast (government),was also at a loss for a name by which todescribe it, and finally gives it several. Amongothers, he called it ‘the Devil.' He certainly chosean appropriate name; for Rome, when viewed inthe light of its bloody persecutions, certainly hasbeen the most devilish of all earthlygovernments. Even in its change from RomePagan to Rome Papal it illustrated one of Satan'schief characteristics; for be also transformshimself to appear as an angel of light (2 Cor.11:14), as Rome transformed itself fromheathenism and claimed to be Christian— theKingdom of Christ."— A258.

Which deceiveth the whole world.— Byintimating that anybody in it except the pope hasany right to say anything about how it should berun.He was cast out into the earth.— We, thePapacy, are in control!And his angels were cast out with him.— We,the cardinals, etc., have the positions of poweronce held by the priests of Pagan Rome!Revelation 12:10.And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven.—In the Roman Catholic Church.Now is come salvation, and strength.—"Cardinal Manning, Papacy's chief representativein England, endorses and draws public attentionto the following clause of the Catholic faith:‘We declare, affirm, define, and pronounce itnecessary to salvation, for every human creatureto be subject to the Roman Pontiff.' And in apublished discourse he represents the pope assaying, ‘I claim to be the Supreme Judge andDirector of the consciences of men; of thepeasant that tills the field, and the prince that sitson the throne; of the household that lives in theFM190shade of privacy, and the Legislature that makeslaws for kingdoms. I am the sole, last, SupremeJudge of what is right and wrong.'"— B317.And the kingdom of our God.— The Papacyreally believed that its exaltation to power wasthe exaltation of the kingdom of God in theearth, and so it was, but not our God.— 2 Cor.4:4.And the power of His Christ.— The popereally believes he is the Vicar of Christ.For the accuser of our brethren is castdown.— It seemed to the Papacy that inundermining and supplanting Imperial Romethey had gained a great victory for Christ.Which accused them before our God day andnight .— Pagan Rome truthfully accused the

Papacy of lying, simony, murder, adultery, andevery crime on the calendar.— Rev. 2:13.Revelation 12:11.And they overcame him by the blood of theLamb.— This is the way it looks to Catholicseven to this day. "By this sign [the cross]conquer!" was the Crusaders' standard.And by the word of their testimony.— But notby the testimony of history or of God's Word,both of which show that "their testimony" (i. e.,the testimony of the papacy, in the forgeddecretals and otherwise) was one of continuouslies.— Dan. 11:27.And they loved not their lives unto thedeath.— This was the Catholic viewpoint.Revelation 12:12.Therefore rejoice, ye heavens.— Catholicheavens— popes, bishops and prelates.And ye that dwell in them.— "The underpriestsof Papacy, not parts or members of thechurch or hierarchy, but called ‘Brothers.'"—B303.Woe to the [inhabiters of] the earth and [of]the sea.— It seemed to the Papacy as though theMillennium, and the great Time of Troublewhich the Scriptures everywhere show is toprecede it, were just at hand.— Rev. 7:1.For the devil is come down to you.— The papalthought that Pagan Rome was a goodrepresentative of the Devil is quite right; and theScriptures return the compliment.Having [great] wrath.— Being very greatlyangered at Papacy's aggressions. The Papalpolicy has ever been to crowd the civil powers asfar as they could possibly go, then wait until ageneration had passed and crowd some more.The horns have always hated the whore.— Rev.17:16.Because he knoweth he hath but a shorttime.— Had Papacy been able to bring it about itwould surely, in time, have deprived all therulers of the world of every

FM191particle of civil, social, ecclesiastical andfinancial power. There has never been any limitto its ambitions or pretensions, and there is nonenow.Revelation 12:13.And when the dragon.— The civil powers ofthe old Roman Empire, under the control of thePapacy.Saw that he was cast unto the earth.—Deprived of the superstitious reverence nowalmost wholly absorbed by the Papacy.He persecuted.— Not on his own account, butunder the orders and instructions andencouragements of the Papacy, and to win Papalapproval.The woman which brought forth the manchild.— The true Church. For details of theinfamous work of Charles V, Emperor ofGermany and King of Spain and the Netherlands,the Duke of Alva, Philip II of Spain, the Frenchkings Francis and Henry, see pages 337-338 ofStudies in the Scriptures, Vol. II. These are butillustrations of what occurred in all parts of theold Roman world, and were all done at thebehest of the Papacy.Revelation 12:14.And to the woman.— The true Church.Were given Two Wings.— The Old and NewTestaments.Of a great eagle.— The eagle is a symbol ofwisdom, a fit representative of the Scriptures inwhich are contained the words of our God. (Rev.4:7.) "I bare you on eagle's wings, and broughtyou unto Myself."— Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11-12.That she might fly into the wilderness.—Separateness from the world; ostracism;represented by Elijah's three and a half years inthe wilderness.— Rev. 2:20.Into her place, where she is nourished.— ByDivinely provided means, of which almost no

ecords have been permitted to survive theravages of papal persecution.Both for a time, and times, and half a time.—1260 years from A. D. 539 to 1799.— Rev. 11:2,3.From.— Safe from.The face of the Serpent.— Satan himself, thereal instigator of all persecutions from the Lord'stime even until now.And the Serpent.— Satan himself, at the closeof the 1260 years of Papacy's power to persecute.Cast out of his mouth water as a flood.— "Thestrength of the French revolution, to whichreference is here had, lay in the fact that it wasinstigated by many stern truths, regarding priestcraftand king-craft, and regarding the individualrights and liberties of all. Truths regardinghuman rights were seen and expressed therewhich cause us surprise when we consider theignorance, superstition and servility of that day,under which the masses had soFM192long rested. Many of the truths which then sweptas a flood over France, deluging it with blood,are now very generally accepted among allcivilized peoples."— C65.After the woman, that he might cause her tobe carried away of the flood.— "Satan's designin instigating the French revolution was to createan alarm throughout Europe, especially theinfluential class, unfavorable to liberty, and toillustrate in France the theory that, were thesuperstitions of Rome to be overthrown andliberty to be given full sway, all law and orderwould speedily end." This strategy Satan is nowabout to repeat— this time with success, but histriumph will be short.— C66.And the earth.— The order-loving people ofEurope.Helped the woman.— The true Church.And the earth opened her mouth, andswallowed up the flood.— "It is a fact of history

that the flood of truth which spread overFrance— arraigning Papacy and its priest-craft,and monarchy and its parasitic aristocracy, as theresponsible causes of much of the ignorance,poverty and superstition of the people— wasswallowed up, or absorbed by the people ofEurope generally (The Roman ‘earth'). Andwhen the rulers of Europe formed what wascalled ‘The Holy Alliance,' for the suppression ofthe liberties of the people and the perpetuation oftheir own thrones, it was too late to fetter thepeople; for, having drunk up the flood of waters,they would not submit. It was too late to think ofre-establishing Papacy, which had been soterribly humiliated and whose anathemas againstliberty and the French had so reacted againstitself; so the pope was not even invited to jointhe ‘Holy Alliance,' of which before he wouldhave been the recognized head."— C66.Which the dragon cast out of his mouth.—"This sudden flood of waters (truth) wasdesigned to act as an emetic, to lead to thecasting out of the food of liberty, already beingreceived by the people from the Bible, as theresult of the Reformation, and thus to force rulersand teachers to oppose the truth through fear ofanarchy."— C66.Revelation 12:17.And the dragon was wroth with thewoman.— The protesting Church of God. Thiswill apply with great force shortly.And went to make war with the remnant ofher seed.— The true saints in the RomanCatholic communion or wherever otherwisefound,— always objects of hatred andoppression by ecclesiasticism.— Rev. 13:7.Which keep the commandments of God.—"The law is fulfilled in us."— Rom. 8:4.And have the testimony of [Jesus Christ]GOD.— Have HIS word as the man of theircounsel.— Rev. 14:12.FM193

REVELATION 13THE PAPAL ANDPROTESTANT BEASTSRevelation 13:1.And [I] HE stood upon the sand of the sea.—The sea represents the masses not under religiousrestraint. It is this symbolic sea that is to overturnand swallow up all kingdoms of earth in thegreat Time of Trouble. The proper understandingof the vision is located down at the edge of thissea, near the Time of Trouble.And I saw a beast.— "This character is veryforcibly delineated even in the names applied toit by the inspired writers. Paul calls it ‘ThatWicked One,' ‘The Man of Sin,' ‘The Mystery ofIniquity,' ‘The Antichrist,' and ‘The Son ofPerdition;' the Prophet Daniel calls it ‘TheAbomination that maketh desolate' (Dan. 11:31;12:11); and our Lord refers to the same characteras ‘The Abomination of Desolation, spoken ofby Daniel the Prophet' (Matt. 24:15). This samecharacter was also prefigured by a little horn, orpower, out of a terrible beast that Daniel saw inhis prophetic vision, which had eyes, and amouth that spoke great things, and whichprospered and made war with the saints, andprevailed against them. (Dan. 7:8, 21.) John alsosaw and warned the Church against thischaracter, saying, ‘Ye have heard that Antichristshall come.' He then advises how to escapeAntichrist's influence. (1 John 2:18-27.) Thesevarious appellations and brief descriptionsindicate a base, subtle, hypocritical, deceptive,tyrannical and cruel character, developed in themidst of the Christian Church; claiming, to thelast, peculiar sanctity and authority and powerfrom God." (B271.)"We need not look long to find a character fittingall the requirements perfectly. But when we statethat the one and only system whose history fitsthese prophecies is Papacy, let no onemisunderstand us to mean that every RomanCatholic is a man of sin. Popes, bishops andothers are at most only parts or members of the

Antichrist system, even as all of the RoyalPriests are only members of the true Christ."(B277.) Antichrist now finds its expression in the"Christian" governments of the world foundedupon its teachings— Christendom.Rise up out of the sea.— See Rev. 17:15; Psa.65:7; 93:2, 4; Isa. 57:20. At the time of papacy'sbirth the masses of the Roman people had ceasedto have reverence for theFM194ancient mythology of Pagan Rome. Constantine,a shrewd politician, discerned this and discernedthe growing influence of the Christian religion.In adopting it, in forcing the adoption of theNicene Creed, and in removing his capital fromRome, he gave the papacy its start.Having TEN HORNS AND seven heads [andten horns].— See Rev. 12:3; Dan. 7:7, 20; Rev.17:3, 9-12; 5:6; 1 Sam. 2:10; Deut. 33:17; 1Kings 22:11.And upon his horns ten crowns.— In thiscalculation are included the three potential racesplucked up to make way for the papacy. (Rev.12:3; 17:3, 9.) In this picture the location of thecrowns upon the horns instead of upon the heads,as in Rev. 12:3, denotes the changed situationafter the papacy came into control. The papacyruled not directly, as did Pagan Rome, butthrough other powers to which it was joined.And upon his heads.— The seven kingdomsthat still survive: Spain, Portugal, France,England, Germany, Austria, Greece, and theirpast and present dependencies.The name of blasphemy.— Everyone of thesekingdoms falsely claims, or has claimed, to be apart of the Kingdom of God, though actually allpart of the one great kingdom ruled by "The godof this world."— 2 Cor. 4:4.Revelation 13:2.And the beast which I saw was like unto aleopard.— "The body of the Papal beast waslike a Leopard. The Leopard was the third beastseen by Daniel, viz., Grecia. Greece was noted as

the center of learning, piety and wisdom (Acts17:23); so Papacy's chief claim, to be the ruler ofall kingdoms, is based on the claim that it is thecenter of wisdom, learning and piety. Otherpeculiarities of the Leopard are its activity,vigilance and secretiveness; so with Papacy.Again, a Leopard is spotted irregularly, so tooPapacy's policy in various parts of the earth."(Z.'79-12-2.) "In one place it is liberal, almostwhite in its professions or appearances; inanother quarter black, corrupt, degrading, brutal;and in still other places it has various neutral andtawny shades of correspondence to the naturaldepravity of the people it rules with its rod ofeternal torment and its staff of Purgatory. InSpain, for example, which has been for centuriesone of its dark spots— as dark as the generalcivilization of the people will permit,— the‘leopard' has been accustomed to have the way,and is incensed that freedom of worship, or evenof thought, should be dreamed of."— Z.'99-262.And his feet were as the feet of a bear.— "Thebear suggests another Papacy's peculiarities as anempire, viz., persistency. Like the Bear Empire(Medo-Persia) which would besiege for years,and even turn a river aside toFM195accomplish its ends; so Papacy moves cautiouslyand gets possession of kingdoms rather bystrategy than by battles. The bear hugs its prey todeath with its paws."— Z.'79-12-2.And his mouth as the mouth of [a lion]LIONS.— "Babylon was celebrated for itssplendor and pride—the Lion the king or ruler ofall beasts— so Papacy had a mouth of this sort,i. e., it c]aimed to be the kingdom over allkingdoms by Divine right, the kingdom of God,which was to break in pieces and consume allothers—a strong mouth."— Z.'79-12-2.And the dragon.— Imperial Rome, representedby Constantine.Gave him his power.— "Ancient Pagan Romehad only a mere skeleton of sacerdotal power ascompared with the complex and elaborate

machinery and contrivances of doctrine andpractice of Papal Rome, the triumphant successorto their scheme, who now, after centuries ofcunning and skill, has its power so intrenchedthat even today, when its power is outwardlybroken and it is shorn of civil dominion, it rulesthe world and controls kingdoms secretly, undercover, more thoroughly than the Romanemperors ever ruled the kings subordinate tothem."— B288.And his seat.— His place in the city of Rome,by transferring his own headquarters toByzantium, "New Rome."— Rev. 12:4.And great authority.— At the hands of theRoman Emperor Justinian, in A. D. 539.— Rev.12:3-5.Revelation 13:3And I saw one of his heads.— One of thedragon's heads— Papacy.As it were wounded to death.— Whenever theScriptures use the expression "as it were" (as inRev. 9:7, 9) what seems or appears is notactually the case.And his deadly wound was healed.— "At theDiet of Augsburg, in 1555, the Religious Peacewas concluded. Every prince was to be allowedto choose between the Catholic religion and theAugsburg Confession [of the Reformers]; andthe religion of the prince was to be that of theland over which he reigned: that is, eachgovernment was to choose the creed for itssubjects."In fact, the political circumstances of the time,combined with the fact that even the leaders ofthe reform were only beginning to get awake tosome of the moral and a few of the doctrinalerrors of Papacy, lead us to wonder at the rapidstrides taken toward the right, rather than toharshly condemn them for not making thecleansing more thorough. But when theProtestant churches

FM196united with the state, progress and reform cameto a standstill. Soon creeds were formed whichwere almost as unyielding and opposed togrowth in knowledge as the decrees of Rome."—C110And all the [world] EARTH wondered afterthe beast.— The reference is to the symbolicearth, the people, obedient to the rulingpowers.— Rev. 17:8. 13:4And they worshipped the dragon.— "Dragonmeans civil power, Pagan Rome."— Z.'79-12-2.[Which] BECAUSE HE gave THE powerunto the beast.— "The people respected thecivil power all the more because it had sohonored ecclesiastical authority. The variouskingdoms (horns) soon learned that their holdover the people was strengthened rather thanweakened by allegiance to Papacy, for Papacy inturn recognized them, and commanded thepeople to recognize those despots as of divineappointment. Thus it is, that to this day, therulers of Europe claim to rule by Divine rightand appointment, and their children after them,no matter how incompetent. For the same reasonthe Protestant churches of Europe, to gainnational favor, protection and assistance, becameState churches, and they, as Papacy did,recognize the reigning families as possessed ofDivine title to the office and rulership of thepeople. God's Word, on the contrary, denouncesall the governments of earth as beastly, selfish,oppressive, and recognizes only one Kingdom asbeing of God's appointment, viz., the Kingdomsoon to be established in all the earth— Christand His saints in glory. (Dan. 7:27; Rev. 11:15; 2Tim. 2:12.) It is in the Kingdom only that thesaints have their citizenship, it alone theyrecognize, and for it pray ‘Thy Kingdomcome.'"— Z.'80-1-1.And they worshipped the beast.— "Thefollowing, called The Adoration, is still a part ofthe ceremony connected with the installation of anew pope: ‘The pope is lifted up by the

cardinals and placed by them upon the altarthrone.One of the bishops kneels, and thesinging of Te Deum [We praise thee, O God]begins.Meantime the cardinals kiss the feet and handsand face of the pope.' A coin representing thisceremony, struck in the Papal mint, bears thewords, ‘Whom they create, they adore.'"— B316Saying, Who is like unto the beast.— Whatother character in history ever made such claimsor received such homage?— Rev. 18:18.AND who is able to make war with him.—"When, in A. D. 455, the city of Rome wasinvaded and plundered by the Vandals, and allaround was distress and desolation,FM197Leo, the bishop of Rome, improved theopportunity for impressing upon all, bothbarbarians and Romans, his claim of spiritualpower. To the rude and superstitious barbarians,already greatly impressed by what they sawabout them, of Rome's greatness and wealth,Leo, arrayed in his pontifical robes, exclaimed:‘Beware! I am the successor of St. Peter, towhom God has given the keys of the Kingdom ofHeaven and against whose church the gates ofhell cannot prevail; I am the living representativeof divine power on the earth; I am Caesar, aChristian Caesar, ruling in love, to whom allChristians owe allegiance; I hold in my hands thecurses of hell and the benedictions of Heaven; Iabsolve all subjects from allegiance to kings; Igive and take away, by divine right, all thronesand principalities of Christendom. Beware howyou desecrate the patrimony given me by yourinvisible king; yea, bow down your necks to meand pray that the anger of God may beaverted.'"— B295.Revelation 13:5.And there was given unto him a mouth.— Themouth of Antichrist is one of its leadingcharacteristics.— B305; Dan. 7:8, 11, 25.

Speaking great things and blasphemies.—"How evident it must be to the simplest mindsthat Papacy's great swelling words and boastfulclaims have, one and all, been blasphemies. Theestablishment of a counterfeit Kingdom of Godwas a libel upon God's government, a grossblasphemy, and a misrepresentation of Hischaracter and Plan and Word. God's character,i. e., His ‘name,' was blasphemed in the thousandmonstrous edicts, bulls and decretals issued inHis name, by the long line of those who claimed,as vice-gerents, to represent His Son by the titles,appropriate only to the Father or to Christ, whichthey have applied to themselves; and God'sTabernacle, the true Church, was blasphemed bythe false system which claimed to take itsplace."— B306; Dan. 7:8, 20, 25.And [power] IT was given unto him to[continue] DO WHAT HE WILL.— He stillcontinues, though he can no longer do what hewill.Forty and two months.— 1260 days, or a time,times and a half; fulfilled in 1260 literal yearsfrom A. D. 539 to 1799 A. D. (Rev. 11:2.) As asecondary fulfillment, we may see the end of therule of the Kaiser and others of his mouthpiecesin 42 literal months from Aug. 1, 1914. But whatfolly it would be to try to see in the GermanKaiser, or any other one man, the foretoldAntichrist.— Rev. 11:11.Revelation 13:6.And he opened his mouth in [blasphemy]BLASPHEMIES against God.—Misrepresentations of the Divine Character andPlan.FM198To blaspheme [His name] HIM.— God wasblasphemed, or misrepresented by the titles usedby the popes, by their claims to the exercise ofDivine power on earth (B311), by claims that thePope is God on earth (B314), by claims that he isthe sole judge of right and wrong (B317), byclaims that he is infallible (B318), by proscribingthe Bible (B319), by the doctrines of eternal

torture and purgatory (B323), by masses for thedead and the sale of indulgences (B324), and bydevilish practices against His saints, toonumerous to name.And His tabernacle.— The church in thewilderness.— Rev. 12:6, 14.[And] Them that dwell in heaven.— God'sTabernacle is His true Church in the flesh, but,nevertheless, "Our citizenship is in Heaven."(Phil. 3:20, R. V.) Even here we have been madeto "Sit together in heavenly places in ChristJesus."— Eph. 2:6.Revelation 13:7.And it was given unto him to make war withthe saints.— See Rev. 2:20; Acts 9:32; Rom.15:25; 1 Cor. 6:1.And to overcome them.— See Rev. 6:8; Dan.7:21, 22.And power was given him over all kindreds,AND PEOPLES, and tongues, and nations.—This has been literally fulfilled, but will have asecondary fulfillment soon, through the beastlygovernments that are Papacy's livingrepresentatives in spirit if not in fact— Rev.17:15.Revelation 13:8.And all that dwell upon the earth shallworship him.— Yield either willing or forcedobedience to his mandates; bow the knee insubmission.Whose names are not written in the Book ofLife.— "The deception of Papacy was socomplete that the world was received, and all thechurch, except the overcomers, whose nameswere ‘written in Heaven,' were deceived in thesame way, and hastened to unite themselveswith, and to worship the Beast, and have it enrolltheir names on its books. From this has sprungthe delusion so common to all Protestants at thisday, viz., that their names must be connectedwith some such earthly system, or they are notthe Lord's saints. But the important item is, tohave our names recorded in the Lamb's Book of

Life; His is the only record of any value."—Z.'80:1-1; Psa. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Luke 2:10;Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 21:27.Of the Lamb slain from the foundation of theworld.— "This selection of the Only Begotten tobe the Head and Chief of the New Creation—subject to the trials, disciplines, humiliations andother necessary experiences to prove Hisworthiness— had already been determined uponin the Divine counsel before man wascreated."— F65; 1 Pet. 1:20; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 5:6;John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32.FM19913:9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.—"Only those whose ears have been circumcised—those who had come to a considerableknowledge of God's Word and who had thehearing of faith— to respect Him and His Word,despite the magnificence, success and power oferror, would be able to receive the foregoingstatements concerning those who were deceivedby Papacy."— Z.'80-1-1.13:10. [He that] IF ANY ONE leadeth intocaptivity [shall go] HE GOETH intocaptivity.— "The Papal system was one ofbondage. All who acknowledge its claims mustof necessity render implicit obedience, as untoGod; for it claimed to be the kingdom of heaven;and its head, the Pope, to be God's vice-gerent;consequently those who were for, or in favor ofsuch captivity of individual thought, and whowould acknowledge the right of that Papalsystem to limit and define the faith of all, byconsenting, became captives."— Z.'80-1-2.He that killeth with the sword must be killedby the sword.— "There were some who assertedthat Papacy was a usurpation of the titles andpower of the true Head and Ruler of the Church,and claimed their rights to the individual libertywherewith Christ had made them free. Such usedthe ‘Sword of the Spirit,' which is the Word ofGod, in defense of their liberty, and such wereput to death by Papacy; it overcame the saintsduring its 1260 years of power."— Z.'80-1-2.

Here is the patience and the faith of thesaints.— "This was a severe test of truesaintship— Would they go into captivity andjoin in the usurper's ranks, or would they remainfaithful to the true King and wait for theKingdom which He promised to establish? Thosewhose names were written in Heaven stuck tothe Word, and sealed their testimonies by death."(Z.'80-1-2.) The same situation now confrontsthe saints, in the matter of aiding in some waythe murderous spirit of the governments whichare permeated by Antichrist's spirit.— Rev.14:12.Revelation 13:11.And I beheld another beast.— "If thepreceding wild beast represented anecclesiastical power, as we have just seen, thenthis beast called another should be understood torepresent a similar ecclesiastical or churchpower. As the first beast had ten home, orpowers, which gave it their strength, so this beasthas ‘two horns' which indicates that two powersor governments will support it. Again, notice thatthis beast ‘ascended (came gradually) out of theearth,' while the first came out of the sea. Now, ifour definitions be correct— as the coming ofPapacy from among the irreligious masses of theRoman Empire was shown by its coming out ofthe ‘sea'— thenFM200the coming of this second beast out of the ‘earth'should signify that it sprung up among aprofessedly religious people. The Two-hornedBeast is one ecclesiastical system, and the twohorns show that it is supported, and its authorityrecognized by two kingdoms. Remember that tobe simply aided or supported by the empire doesnot make a symbolic ‘Beast'; a ‘Beast' is agovernment, and to become a symbolic beast, achurch must needs become an element in, or partof the government."There is but one church which this symbol fitsperfectly, viz.: The established ‘Church ofEngland and Ireland.' This system, like the Papal

was a blending of church and state, anecclesiastical empire. In the year 1200 Englandbecame subject to the Pope. In 1531, owing to adispute between her king, Henry VIII, and thePope, England withdrew from allegiance toPapacy. The Convocation of its clergy called thesame year, in its decrees, declared King HenryVIII to be ‘The one protector of the EnglishChurch, its only and Supreme Lord; and as far asmight be, by the law of Christ, its SupremeHead.' Those are the exact sentiments of Papacy;that is exactly the sense in which the Pope isrecognized as Christ's vice-gerent. What aglorious representation of the Lord Jesus theyhad in Henry VIII, who, out of six wives, wasdivorced from two, beheaded two, and by manyis supposed to have poisoned one! He was aworthy rival of some of the Popes as an Antichristianclaimant of headship to the church. TheClerical Convocation which could acknowledgesuch a head was not far from being as corrupt asPapacy."The proof that the title, ‘head of the church,'was not an empty honor, appears from thehistorian's words—'At the same time it wasordained that no regard should be paid tocensures which the Pope might pass on accountof this law and that Mass should be said, andsacraments administered as usual. In 1534, allpayments made to the apostolic chamber, anddispensations, were abolished; monasteries weresubjected to royal government, and exemptedfrom all other; the right to summonConvocations, approve or reject canons (laws ordoctrines enacted by the Convocation of clergy),and hear appeals from the Bishops, was vested inthe King alone. These matters are butimperfectly understood by people in general, andthe same titles— 'Supreme head of the church onearth,' etc., are still applied to Englishsovereigns. It is needless to remark that the LordJesus never gave this office to any one, butclaims it Himself; and any others who claim itare usurpers. Paul said: ‘Christ is the Head of theFM201

Church,' and that we are to ‘grow up into Him inall things, which is the Head, even Christ.' Againhe repeats that ‘God gave Him to be the Headover all things in the Church, which is His body.'(Eph. 1:22 and 4:15, and 5:23; Col. 1:18.) It isthe church on earth that Paul is speaking of,hence any Pope, Queen, Council, Assembly,Conference, or any other man or company ofmen, who claim or exercise the powers of thetrue Head—Jesus— are opposing Him. And allwho support such by influence, presence ormoney, are abettors of evil and supporters offalse systems. Now does this system (the Englishchurch) fill the picture? The second Beast hadtwo horns; what two kingdoms (horns) supportedthis church? Bear in mind the distinctionbetween a church supported by a government, asthe Presbyterian in Scotland, and a church unitedin the government, as in England; it is the latterrelationship that constitutes a ‘beast.' "— Z.'80-1-2; Rev. 13:14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 13.Coming up out of the earth.— "From thevisible church of God."— Cook.And he had two horns like a lamb.— "Nowabout the two horns. England, of course, was oneof them, and Ireland the other. Let us see.History says that in 1537 the Irish Parliament inDublin ‘passed the Act of Supremacy, declaringHenry VIII Supreme Head of the Church,prohibiting intercourse with the court of Rome,and making it treason to refuse the oath ofsupremacy.' ‘Henry VIII also took the title ofKing of Ireland.' Thus it is seen that the secondhorn came up within the brief space of five yearsafter the first. The fact that Ireland was not apowerful horn matters not, for it was strongerthan some that supported the Papal Beast. Whateffects result from the disestablishment of theChurch in Ireland? From 1538 to 1871 (333years), the title of the church was ‘The Church ofEngland and Ireland,' thus recognizing both‘horns.' On January 1, 1871 (by action ofParliament and the consent of the Queen, thehead of the church) the Irish church wasdisestablished, or that horn was cast off. So, too,all of the horns which once supported Papacy

have broken off from her; the difference beingthat in the case of Papacy the horns have turnedagainst her, and in the case of the second Beast itcasts off the Irish horn of itself, believing it to bea weakness rather than a strength. And it wouldnot be at all remarkable if the other horn(England) would be separated from this Beast.‘The two horns like a lamb,' would seem toindicate that this Beast would be peaceablyinclined— not aggressive, but merely using thehorns for defense."— Z.'80-1-2.FM202And he spake as a dragon.— " ‘He spake like adragon.' Notice, it is not said he spake like thedragon, but like a dragon. We understand this tomean that its utterances resembled those of apurely civil (dragon) power, and that in its wordsthere would be little to denote that it is anecclesiastical government." (Z.'80-1-2.)England's conduct in forcing opium into China isevidence enough of its Satanic character. "Chinarealizes that opium is her great curse; she haspassed laws against the growth of the poppy andthe manufacture of opium.But she finds that the imports of opium amountto 5,000,000 pounds per year. She cries outagain, as in the past, that this Great Kingdom ofChrist (?) (Great Britain) will have mercy uponher and cease to insist on this curse beingintroduced to blight China morally andphysically. The young men of heathen Chinahave started a monster petition for the cessationof opium importation. The text of this appealappeared in the New York Herald, February 17.It recounts that a previous appeal, of similarcharacter, was made without avail to the King'sroyal grandmother in 1853, when she was therepresentative of this branch of Christ's Kingdom(?)." (Z.'11-115.)"The False Prophet who causes the dwellers onearth to worship the Beast symbolizes thedeification of the world and of the world power,throughout the conflict between the church andAntichrist."— Cook.

Revelation 13:12.And he exerciseth all the power of the firstbeast before him.— "And the authority of thefirst Wild Beast— the whole of that authority—he exercises in his presence, and he causes theearth and its inhabitants to worship the first WildBeast." (Weym.) "This shows that the seconddoes not take the place of the first beast, but thatthey exist contemporaneously." (Z.'80-1-2.) Italso shows that the sufferings of the lastmembers of the Body of Christ, under thecombination of governments dominated by GreatBritain, may be expected to be as great as inPapacy's palmiest days.And causeth the earth and them which dwelltherein— "We make a distinction between theearth and those who dwell on it. As the earthsymbolizes those obedient to and supporting theBeast, so ‘those dwelling on the earth,' weunderstand to mean independent Christians whodo not support either of these systems."—Z.'80-1-2.To worship the first beast, whose deadlywound was healed.— "The Church of Englandclaimed all the powers and authority whichPapacy claimed. It claimed to be the Church; itacknowledged and repudiated some of thecorruptions complained of by the Reformers,such as theFM203sale of indulgence, transubstantiation, etc., andabandoned these as well as the name Roman, forwhich they substituted the word Holy, calling itthe original ‘Holy Catholic Church.' It claims thesame governmental authority and the sameveneration for its decrees as Papacy does forhers. And by establishing a similar system,devoid of some of the grosser Papal errors, itattracted the attention of all to those errors, asbeing the only possible fault of Papacy. Andwhen some of those errors were shortly afterdiscarded by Papacy, the inference was that bothBeast systems were right. People at that day, asnow, seemed to think those systems proper and

ight, if their powers, etc., were properlyexercised; but from God's standpoint the systemsare abominations, and wrong from the verycenter. These systems are based upon errors, andlike a corrupt tree, ‘cannot bring forth good fruit.'"The principal error was in this— the very basisof those systems— their claim to be the‘Kingdom of God' in reigning power. That idea,once admitted, justifies their persecution ofindividuals and nations, forcing them to submitand bow in obedience. Scripture accords thesepowers to the ‘Kingdom of God'— when ‘theKingdom is the Lord's and He is the Governoramong the nations; all the ends of the world shallremember and turn unto the Lord, and all thekindreds of nations shall worship before Thee.'(Ps. 22:27, 28.) He shall ‘dash them in pieces asa potter's vessel.' (Ps. 2:9.) Unto Him every kneeshall bow, and every tongue confess. (Phil.2:11.) And if their claim be good, who canobject to them carrying out the Scripturalstatements? These Antichrists, to make theirclaim of kingdom power appear true, had simplyto take another, viz., to compel obedience,backing up their right to do so by the Scripturesjust quoted. And not only was this great evilsanctioned, but their claim, once admitted, thatthe Kingdom was established and the reign inprogress, those who admitted it were hinderedfrom looking for the true Head of the Church toset up the true Kingdom under the wholeheavens, which shall break in pieces presentimperfect governments, establish righteousnessin the earth, and cause every knee to bow andevery tongue to confess, to the glory of God."—Z.'80-1-2.Revelation 13:13.And he doeth great wonders.— The strongesttext of Scripture forewarning against theimpending Church Federation is the strongesttext of Scripture forewarning against spiritism.(Isa. 8:9-22.) It is not by accident that thesewarnings are placed together. "We shall not be atall surprised if some later manifestation of the

powers of darkness, transformed to appear as theangels of lightFM204and progress, shall be much more specious anddelusive than anything yet attempted. We dowell to remember the Apostle's words,— 'Wewerstle not with flesh and blood, but withprincely powers of darkness, with the spiritualthings of the Evil One.' (Eph. 6:12.) In 1842, sixyears before ‘modern Spiritism' began to operate,Edward Bickersteth, a servant of God andstudent of His Word, wrote,— 'Looking at thesigns of the times, and the long neglect andunnatural denial of all angelic ministration orspiritual influence, and at the express predictionsof false Christs, and false prophets, who shallshow signs and wonders, insomuch that if it werepossible they should deceive the Very Elect, andthat when men receive not the love of the truththat they might be saved, for this cause God shallsend them strong delusion, that they shall believea lie; I cannot but think there is a painfulprospect of a sudden recoil and religiousrevulsion from the present unbelief andmisbelief, to an unnatural and undistinguishingcredulity.' Satan is the inspirer and supporter ofevery Antichrist; and as he led those who hadpleasure in error rather than the truth to theorganization of the great Antichrist, Papacy,symbolically the ‘beast' of Rev. 13, and as he isnow operating to produce a Protestant ‘image ofthe beast' with life, which will cooperate with thechief Antichrist, so in combination with thesewill be the powers of darkness, the powers of theair, the lying and seducing spirits, operating insome manner or in a variety of ways,—Spiritism, Christian Science, New Thought,Theosophy, Hypnotism, etc." (S32.) "If we gainthe right conception of the matter thesedeceptions are to affect the whole world,including its wise men, and indeed practicallyeverybody."— Z.'09-123; Deut. 13:1-3; Matt.24:24, 25; 2 Thess, 2:9-12; Rev. 16:14.Note the readiness of Christendom to fall into thetrap: "In a sermon in which he told of the effect

of religious seances and the efforts of certainwriters to shatter belief in a future life, the Rev.H. D. C. Maclachlan preached to a largecongregation in Seventh Street Christian Churchon ‘The New Spiritualism,' in which he gavescientific proof of a future life and exhorted hishearers to be of good cheer and continue to hope.Mr. Maclachlan spoke in part as follows: ‘Therehas been no more remarkable change in publicopinion than that witnessed within the last fewyears with regard to that class of facts known asspiritualistic. There was a time when it was notquite respectable to believe in them, but quiterecently there has been a change. Ghosts havebecome respectable; planchette and table rappingare parlor amusements; theFM205popular magazines vie with each other in sayingnice things about mediums and their ways. Thecause of this change in public opinion has been asimilar change in scientific belief. It is not morethan thirty years ago that orthodox sciencerefused so much as to investigate the things ofwhich we are speaking. Some twenty-five yearsago the Society for Psychical Research wasformed in England with such names as Crookes,Myers, Romanes, Eidgwick, Barrett and otherson its list of members, and since that daytelepathy, table rapping, clairvoyance,clairaudience, telekinesis, apparitions,materializations, mental healing and all the otherphenomena which Professor James, of Harvard,aptly calls residual, have been investigated.Mediums have been transferred from backparlors, where all sorts of trickery was possible,to the physical laboratories of the universities.They have been put under conditions of strictestcontrol. Even the traditional darkness has beendenied them. And still the wonderful resultscame. One after another leading scientistsentered into these investigations skeptical andcontemptuous, but came out of them believers inthe facts on the evidence of their own senses.'"—Z.'09-164.

So that he maketh fire come down fromheaven.— Fire from heaven was the test bywhich Elijah proved that Jehovah is the trueGod, and was the method by which Jehovahaccepted the offerings made to Him on the Dayof Atonement. (1 Kings 18:38; Lev. 9:24.) In thetest at hand the second beast will be able toprove to all except the Elect that his claims toDivine approval are correct. "Our Lord warns usof danger from false Christs ‘then'— that is now.Had it been foretold precisely what form thesedeceptions would take, this would havesomewhat hindered their deceptive power. Godpermits these deceptions for the very purpose ofseparating the ‘overcomers' from all others, andmerely guarantees us that the ‘Elect' will be keptfrom falling. And yet it is quite possible thatsome of these trials, siftings and delusions, maycome closest upon those possessing the largestdegree of the light of Present Truth." (D581;Rev. 7:3.)"The Lord allows the storms to press us moreand more so that we will cry unto Him. Then Hewill hear us and give us the necessarydeliverance. These storms may be right inside, inour own person. Whether, therefore, stormsfinancial, political, religious or demoniacal,come his way, the child of God may rest secureand be of good courage. The Lord is both ableand willing to care for his interests and bring himoff victor." (Z.'13-158.) As soon as the beast hasapparently made out a clear case, perhaps byFM206outward, visible evidences, but surely byevidences from the Scriptures (distorted) of itsstanding with God, we may expect a very promptand practical use of the "fire" (Luke 9:54) thusobtained."The Image, as soon as vitalized, will verypromptly use its influence, prestige, power, inevery way to punish in the name of the Lordthose who in any sense of the word it shallconsider to be its opponents. Speedily none willbe allowed to buy or sell, in the spiritual marts[or perhaps in any marts], except those who have

either the mark or the number of the Beast, or ofthe Image, either in the right hand of cooperationor in the forehead of public confession.This will mean that the International BibleStudents Association and all others not inaffiliation with the Alliance will be subjected toradically coercive measures. Truth shall fall inthe streets. (Isa. 59:14.) Righteousness will beunable to enter under the stress of the new orderof things. For a time it will appear as though agreat Christian victory had been won, sharedequally by Papacy and Federated-Protestantism— no longer protesting."— Z.'13-343.On the earth in the sight of men.— Amongsthis own followers and among Christiansunattached to either beast.Revelation 13:14.And deceiveth them that dwell on theearth.— The independent Christians just named.By the means of those miracles.— Signs, thelaying on of hands, doctrines of immortality,trinity and claims that none are qualified tounderstand the Bible aright except thoseconsecrated by the imposition of holy orders bythe episcopal succession.— Z.'80-1-2.Which he had power to do in the sight of thebeast.— While the papacy is still alive andactive.— Rev. 19:20.Saying.— By its own example.To them that dwell on the earth.— Theindependent Christians.That they should ALSO make an image.—"From the year 1800 to 1846 was a time in whichgreat numbers of new sects arose, whereasbefore that, they were few and prominent. Thisgave rise to uneasiness among the olderdenominations who wondered whereunto thisthing would lead. As the Bible came to be readmore and more by the masses, occasionalindividuals would feel free to preach what theythought it taught, regardless of denominationalcreeds and the views of the older sects. As a

consequence, Protestants were fast splitting upinto fragments. They began to say, By whatmeans shall we check and stop this disposition toindividual thought and opinion relative to theteachings of Scripture? They wanted to stop thevery thing God desired; viz., that each individualFM207should be free and independent of restraint, withhis faith based, not on the views of others, not onthe decisions of Councils or Presbyters, nor inthe decision of the Pope, nor in things approvedof the head of the English church, but in theWord of God. The question came: How can werestrain these preachers? This was a quandary toall except the Roman and Episcopal churches,since these both claimed the ‘ApostolicSuccession,' and that this, by ordination,conferred upon their ministers special power andauthority to preach and to administer the‘Sacraments'; hence that no others had a right todo so, but were clerical pretenders. Otherdenominations could not claim this continuationof apostolic power through their preachers, butsimply set them apart by prayer, consequentlythose of one denomination could not object thatthe preachers of other denominations, as well asall laymen, were not as truly authorized of Godto expound the Scriptures as their own clergy."But the example of the Church of Englandshowed what a prestige she had by reason of thevoice of authority with which she commanded areverence for her clergy and her teachings. Thisteaching by example was not lost. The variousdenominations felt a necessity for some commonStandard of Doctrine which would be supportedand upheld by all of them, and thus give prestigeto their teachings, and bring the combinedinfluence of all against any further advance inknowledge or the development of any differentphase of truth. Thus they would protectthemselves by being able to say: The combinedopinion of all Protestants is against you;therefore you are heretics, and therefore we willshun you, and not call you Brethren, but use allour influence against you. This was done by the

formation of the ‘Evangelical Alliance.' It wasstated to be one of the objects of the Alliance(and we believe the principal one) to ‘Promotebetween the different Evangelicaldenominations, an effective co-operation in theefforts to repel common enemies and dangers.'"Do not understand us as opposing the Christiansrepresented in that Alliance; we are opposedmerely to their attempt to muzzle truth, and toprevent the opening up of any other truths buriedby Papacy than those which they had received. Itis far from our purpose to say that theyintentionally combined against the unfolding oftruth, nor would we say this of Papists. But wedo say, that by their action they were followingPapacy's tactics, and that in that Alliance theydid make the Image of the Beast. It has tended tomake a separation clear and distinct between theClergy and the Laity.FM208"How much the Image resembles the Papal Beastmay be judged from the fact that Papacyacknowledged the Image— owned it as acreditable likeness— by the Pope sending‘Greetings' to the last meeting of the EvangelicalAlliance. Strange to say, the delegates to theAlliance had so far lost sight of the principlesand doctrines which led to the protests againstthe Papal church (that it was the Harlot church—Antichrist— Man of Sin— mentioned in theScriptures) that they actually felt flattered by thePontiff's notice, instead of becoming alarmedand examining how and why he who is ‘TheChief Antichrist' should feel pleased to greetthem as fellows. A prominent Presbyterianminister present at the above named meetingmentioned the ‘Pope's Greeting' with evidentpleasure and satisfaction to the writer."A prominent characteristic of the Beast copiedby the Image is the honoring of a special class,the Clergy, with special honors and titles. Theyare known as Revs., Divines, etc., but Jesus theDivine said: ‘Ye call Me Lord and Master, andye say well, for so I am.' ‘Be not ye called Rabbi,neither be ye called Master, for one is your

Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren.'(Matt. 23:8.) These titles are assumptionsfashioned after those of Papacy. When thevarious denominations began their existence,more full of the spirit of Christ, they claimed nosuch high-sounding titles. The Reformers werenot known as Rev., D. D., etc., but as John Knox,Martin Luther, etc. Unpretentious, like Jesus andthe Apostles, they were intent upon serving God,and therefore became the servants (ministers) ofthe Church. But now the Clergy are far frombeing servants; they are Lords. They have itchingears, loving the approval of men. As pride andworldliness have come in, vital godliness andpower have gradually departed. For the verysame reason, they are losing all power toexpound the Word of God— the gift ofteaching— because ‘God abhorreth the proud,but giveth grace (favor) to the humble.' We findministers of all denominations ready to confesstheir ignorance of the Word. They appeal, fortheir information, back to the early reformers,and thus confess that they have less light thanthey. That their light should grow dim, and theirspiritual life become dwarfed, is the naturalresult of their joining the Image, and subscribingto creeds made in the fifteenth century, which,like the shoe of China, will not admit of anygrowth. It is a shoe a little larger than Papacy putupon its followers, but of the same sort."Papacy established the clerical hierarchy, wholorded it over God's heritage instead of servingtheir brethren asFM209Jesus explained— 'One is your Master; all ye arebrethren,' and as Paul said: ‘We are to speak thetruth in love and grow up into Him in all thingswho is the Head, even Christ; from whom thewhole Body fitly joined together [not by creedsof men, but by love begotten by the one Spirit ofTruth] and compacted by that which every jointsupplied [every joint in every member, not theclergy only] maketh increase of the Body untothe edifying of itself in love.' Thus coming ‘tothe unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of

the Son of God.' (Eph. 4:15, 16.) As Papacyestablished the priesthood over the church, soProtestantism has established the same, and thereis no opportunity for the Body to edify itself,every joint taking part. True, there is a seemingshow of liberty at prayer meetings, etc., but it isonly upon the surface, for the ordained pastor isto watch zealously lest anything contrary to theteachings of his church should be expressed, andif so, to silence the audacious member at once,for the church creed is the rule, not the Word ofGod. If this is not sufficient, they must have asort of church trial and excommunicate him (‘killhim'). The trial, by the way, gives evidence ofanother likeness to the Beast, namely, theexaltation of the teachings of the organizationabove the Word of God, for all such are triedaccording to ‘the authorities' of their church."—Z.'80-1-2."The Alliance endeavored to establish a standardof orthodoxy. They saw the power of the Papalargument, that it is the Church, and that allothers are heretical. In this sense it was a copy,or image, of the Papal institution. It has beenmerely an Image without life or power for nowmore than sixty years." (Z.'13-342.)"And he told the inhabitants of the earth to erecta statue (possibly a symbol of corrupt publicopinion) to the Wild Beast who had received thesword-stroke and yet had recovered."— Weym.Which had the wound by a sword, and didlive.— Which was smitten by the Sword of theSpirit in the hands of the reformers, but notpersistently enough to kill it. (Heb. 4:12.) "It isimportant to observe that the wound of one ofthe heads is here ascribed to the whole beast."—Cook.Revelation 13:15.And he had power to give life.— Either"apostolic succession" or its effect. "It may notbe known to many how much stress was laidupon the ‘apostolic succession,' which wassupposed to be a virtue transmitted throughhundreds of years of Papal corruption, by the

laying on of the hands of the Bishop. This, ofcourse, was vested in the Roman church, andalso in the English church on account of its beingat first rather a secession fromFM210Papacy than a reformation. To many minds, evenamong the clergy, there was a veneration for thatceremony, which neither Papacy nor the Englishchurch were averse to promoting." (Z.'80-1-2.)For the effect of this superstition on the mind ofWesley, see Rev. 9:1, 2. "The Lord's symbolicprophecy tells us that in the close of this Age theImage will receive life, vitality, energy, power.No longer will it stand as a mere Image. It willbecome as active as the Beast. Moreover, it willnot be antagonistic to the Beast, but sympathetic,and cause that all shall either worship the Beastor the Image— all must be in harmony eitherwith Catholicism, or with the Protestant ChurchFederation as soon as it receives the vitalizingbreath."— Z.'13-343.Unto the Image of the beast.— "The vitality ofthe Image is to come from the two-horned Beast;the Church of England. A few years ago theEpiscopal Church took an important step towardvitalizing the Church Federation movement. Thatimportant step was the recognition of theministers of the denominations represented in theEvangelical Alliance. Previously no minister notordained by the laying on of hands of a Catholicor an Episcopalian bishop was allowed to preachfrom an Episcopalian pulpit. Perhaps thisrecognition of the Image is all the vitalization theImage needs, but we are inclined to expect more.For years the Episcopalians have profferedreordination to the ministers of the differentdenominations represented in the EvangelicalAlliance. And they still proffer it. We have beeninclined to expect that the ministers wouldfinally concede the point and accept areordination at the hands of an Episcopal bishop.But we are not sure of this. It is possible that, tomeet the requirements of the case, some otherway will be found by which the EpiscopalChurch will recognize the Church Federation

without obligating the ministers to be reordained.We are waiting for this." (Z.'13-343.)"If the various ministers of other denominationsin considerable numbers accept reordination asministers at the hands of Episcopalian Bishop,the validity of other ordination will be speedilyquestioned. The authority of this so-called‘Apostolic Ordination' will give seeming right ofauthority, dignity and power. After theprominent ministers of various denominationssubmit themselves to such reordination, the‘lesser lights' will make a rush for it."— Z.'10-308.Canon Henson, of Westminster Abbey, has said:"The logical goal of modern tendencies is nottoward Disestablishment, but toward a fuller andworthier Establishment. Why should not thenation draw into its service all theFM211organized Christianity instead of limiting itself toa single denomination? I rejoice to observe abeginning made in this direction by recentlegislation, which has recognized for certaincivic purposes the status of Nonconformistclergymen." "Can it be that thus the two-hornedbeast [Great Britain] may give ‘life,' energy, theeffect of Apostolic succession, to the Protestant‘image of the [Roman] beast?' "— Z.'06-7.In a short time we shall see which of these formsof giving life to the image will be used; butmeantime the subject is growing in the minds ofthose most interested, as the followingdispatches show:"Washington, Dec. 31, 1916.— In a signeddocument addressed to the nation, more thanfifty prelates and laymen of variousdenominations representing many sections of thecountry have united in a warning against whatthey declare may be a premature peace in Europewhich ‘may bring a curse instead of a blessing.' ""Last winter commissions of all AmericanProtestant churches met at Garden City, L. L, forthe first time, and adopted a general platform onwhich it recommended that the World

Conference on Faith and Order proceed. PopeBenedict XV, sent a letter to the commissions,assuring them of his ‘deep interest andprayers.'"— Literary Digest, January 13, 1917.That the Image of the beast should bothspeak.— Thus far he has been significantly"silent" as far as claiming any real power orauthority is concerned; but the time for thebreaking of the silence is near.— Jer. 8:14-17;Rev. 8:1.And cause that as many as would not worshipthe Image of the beast.— "Worship of thissymbolic beast and his image is to be the greattest or trial upon professing Christians in everyprovince of symbolic Babylon in the end of thisAge. And we have the same inspired record asauthority for the statement that only those whorefuse to render worship to those powerfullyinfluential religious systems (symbolized by thebeast and his image) will be counted by the Lordas ‘overcomers' and be made His joint-heirs asmembers of His elect Church. (Rev. 20:4.) Andthere are some the world over who, with acourage not less than that of Shadrach, Meshachand Abed-nego, declare publicly that the LordGod alone shall have the worship and the servicewhich they can render. The faithful few will beexposed to fiery experiences— boycottedsocially, boycotted in business, slandered inevery conceivable manner, and often by those ofwhom they least expect it, who, according to theLord's declaration, will say ‘all manner of evilagainst them falsely.' (Matt. 5:11, 12.)"— Z.'99-170.FM212Should be killed.— "Soon we shall have their‘Union' or ‘Confederacy' (Isa. 8:12), and thebitter fruits of Union in error will speedilymanifest themselves in tyranny, as during theDark Ages." (Z.'04-212.)"To us the Scriptures indicate that the prosperityof the Federated Protestant ‘Image' will for alittle time be so great, so pronounced, and itsarrogance become so great that the sympathy of

the masses will be entirely alienated and turnedinto bitterness." (Z.'10-309).It may be objected that the Church would haveno part in the killing of their fellow worshippers,but ecclesiastics themselves have a betterunderstanding of the ecclesiastical mind andecclesiastical conscience. The following is fromthe pen of Rt. Rev. Chas. D. Williams, ProtestantEpiscopal Bishop of Michigan:"It is an appalling thought that the Church shouldhave had a part in the crime of Calvary, and yetit did, and that the chief part. The ecclesiasticalmind is a closed mind— and there is nothing itresents so much as being pried open to receive anew idea. Its settled rule of judgment, itsaccepted test of truth, is, ‘What is new is nevertrue, and what is true is never new.' The othercharacteristic of a perverted religion is theecclesiastical conscience. It is strikinglyillustrated by one Good Friday scene. Aprocession is sweeping through the streets ofJerusalem, bound for the Governor's Palace.Who compose this procession? They are thereligious leaders of the people, the prominentdivines, the chief ecclesiastics. What is thebusiness they have in mind? They are intent oncommitting the greatest crime in history. But atPilate's threshold they stop. Why? Ah, they havestumbled across a canon of the Church. If theyshould enter a heathen house that Passovermorning, they would become ceremoniallydefiled and unfit to partake of the sacrament."(Z.'15-339.)"In 1526 Prof. Tyndale, having prepared hisMS., published it in Germany, because of theopposition of the English clergy. He imported hisNew Testaments into London, in whose shopsthe people began to purchase them. At this sametime the Germans were learning something of theNew Testament and its different teachings, fromLuther and his associates. The Church ofEngland bishops forthwith bought up the entireedition in the shops, and publicly burnt them infront of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. They knewthat the eighteen Ecumenical Councils had

declared to be true Christian faith many thingsnot taught in the Bible, and had omitted manythings that are taught therein. They feared thatthe people, becoming Bible students, wouldknow of these things, and thus would be upsetthe general belief based in theFM213creeds— and not in the Bible. Then, too, theywarned the people against putting anyconstruction upon the Bible that would make itdifferent from the teaching of the so-called‘Apostolic Bishops' in the creeds— threateningthem with eternal torment. As it was, Tyndaleand some of the others interested in the Biblesuffered martyrdom, as enemies of the‘Apostolic Bishops,' and their creeds andinstitutions."— Z.'15-253. Are the clergydivinely ordained?Revelation 13:16.And he causeth all, both small and great.—"The great feast which preceded the fall ofBabylon would seem to correspond well with thegreat denominational union expected soon, andthe season of rejoicing which will accompany it.The gold and silver vessels of the Lord's housewhich were profaned may fitly represent not onlythe precious truths of Divine Revelation, but alsothe Lord's consecrated people— the goldenvessels representing the Little Flock, and themore numerous silver vessels representing the‘Great Company.'What may be the character of the defilement andinjury of these is of course problematical; but inany case we remember that those consecratedvessels were all highly honored, and restored tothe Temple by Cyrus, and likewise we know thatnot only the truths of Divine Revelation will allbe cared for by our Lord, but also that all that areHis shall be glorified in the spiritual Templewhich He will rear shortly."— Z.'99-175.[Rich and] Poor AND RICH.— "So popularwill Federated Churchianity become that to evencriticize it will be a ‘crime' worthy of crucifixionin some form— socially and financially, if not

physically. Politicians will quickly realize thattheir bread is buttered on that side, and be readyto enact legislation of any kind desired by theFederation. Mammon-worship will take on newforms temporarily, but power will soon debauchthe unregenerate mass and drive out theregenerate faithful who may temporarily bemisled by the great ‘Union' movement in thename of Christ, but without His Spirit orauthority."— Z.'06-6.Free and bond.— "It is altogether possible,indeed probable we think, that John's coursewhich brought him into conflict with Herod wasin some degree typical of the course of theGospel Church in this present time; and of thecourse of events that may be expected. If it be atype, Herod would represent civil government,and the unlawful wife would represent thenominal church, which throughout the symbolicScriptures is represented as a woman, Jezebel,etc. Should it prove to be a type by its fulfilmentin antitype, the fulfilment will probably be onsomething like the following lines: (1) A partialreunionFM214of Church and State. [This has now beenaccomplished by the Alliance of the UnitedStates with Great Britain.] (2) In such case itwould become the duty of the true Church, theforerunners and announcers of the MessianicKingdom, to reprove the civil powers as well asthe nominal church systems, and to declare theirunion unlawful— contrary to the Word of God.(3) The effect of this would pretty surely be toawaken, the animosity of both civil and religiouspowers; but it would draw out specially theanimosity and venom of the latter. (4) Thechurch nominal, in her false position would beanxious to stifle the reproofs and to destroy thereprovers, and the effect would be that the civilpower would be induced to pass such legislationas would restrain the liberty of the faithful onesand hinder them from public utterances;— asJohn was hindered by imprisonment. (5)Jezebel's daughter (united Protestantism) will

ecome the tool for the destruction of the mostloyal servants of God."— Z.'98-95.To [receive] GIVE HIM a mark in their righthand or in their [foreheads] FOREHEAD.—By contrast with Ex. 13:9; 28:26-38; Deut. 6:8;Z.'07-265; Rev. 7:3; 14:1; Ezek. 9:4-6."Consecration to the service of the beast is whatis signified here." (Cook.) (Lev. 19:28.) "Allclasses of Christians must bow; all must, in someway, give evidence of their support of the Imageand consecration to its interests and laws; eithera public, open profession of being members ofthe Alliance, and hence supporters (mark inforehead), or at least a giving of some assistanceand influence to the principles of Imageorganization— (the right-hand support)."(Z.'80-1-2.) This implies a re-establishment ofthe inquisition soon — in some form of houseto-house"investigation" or public enrollment.Revelation 13:17.[And] That no man might buy or sell.— The‘buying and selling,' like the other features, issymbolic, and refers to dealing in spiritualthings. [But it may be literally fulfilled as well inthe year of prospective famine now at hand.]None may be recognized as having any right toteach or preach or baptize or administer theemblems of our Lord's death, except thoselicensed by some orthodox member of theImage, and acts of such persons (‘unlicensed')are not counted valid."— Z.'80-1-2.Save he that had the mark [or the name] ofthe beast.— Protestants affiliated with theFederal Council of Churches— already"marked," stamped O. K. by the papacy.Or his name.— Roman Catholics.Or the number of his name.— Consent to theprinciple of clergy rule in matters of faith, orderand war (murder.)— Rev. 15:2.FM215Revelation 13:18.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath[understanding] AN EAR count the numberof the beast.— "Here is scope for ingenuity. Letpeople of shrewd intelligence calculate thenumber of the Wild Beast; for it indicates acertain man, and his number is 666."— Weym.For it is the number of a man.— The Man ofSin, the Papacy.— Rev. 19:20; 2 Thess, 2:3.[And his number is] Six hundred threescoreand six.— In the Greek this number is sixhundred (represented by the Greek letter 2), plussixty (represented by the Greek letter ), plussixty (represented by the Greek letter +). It is notas though it read six plus six plus six."The following extract on this point is from awork entitled The Reformation, bearing the dateof 1832:"‘Mrs. A.,' said Miss Emmons, ‘I saw a verycurious fact the other day; I have dwelt upon itmuch, and will mention it. A person, lately, waswitnessing a ceremony of the Romish Church.As the pope passed him in the procession,splendidly dressed in his pontifical robes, thegentleman's eye rested on these full, blazingletters in front of his mitre (tiara— crown):VICARIVS FILII DEI, the Vicar of the Son ofGod. His thoughts, with the rapidity of lightning,reverted to Rev. 13:18.' ‘Will you turn to it?' saidMrs. A. Alice opened the New Testament, andread: ‘Let him that hath understanding count thenumber of the beast: for it is the number of aman; and his number is Six hundred threescoreand six.' She paused, and Miss Emmons said,‘He took out his pencil, and marking the‘numerical letters of the inscription on his tablet,it stood 666.' " (Smith.)This explanation was approved by PastorRussell, and was given by him at a ConventionQuestion Meeting. On the pope's crown in theVatican museum is the recognized and most usedtitle of the pope, VICARIVS FILII DEI (Vicar ofthe Son of God.) The word VICARIVS is on thetop of the threefold crown. The word FILII is onthe second circlet; and the words are made from

dark, shining precious jewels. The word DEI ison the under part of the threefold crown and ismade of 100 diamonds. "The Tiara is a bee-hiveshaped, somewhat bulging head-covering,ornamented with three crowns. It is firstmentionedV—5I—1C—100A—0R—0I—1V—5S—0——F—0I—1L—0I—1I—1——D —500E—0I—1Total 666FM216by Pope Constantine, in A. D. 715. It firstappears on papal coins in the reign of SergiusIII., A. D. 911. At this period it was merely a capof white stuff. The papal coins of the 11thcentury leave it doubtful whether the ornamentalband at the lower edge of the tiara is intended torepresent a crown or merely a decoration. It isonly in representations dating from the late 13thcentury that the circlet appears as a regularspiked crown. The second circlet was added byPope Boniface VIII., A. D. 1303. The third was

added under Clement V., A. D. 1311." (Brit.)The reason for the addition of any of thesecrowns is unknown, or why the pope shouldhave any crown at all. The words VICARIVSFILII DEI are, it is said, also carved over theentrance to the Vatican.GIDEON'S BAND.FM217"Count Me the swords that have come,""Lord, thousands on thousands are ready."Lo! these are too many, and with them are someWhose hearts and whose hands are not steady.He whose soul does not burn,Let him take up his tent and return.""Count Me the swords that remain.""Lord, hundreds on hundreds are daring.""These yet are too many for Me to attainTo the victory I am preparing.Lead them down to the brinkOf the waters of Marah to drink.""Lord those who remain are but few,And the hosts of the foe are appalling,And what can a handful such as we do?""When ye hear from beyond, My Voicecalling,Sound the trump! Hold the light!Great Midian will melt in your sight!"REVELATION 14THE FIVE HARVEST MESSAGESRevelation 14:1.And I looked, and, [lo, a] BEHOLD THELamb.— See Rev. 5:6; 13:8; John 1:29, 36; Acts8:32; 1 Pet. 1:19.Stood on the Mount Sion.— The Return of theLord is here pictured as accomplished, thesleeping saints raised, and the full number called.This was all fulfilled in 1878. (Rev. 11:17.) Atthat time our Lord took unto Himself His greatpower and began His Reign.And with Him an hundred forty and fourthousand.— See Rev. 7:4.

Having His [Father's] name AND THENAME OF HIS FATHER.— How beautifuland how true that we have both the Father andthe Son in our minds, while trinitarians mustnecessarily have more or less, and areproportionately confused.Written in their foreheads.— Isa. 44:5; Rev.7:3; Ex. 13:9; 28:26-38; Deut. 6:8; Z.'07-265;Ezek. 9:2-6.Revelation 14:2.And I heard a voice.— The message of PresentTruth from the lips of the Lord's saints on thisside of the veil. They are on Mount Zion in thespirit of their minds.From heaven.— "We are seated with Him inHeavenly places."— Rev. 13:6.As the voice of many waters.— A greatoutpouring of Truth, in many tongues.— Rev.1:15; 19:6.And as the voice of [a great] thunder.— Seventhunders, the seven volumes of ScriptureStudies.— Rev. 8:5; 10:3, 4.And [I heard] the voice WHICH I HEARDWAS AS THAT of harpers harping with theirHarps.— "The Scriptures of the Old and NewTestaments constitute what the Lord Himselfdesignates ‘the Harp of God.' (Rev. 15:2.) Andthe various testimonies of the Law and theProphets are the several chords of that Harp,which, when tuned by the Holy Spirit dwellingin our hearts, and swept by the fingers of thedevoted servants and searchers after DivineTruth, yields the most enchanting strains thatever fell on mortal ears."— F233; Rev. 5:8.Revelation 14:3.And they [sang as it were] SING a newsong.— The Lord particularly promised that inthis Harvest time, out of His Storehouse wouldcome things new. (Matt. 13:52; 24:45.) "Insymbol He pointed out to us the fact thatFM218

the Message of His grace in the closing days ofthis Gospel Age would be so different from thecommonly accepted message, misnamed theGospel, that it would properly be termed a newsong."— Z.'00-37; Rev. 5:9; 15:3.AND IT WAS before the Throne.— While stillon earth. Compare Rev. 4:5 and 5:6.And before the four beasts.— Everydeclaration of Present Truth has for its object thepresentation of one or more of the Divineattributes— Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom.All that we do in the service of the Truth is donein their sight.— Rev. 4:7-10.And BEFORE the elders.— The prophecies. Inall that we do we are pointing to the propheciesand fulfilling them. How often it was said of ourLord Jesus, that He said or did this or that "Thatit might be fulfilled which was spoken by themouth of" one of the Prophets.And no man could learn that song but the144,000.— "Nothing is more manifest than thatit is necessary to be somewhat of an ‘overcomer'of the world and its spirit which pervadesnominal Christendom, ere any would have thecourage to sing this song— to declare beforemen the lengths, breadths, heights and depths ofthe goodness and grace of the Divine Plan, ofwhich Jesus and His Sacrifice are the center. Toall others ‘the fear of man bringeth a snare,' andstoppeth their mouths from speaking ‘forth thepraise of Him who called us out of darkness intoHis marvelous light.' ‘But the people that doknow their God [His Character and Plan] shall bevaliant and do exploits,' and like the Apostles ofold will feel and say, ‘Whether it be right to obeyGod or men, judge ye; but we cannot but speakthe things which we have seen and heard.'—Dan. 11:32; Acts 4:19, 20."— Z.'00-37.Which were redeemed from the earth.—Agorazo, acquired at the forum.— E443, 429.Revelation 14:4.These are they which were not defiled withwomen; for they are virgins.— "All Bible

exponents of the Protestant kind recognize thereare two Women especially mentioned inRevelation; the one the true Woman, the Brideclass, the other the false Woman; and Protestantsin general understand that false Woman torepresent the papacy. Then again otherProtestants understand that the Scriptures whichrefer to the mother and daughters refer to thepapacy, and these denominational daughters, orsystems, which sprang from her, and have moreor less of her nature, disposition andcharacteristics. The Bible proposition is that theChurch is a Virgin Church; viz.: not united tothe world at all, and that this is the error that wasmade by the early Church in leaving ChristRevelation 219as the prospective Bridegroom and becomingunited with the nation of Rome. This constitutedan illicit union; for as the Bride of Christ she hadno right whatever to be associated with anyearthly dominion, and that in becomingassociated with the Roman Emperor she lost herstanding. We are to remember that this word‘harlotry' as used in Revelation is merely asymbolical term; there is nothing more than thatto be understood.God speaks of some of His children as being inBabylon. Babylon is the name for the mother, thepapal system, and the daughters also have thesame name. It means confusion, mixture andimproper relationship. Now then some are inBabylon and not of Babylon, just the same as thechildren of Israel were carried captive intoBabylon, but they were not Babylonians. And indue time God sent forth the Message to allNatural Israel that if those who had been carriedin captivity into Babylon desired to return to theLord their God, and to the Land of Promise, theymight do so. Cyrus gave that decree, youremember, and many of them did return."No one is called out of Babylon until he hearsthe Lord's voice. So you and I may have been inBabylon for years and not have had anyresponsibility or any impurity; we were notdefiled, because we did not know any better. But

He says, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye benot partakers of her sins.' That implies that youare not yet partakers of her sins; you are Mypeople, in her, but not yet partakers. I was notresponsible for what was in my head fromchildhood; and God did not hold me responsible;nor you, nor anyone else; but after we come tosee the great errors which are taught byBabylon's system then we are responsible. Wehave said things about our Heavenly Father thatwe would be ashamed to say about ourselves orof our earthly parents.We have said He created our world of mankindand knew what He was doing, had full powerand full wisdom, and intended from thebeginning to damn nine hundred and ninty-nineout of every thousand, and to have them roastthrough all eternity; and that He made fireproofdevils to handle them; that He created a greatplace called hell in which all of this diabolicalwork was going on. No honorable man wouldtreat a poor rat that way—predestinate the ratbefore it was born, foreordain it to eternaltorture. And now then after we once see that thisdoctrine is blasphemy against God, after we oncesee that it was evidently instigated by our greatAdversary, the Devil— after we once see whatan awful thing it is— if then we wish to upholdearthly systems and give our lives,FM220strength, talents and means, to upholding thesediabolical teachings, then we are worse than anyothers there; we are the worst of them all. Whatright has any man to stay inside of adenomination and deny the teachings of thatdenomination? He is branding himself as a fraud,professing to believe what he knows he does notbelieve, claiming to teach what he knows heshould not teach; or, on the other hand, teachingthat which he knows is wrong, and professingthat which he does not believe at all. The wholematter is wrong; such are defiled by the Women.But those who come out when they see the rightand wrong on the question, who take their standfor right, they are delivering their souls from

Babylon. ‘Flee out of Babylon, saith the Lord;deliver every man his soul.' Now no one isresponsible to flee out unless he sees that it isBabylon, but the very suggestion that it isBabylon to every honest person means that heshould make an investigation, and a thoroughone, to know whether or not he is in Babylon. Ifhe says, ‘Well, God's voice says ‘flee out ofBabylon,' and I believe that the system isBabylon, but I do not wish to look into it for fearI find it true,' that means he is dishonest withhimself; he is defiling himself. There is only oneway of being thoroughly honest, and that is to behonest." (Pastor Russell.)"That the words can only be understoodspiritually seems to follow from the whole toneof Apocalyptic symbolism: — see the mentionof the Bridegroom and the Bride, of the Harlotand her fornications. Elsewhere we have thelanguage of Ps. 45, of the Canticles, of the Bookof Hosea, above all of 2 Cor. 11:2: — 'I haveespoused you to one Husband, that I may presentyou as a chaste virgin to Christ.' "— Cook.[These are they which] THOSE WHO followThe Lamb.— On this side of the veil.Whithersoever He goeth.— Those who fall to"Walk in the light as He is in the light" findsooner or later that they "walk in darkness" forthe light goes on and leaves them.— John 1:6, 7;Prov. 4:18.These were redeemed from among men.—They are a separate class, "from among" men."The thought is that of public purchase; and allthe other uses of this word agorazo, throughoutthe New Testament, emphatically support a mostcommercial signification. We call especialattention to the signification of this word,because the tendency to deny that there was apurchase of our race effected by a price given forman's release from the ‘curse' is prevalent and agrowing one— very subversive of the true ‘faith,once delivered to the saints.' "— E443, 430.FM221

[Being the first-fruits] FROM THEBEGINNING unto God and [to] IN theLamb.— "Separated from the entire mass as thebest absolutely.— Num. 18:12." (Cook) Deut.26:2; Jas. 1:18.Revelation 14:5.And in their mouth.— By contrast to the lies ofthe False Prophet.Was found no [guile] FALSEHOOD.— Theyfully and thoroughly believe the doctrines theyteach.— Psa. 15:1, 2.For they are without fault [before the Throneof God].— "Faultless before the presence of Hisglory with exceeding joy."— Jude 24; Eph. 5:27;Psa. 15:1-5.Revelation 14:6.And I saw [another] AN angel.—The DivinePlan of the Ages, Volume I of the ScriptureStudies.Fly in the midst of heaven.— "From one end ofheaven to the other" amongst Christian people ofall denominations.— Matt. 24:31.Having the everlasting Gospel.— The sameGospel preached by our Heavenly Father (Gal.3:8), the Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:16), the holyApostles (Acts 15:13-18), the holy Prophets(Acts 3:19-24) and the holy Angels (Acts 2:10,13, 14); but entirely overlooked by the clergy.To preach unto them that dwell on theearth.— To independent Christians.— Rev.13:13, 14.And [to] UNTO every nation, and kindred,and tongue, and people.— All mankind, livingand dead.— 1 Tim. 2:4-7.Revelation 14:7.[Saying] with a loud voice.— By millions ofcopies circulated earth-wide.Fear God, and give glory to Him.— Ratherthan to creeds, sects and clergy.

For the hour of His judgment is come.— TheMILLENNIAL DAWN, the dawn of the thousandyearJudgment Day of Christ, is at hand.— Rev.15:4; 11:18.And worship Him that made Heaven, andearth, and the sea.— God, our Heavenly Father,the Creator of all things.— Neh. 9:6; Psa. 33:6,124:8; Acts 14:15; 17:24.And the fountains of waters.— His HeavensentWord.Revelation 14:8.And there followed another [angel] ASECOND.— Volume II of Scripture Studies.Saying, [Babylon is fallen,] is fallen, [that]BABYLON, THE great [city].— Chapters 7and 9 of Volume II are particularly devoted tothis theme. "The name Babylon originallysignified God's gate-way; but afterward, inderision, it came to mean mixture or confusion.In the book of Revelation this name is appliedspecifically to the church nominal, which, frombeing the gate-way to glory, became a gate-wayto error and confusion, a miserable mixturecomposed chiefly of tares, hypocrites,— aconfused mass of worldly profession in whichthe Lord's jewels areFM222buried, and their true beauty and luster hidden."(C153.)"The name Babylon was applied, not only to thecapital city of the Babylonian empire, but also tothe empire itself. Babylon, the capital, was themost magnificent, and probably the largest, cityof the ancient world. It was built in the ‘form ofa square on both sides of the Euphrates river;and, for protection against invaders, it wassurrounded by a deep moat filled with water andinclosed within a vast system of double walls,from thirty-two to eighty-five feet thick, andfrom seventy-five to three hundred feet high. Onthe summit were low towers, said to have beentwo hundred and fifty in number, placed alongthe outer and inner edges of the wall, tower

facing tower; and in these walls were a hundredbrazen gates, twenty-five on each side,corresponding to the number of streets whichintersected each other at right angles. The citywas adorned with splendid palaces and templesand the spoils of conquest.'" (D23; Jer. 51:8;Rev. 18:2.)"This use of the aorist— in the sense of the‘prophetic preterite'— expresses the certainty ofthe fall: see chapters 10:7; 11:18; 18:2; and seeon chapter 15:1. The language is taken from Isa.21:9, the verb denoting the violent fall andoverthrow of kingdoms— see Ezek. 30:6; andsee on chapter 17:10.With the fall of Babylon, the capital of theungodly world-kingdom, the Old Testamentconnects the redemption of the people of God.—Isa. 13:19; 47:1; Jer. 51:1-10."— Cook.Because [she made all nations drink of] ALLNATIONS HAVE FALLEN THROUGH thewine of the wrath of her fornication.— "Theruin of all the nations of earth is here attributeddirectly to the fact that ‘Babylon made all thepeoples drunk with the wine [spirit, influence] ofher fornication'— worldly affiliation."— C164,104; Jer. 51:7; Rev. 2:20; 17:2, 5; 18:3; 19:2.Revelation 14:9.And [the] ANOTHER, A third angel followedthem.— Volume III of the Scripture Studiesfollowed I and II.Saying with a loud voice.— Proclaimingclearly, in chapters 2, 4 and 6.If any man worship the beast.— The Papacy.And his image.— The Evangelical-Alliance-Spiritism combination.— Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15;14:11; 15:2; 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.And receive his mark in his forehead, or in hishand.— See Rev. 13:16, 17.Revelation 14:10.The same shall drink of the wine of the wrathof God.— The Message of Present Truth.

Which is poured out without mixture.—Different from Babylon's mixed wine.— Isa.5:20-22.FM223Into the cup of His indignation.— "The Lordour God hath put us to silence and given us waterof gall to drink, because we have sinned againstthe Lord."— Jer. 8:14; Isa. 15:17-20; Jer. 25:26-28; Rev. 18:6; 16:19; Psa. 60:3; 75:8.And he shall be tormented with fire andbrimstone.— Whoever worships, reverences,human institutions and doctrines more than theWord of the Lord has experienced the tormenthere specified. Doctrines of hell fire andbrimstone have been his portion.— Rev. 9:17-19.In the presence of the holy angels.— TheHarvest workers on this side of the veil.— Matt.13:39.And in the presence of the Lamb.— "In thedays of the Son of Man;" after the SecondAdvent has taken place.Revelation 14:11.And the smoke of their torment.— "A noun,unlike a verb (or ‘time-word,' as the Germanscall it), does not indicate time. So ‘the smoke oftheir torment' may mean that of pain enduredonce for all, and then at an end. There is nothingin this verse that necessarily implies an eternityof suffering. In a similar way the word‘punishment' or ‘correction' in Matt. 25:46 givesin itself no indication of time. Cp. Gen. 19:28;Jude 7." (Weym.)"About endless torment: "(a) The doctrine isfound nowhere in the Old Testament, nor anyhint of it. The expression, in the end of Isaiah,about the fire unquenched and the worms notdying, is plainly of the corpses of men upon thephysical earth."(b) The doctrine of endless torment was, as ahistorical fact, brought back from Babylon by theRabbis.

"(c) St. Paul accepts nothing of it as far as wecan tell, never making the least allusion to thedoctrine."(d) The Apocalypse asserts that not only death,but hell shall be cast into the Lake of Fire."(e) The Christian Church has never really held itexclusively till now."(f) Since the Reformation it has been an openquestion in the English Church."(g) The Church of England, by the deliberateexpunging of the 42nd Article, which affirmedendless punishment, has declared it,authoritatively, to be open."(h) It is so, in fact. Neither I nor any others whohave denied it can be dispossessed or proceededagainst legally, in any way whatsoever.— Rev.Chas. Kingsley, May 9, 1857."— Z.'11-363.Ascendeth up for ever and ever.— "Theremembrance of the destruction of these systemsof deception and error will be lasting, the lessonwill never be forgotten— as smoke, whichcontinues to ascend after a destructive fire,FM224is testimony that the fire has done its work.—See also Isa. 34:8-10."— H64; Rev. 19:3.And they have no rest day or night.— A literalfulfillment of this is expected. (Rev. 7:3.) A fewdays of it will be enough to satisfy the mostardent lover of the torment system of religion.And it will be a just recompense of reward.Who worship the beast and his image.— "Allwill at once concede that if a literal worshippingof a beast and image were meant in verse 9, thenfew, if any, in civilized lands are liable to thepenalty of verse 11; and if the beast and hisimage and worship and wine and cup aresymbols, so also are the torments and smoke andfire and brimstone."— H64; Rev. 14:9.And whosoever receiveth the mark of hisname.— Of fear, sympathy or worship.— D623.Revelation 14:12.

Here is the patience of the saints.— Theircrowning trial.[Here are they] that keep the commandmentsof God.— The commandments of God duringthe Harvest time are to proclaim, "Gather Mysaints together unto Me;" "Flee out of the midstof Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: benot cut off in her iniquity."— Psa. 50:5; Jer.51:6.And the faith of Jesus.— "He laid down His lifefor us; and we ought to lay down our lives forthe brethren." (1 John 3:16.) The Great Companyclass are our brethren and we ought to show asmuch interest in them as we do in the LittleFlock. The gathering of the full number of theVery Elect would give us no reason todiscontinue Harvest work.Revelation 14:13.And I heard a voice from Heaven.— TheHeavenly Father's Word.Saying [unto me], Write.— The message foundin chapter 9 of Volume III.Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.—"Each member of the Body of Christ must finishhis sacrifice in actual death. They are reckonedof God as being already dead, and they areexhorted so also to reckon themselves: ‘Reckonye yourselves dead indeed unto sin.' No otherdead men can be said to die but this class of deadones, who must finish their course of sacrifice inactual death."— C240; 1 Thess, 4:16.From henceforth.— From the spring of 1878.[Yea,] saith the Spirit.— The Word of God, inRev. 6:11. "Nowhere in the Scriptures is deathrepresented as in any sense a blessing, except inthis one instance; and here it is particularlylimited and made applicable to a certain specifictime."— C240.FM225That they may rest from their labors.— "Poor,bruised ‘feet,' now despised of men, none butyourselves fully appreciate your privileges. None

others can appreciate the joy you have inproclaiming Present Truth." (C236.)"One by one the ‘feet' class will pass from thepresent condition, in which, though often wearyand wounded, they are always rejoicing, to theother side the veil;-'changed' in a moment, in thetwinkling of an eye, from mortality toimmortality, from weakness to power, fromdishonor to glory, from human to Heavenlyconditions, from animal to spirit bodies." (C237.)"Instead of the Kingdom waiting for the livingmembers to finish their course, the Kingdomwork began at once; and the living ones on thisside the veil are privileged to know ‘themysteries of the Kingdom' and to engage inKingdom work before their ‘change;' add as theydie (will not fall ‘asleep,' but) will be ‘changed'in the moment of death, resurrected as part of theblessed and holy First Resurrection."— D622.[And] FOR their works do follow them.—"Their work will not cease with this change; forall those who will be counted worthy of thatchange to glory will be already enlisted in theservice of the Kingdom on this side the veil:only the weariness, the labor feature, will ceasewith the change." (C238.)"We may not be able to judge accurately as towhat features of the great work are now beingcarried on by the Lord and His glorified saintsbeyond the veil; but we may be sure that they areactive participants in the work assigned themembers of the same Kingdom class, whosecourse and service are not yet ended on this sidethe veil— the Harvest work."-D624; 1 Cor.15:58.14:14. [And I looked], and behold a whitecloud.— See Rev. 10:1. As the cloud indicatesthe Time of Trouble, so the white indicates thepure motive back of it.And upon the cloud [one sat] I SAW ONESITTING like unto the Son of Man.— "To theJewish House Jesus presented Himself in threecharacters— as Bridegroom (John 3:29), Reaper(John 4:35, 38) and King (Matt. 21:5, 9, 4). To

the Christian House He presents Himself in thesame characters. (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 14:14, 15;17:14.)"— B238.Having on His head a golden crown.— TheDivine nature, Immortality, the highest form oflife.— 2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4.And in His hand a sharp sickle.— "ThisHarvest, like the Jewish one, is to be first a timeof trial and sifting upon the Church, andafterward a time of wrath upon the world,including the nominal Church. That which triedfleshlyFM226Israel in the Harvest of their Age was the truththen presented to them. The truth then due wasthe sickle, and it separated the ‘Israelites Indeed'from the nominal Jewish Church; and of the truewheat there was but a fragment compared to theprofessors. So also is the Harvest of this Age.The Harvest of the Gospel Age, like that of theJewish Age, is under the supervision of the ChiefReaper, our Lord Jesus, who must then bepresent."— A238.Revelation 14:15.And another angel.— The Witness to the Lordin the Land of Egypt. (Isa. 19:20.) See pages309, 311, Vol. III, and observe that Chapter 10,Vol. III, Scripture Studies, is in reality a separatebook.Came out of [the] HIS temple, crying with aloud voice--Throughout the 66 pages of histestimony.To Him that sat on the cloud.— To our PresentLord.Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap: for the time iscome [for thee] to reap.— The Great Pyramidconfirms the Bible's teaching that the time ofHarvest has come.For the Harvest of the earth is ripe.— "Theuse of a sickle is to gather wheat, not to ripen it."

Revelation 14:16.And He that sat on the cloud.— The LordJesus, during His Parousia, overruling andwithholding the Time of Trouble.Thrust in His sickle on the earth; and theearth was reaped.— Reading verses 13-16connectedly, we note that the resurrection of thesleeping saints is recorded, and is immediatelyfollowed by the Harvest. This suggests that theHarvest proper began in 1878; and that the threeand a half years prior to the spring of 1878 wasdevoted to preliminary work, but not to Harvestwork in the full sense. It was not proper to say"Come out of her, My people," until Babylonwas cast off, in the Spring of 1878.— Rev. 3:14;Matt. 13:30; 24:31. 14:17.And another angel— Pastor Russell himself,after the harvesting of the saints was finished.(Volumes IV, V VI are not shown inn thisstrictly Harvest chapter, as they are more usedfor the upbuilding of the saints than as Harvestinstruments. They are, however, shown in Rev.10:4; 15:8; 16:1-18.)Came out of the Temple which is inHeaven.— The Church in glory, on the otherside of the veil.He also having a sharp sickle.— The privilegeof guiding the work of bringing forth out of theDivine Storehouse all the Master's store ofprovisions, as needed, and of directing theexecution upon the nominal church of thechastisements promised in the Holy Word."Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when Hecometh shall findFM227so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that He willmake him ruler over all that He hath."— Luke12:44; Psa. 149:5-9; Isa. 21:1-10.14:18. And another angel.— The corporatebody which Pastor Russell organized to finishhis work. See Rev. 8:3-5, which describes thesame matter as here narrated.

Came out from the altar.— The place ofsacrifice. The Society is maintained by thesacrifices of the saints.Which had power over fire.— Authority overthe publication and distribution of expositions ofEzekiel and John the Revelator, symbolical"coals of fire."— Isa. 6:6; Ezek. 10:2.And cried with a loud [cry] VOICE to Himthat had the sharp sickle.— What adisappointed cry went up from the whole Churchthat dear Brother Russell went beyond the veilwithout writing the Seventh Volume of ScriptureStudies, for which we all have looked so long!Saying, Thrust in Thy sharp sickle.— Oh, thatthe Lord would wind up the present order ofthings, in whatever way He might elect!— Joel3:9-14, 13; Matt. 13:39-43.And gather the clusters of the vine of theearth.— In the Adventist cluster there are 6bunches of smaller sects; in the Baptist 15;Brethren (Dunkard) 4; Plymouth Brethren 4;River Brethren 3; Catholic Apostolic 2;Churches of the Living God 3; Churches of theNew Jerusalem 2; Disciples of Christ 2;Evangelical Bodies 2; Faith Associations 9;Friends 4; Latter-Day Saints 2; Lutheran 21;Scandinavian Evangelical Bodies 3; Mennonite13; Methodist 16; Moravian 2; Pentecostalbodies 2; Presbyterian 12; Protestant Episcopal2; Reformed 4; United Brethren 2.For her grapes are fully ripe.— All these sectshave long ago taken their stand against the Truthand therefore against the Lord. O Lord, judgethem with Thy Truth! Thou hast called them the"abominations of the earth" and so they are.Bring their man-made Clergy-ridden systems toan end and make their memory to perish from theearth! Amen.— Isa. 65:17; Rev. 17:5; Jer. 6:9-30.Revelation 14:19.And the angel thrust in his sickle [into] UPONthe earth.— Distributed far and wide amongorder-loving people the good news that nominal

Zion's travail is at hand, and the new and betterorder of things near.And gathered the vine of the earth.— Broughttogether all the sects in virulent opposition to theMessage of the Truth.And cast it into the great winepress of thewrath of God.— "The fruitage of the True Vineis Love, and is precious to the Father; but thefruitage of the Vine ofFM228the Earth is selfishness in various forms, and willbe ultimately gathered into the great winepress ofthe wrath of God in the great Time of Troublewith which this Age will close." (F207; Rev.19:15.) "While the taking of different names waswrong, it was an evidence of a deeper wrong—of a selfish, party spirit. It was an evidence thatthose Corinthians who took the party names hadnever appreciated the oneness of the Body ofChrist; that they did not really appreciate thatChrist is the only Head, Leader and Standard;and that His is the only name by which Hisfollowers should recognize themselves and eachother." (Z.'08-116.)Many of the clergy are today followers ofDarwin and Socrates instead of Moses andChrist. And both Darwin and Socrates werementally unsound. The following is from Dr.Dorland's The Age of Mental Virility: "It islikewise exceptional to find an unusually shortnose, such as that possessed by Darwin andSocrates, among men of intellect. Nasalabbreviation is one of the well-known signs ofdegeneracy, as is also the sessile or otherwisemisshapen ear, the sugar-loaf skull, the close-seteyes, and other physiognomic irregularities,including the cretinoid face. The latter, strange torelate, has been noted in certain men ofremarkable genius, including Darwin andCarlyle, Rembrandt, Pope and Socrates. I wish toemphasize at this point the assertion that notevery individual who chances to possess one ofthe above mentioned physical peculiarities is tobe immediately stamped as a degenerate. It is

only when there is a combination of two or moreof these traits, especially if this combination hasbeen noted as a family peculiarity, that thesuspicion will be awakened; and this may thenbe confirmed and the condition established byclose and careful investigation.""Socrates," writes Pedigo, "presented one of themostinteresting studies in dual personality andsubconscious conditions in all history in hismemorable daemon, which he said guided himand inspired him with wisdom.""Herbert Spencer was the victim of a fixeddelusion."The clergy are the ones directly responsible forthe war in Europe. It was not their province toconvince the rulers of those countries that theirkingdoms are parts of God's Kingdom of peace,holiness, justice, love and truth— monstrous!They are an entirely unauthorized class— exceptby themselves; a self-perpetuating fraud. Theyhave brought upon their heads the blood of allthe nations of the earth in this world war; andGod will require it at their hands. In the spring of1918, and from that time onward forever, it willbe as unsafe to tell the lies thatFM229have filled Babylon's exchequers as it will to bea king.— Zech. 13:2-6."Though controversy, and words of passion andarguments will be and are among the weaponsused in this battle, especially in the beginning ofit, yet it will not end with these. Every propheticdetail indicates that before it ends it will be mostsanguinary, a fierce and terrible storm."— D529;Jer. 25:26-38; D527; Isa. 63:1-6; Lam. 1:15.Revelation 14:20.And the winepress.— The Seventh Volume ofScripture Studies, the work that will squeeze thejuice out of the "Abominations of the earth."Cook's Revelation, page 709, calls attention tothe peculiar fact that this word is both masculineand feminine. This seemingly indicates the

Lord's recognition of the interest and cooperationof the sisters in the closing feature of the Harvestwork, as in all other parts of it. Priscilla was sucha valuable helper that in one instance she wasnamed before her husband.— Acts 18:18.Was trodden without the city.— "In symbolicprophecy a ‘city' signifies a religious governmentbacked by power and influence. Thus, forinstance, the holy city, the new Jerusalem,' is thesymbol used to represent the establishedKingdom of God, the overcomers of the GospelChurch exalted and reigning in glory." (D625.)"The treading of the winepress is the last featureof Harvest work. The reaping and gathering is alldone first." (D18.)Wordly editors have applied this verse to thegreat war now raging in Europe; but thisexpression makes it impossible to so apply it. Ifthe war is the winepress, it is not being troddenwithout the city, but right in the middle of thecity, Mystical Babylon, Christendom. Thissuggests that the Revelator must have referred toanother city; and he has done so, and withpropriety; for this chapter is devoted to Harvestwork only. What city more appropriate to refer tothen than the Bethel, the Divinely appointedcenter for the Harvest work, the embryoKingdom of God on earth?And blood.— Teachings which though truthfulwill be death-dealing and seem "bloody" tosectarianism.Came out of the winepress.— The expositionof the prophecies of Ezekiel and the Revelator.Even unto the horse bridies.— So deep as tostrangle and drown the old false doctrinalhobbies so long ridden. Sectarianism will be theuniversal laughing stock. See Rev., chapters 8and 9. "Because I have called, and ye refused; Ihave stretched out My hand, and no manregarded; but ye have set at nought all Mycounsel, and would none of My reproof; I willmock when your fearFM230

cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation,and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;when distress and anguish cometh upon you.Then shall they call upon Me, but I will notanswer; they shall seek Me early, but they shallnot find Me; for that they hated knowledge, anddid not choose the fear of the Lord. They wouldnone of my counsel: they despised all myreproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit oftheir own way."— Prov. 1:24-31.By the space of a thousand and [six] TWOhundred furlongs.— This can not be interpretedto refer to the 2100 mile battle line of the worldwar. A furlong or stadium is not a mile and thisis without the city whereas the battle line iswithin the city. See Rotherham's translation.A stadium is 606 3/4 English ft; 1200 stadii are,mi., 137.9. The work on this volume was done inScranton, Pa. As fast as it was completed it wassent to the Bethel. Half of the work was done atan average distance of 5 blocks from theLackawanna station, and the other half at adistance of 25 blocks. Blocks in Scranton are 10to the mile. Hence the average distance to thestation is 15 blocks, or 1.5 miThe mileage from Scranton to HobokenTerminal is shown in time tables as 143.8 andthis is the mileage charged to passengers, but in1911, at an expense of $12,000,000, theLackawanna Railroad completed its famous cutoff,saving 11 miles of the distance. From theday the cut-off was completed the trainmen havebeen allowed 11 miles less than the time tableshows, or a net distance of 132.8 miles. HobokenFerry to Barclay Street Ferry, New York is 2.0miles. Barclay Street Ferry to Fulton Ferry, NewYork, is 4,800 feet or 0.9 mile. Fulton Ferry,New York, to Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn, is 2,000feet or 0.4 mile. Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn, toBethel, is 1,485 feet or 0.3 mile.Shortest distance from place where the winepresswas trodden by the Feet Members of the Lord,Whose guidance and help alone made thisvolume possible. (John 6:60, 61; Matt. 20:11.)miles 137.9

FM231REVELATION 15THE SONG OF THE SAINTSRevelation 15:1.And I saw another sign.— Seemion, the sameword used by our Lord when He said, "Thenshall appear the sign of the Son of Man." Theproofs of the Lord's Second Advent are herereferred to.In heaven.— .Among God's professed people.Great and marvelous.— Very different in toneand contents from other Bible "helps."Seven angels.— The seven volumes of Studiesin the Scriptures.Having the seven last plagues.— The sevenvolumes of Studies in the Scriptures togetherconstitute the third and last woe poured out uponpapacy.— Rev. 16:1-21; 22:18.For in them is filled up the wrath of God.—Their united testimony is that the Times of theGentiles have expired, the Reign of Christ hasbegun. all earthly potentates— Civil, Social,Ecclesiastical and Financial— must give way tothe New Order of things, and will not give waypeaceably, but must be ejected.Revelation 15:2.And I saw as it were a sea of glass.— TheTime of Trouble made transparent. We can seewhy the Lord permits it, and see the Golden Ageof glory, peace and Divine blessing that lies justbeyond.Mingled with fire.— The coming anarchy."They are the waves of the Red Sea, whichappears on fire as the Sun of righteousness arisesupon them, on the margin of which the trueIsraelites sing the song of Moses and the savingLamb! Standing on its shore are seen those wboare delivered from the beasts' sway as theIsraelites were in their exodus from the land ofPharaoh. The song of Moses is sung by delivered

Israel after the Egyptian plagues: here the hymnof praise is sung by the redeemed before theplagues are renewed and the Church gains its lastvictory over the antichristian world."— Cook.And them that had gotten the victory over thebeast, and [over] his image.— Who understandand live in harmony with the knowledge thatboth Papacy and Protestantism, and thegovernments under their influence, are of Satanicspirit.— Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:11; 16:2, 13;19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.FM232[And over his mark,] And over the number ofhim name.— Who refuse to let any stand forthem in the place of Christ.— Rev. 13:14-18.Stand on the sea of glass.— Not in among therestless and discontented, but on a higherplane.— Heb. 13:5.Having the harps of THE LORD God.— SeeRev. 5:8; 14:2God's Word is that harp, which hag long been unstrung,And men heard but discordant its notes;Now as tuned are its chords from Moses to John,How grandly sweet melody floats.Revelation 15:3.And [they sing] SINGING the song ofMoses.— "Hebrew scholars have remarked onthe evidence of the antiquity of the song ofMoses, recorded in Exodus 15:1-20, some evennoting the fact that a few of the words showed anintermingling of the Egyptian language. It isfurther authenticated by the reference made to itin the book of Psalms, where the entire matter ofthe deliverance of the people and the overthrowof their enemies in the sea is graphicallydescribed by the sweet singer of Israel. (Psa.106:7-12.) If it was appropriate, as we all admitthat it was, that the Israelites should give glory toGod for their deliverance from the bondage ofEgypt, much more is it appropriate that spiritualIsrael should recognize the still greaterdeliverance from the power of Satan and thethraldom of sin, accomplished for us through the

lood of the Lamb of God who died for oursins."— Z.07-158; Rev. 14:3.The Servant of God.— See Ex. 14:31.And the song of the Lamb.— "They sing in thesense of declaring in harmonious and beautifulcadences the relationship of the types and figuresof the Law and the Prophets of the MosiacDispensation with the antitypes of these of theGospel Dispensation; showing that all thingswritten in the Law and in the Prophets arefinding glorious fulfilments in the Lamb of Godand in the great Plan which the Father is workingout through Him."— Z.'00-310.Saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works,Lord God Almighty.— "First amongst the greatand marvelous works of the Almighty was thesentence of death upon father Adam and hisposterity. As we look at this marvelous work, wemust concede that it was just (in that it wasmerited), that it is true (in the sense of not beingan unreasonable penalty), true in the sense that itwas exactly what God forewarned father Adamthe penalty of disobedience would be. ‘Just andtrue are thy ways, thou King of Saints.' ButJehovah's first great and marvelous work ofcondemnation was, after four thousand years,followed by another great and marvelous work;viz., theFM233work of redemption. How stupendous this workof the ransoming of all Adam's race of hundredsof millions by the sacrifice of one Man! Howgreat and wonderful indeed this act, and how justand true, and how fully in Harmony with everyfeature of Divine Justice and Love!— 1 Tim.2:5, 6; Rom. 5:12, 18, 19."— Z.'00-310.Just and true are Thy ways.— "As we haveviewed the failure of Christendom to adopt thespirit of Christ's teaching, and seen how theknowledge and liberty gained from His teachingswere blended with the spirit of evil, selfishness,and as from present foreshadowings we mark thesure approach of anarchy and every evil work,yet realizing its necessity and justice, and having

learned also the ends of mercy to be attainedeventually by this very means, our heartsexclaim, ‘Great and marvelous are Thy works,Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Thy ways.'" (D526; Deut. 32:4; Psa. 145:17.) "As Aaronand the two remaining sons were forbidden tomake lamentation for their brethren who werecut off, this signifies that all the faithful of thepriests will recognize the justice of the Divinedecisions, and will bow to them in humblesubmission, saying, ‘Just and true are Thy ways.'"— Lev. 10:1-7; Psa. 89:14; Job 36:17; 37:23;Isa. 56:1; T41.Thou King of [saints] THE WORLDS.— Themargin renders this "King of nations or ages." Hewill be King of all nations by and by. He is Kingof all ages (worlds) in the sense that the ages areworking out His sovereign will.Revelation 15:4.Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorifyThy name.— "Here is still another feature tothis song, and it is glorious also. It looks forwardto the glorious Millennial Age, to the time when,under Divine providence, the knowledge of theLord, essential to faith, and to any acceptance ofHis favor and mercy through Christ, shall beextended to every creature. ‘Every knee shallbow and every tongue confess.' (Rom. 14:11.)And while this bowing and confessing may atfirst be compulsory, yet the Scriptures assure usthat ultimately all who will not come into heartharmony with the Lord and with all His graciousarrangements and provisions, shall be cut offfrom amongst the people,— in the SecondDeath. (Acts 3:23.) So that ultimately, instead ofthe Universe being filled with hundreds ofmillions who to all eternity will wail and gnashtheir teeth and blaspheme God's holy name inagony— instead of this the time shall come whenevery tongue in Heaven and in earth shall beheard praising God, and giving honor to Himthat sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb,forever, for by that time all evildoers shall be cutoff. (Rev. 5:13.)"— Z.'00-311; Jer. 10:7.

FM234For Thou only art holy.— "This songcontinues, and has yet another strain. It declares.‘Thou only art holy'.All holiness, all perfection, wherever it is found,must proceed from God, the great Fountain ofholiness. How strange, then, that any of God'sdear people (and we ourselves were onceamongst this number) should so misunderstandthe Divine Character and Plan as to misrepresentthe same as being the very essence of unholiness,injustice, unkindness, inequity, lovelessness,toward the great mass of God's creatures!"—Z.'00-311.For all nations shall come and worship beforeThee.— "There is still another strain in thissong; and it is a grand one also, like all theothers,— reaching down into the Millennial Age.It declares, ‘All nations shall come and worshipbefore Thee; for Thy judgments are mademanifest.' ‘All nations' will include, not only allthe nations then living, but all the nations of thedead, just as does the promise which God madeto Abraham, saying, ‘In thy Seed [The Christ,Head and Body] shall all the nations of the earthbe blessed.' (Gert. 22:18.)"— Z.'00-311.For [Thy] judgments are made manifestBEFORE THEE.— There was a time when wecould not sing this song (Psa. 137). We lookedforward with dread to the time when the Lord'sJudgments would be made manifest. We did notsee that the Judgment Day is a day of "assuranceto all men." (Acts 17:31.) We did not see that thefirst judgment day was against our race (Rom.5:18), and that no culprit can be on trial twice forthe same offence. We did not see that anotherJudgment Day, favorable to our race, came at thetime of our Lord's great ‘victory over death (1John 12:31); nor did we see that our own, theJudgment Day of the saints, is here and now. (1Tim. 5:24; 1 Cor. 11:31; 1 Pet. 4:17.) We didperhaps note, our duty of judging wolves by theirgreed, dogs by their quarrelsomeness, swine bytheir interest in earthly things, thorns by theirdisposition to wound and tear, and thistles by

their disposition to scatter seeds that causetrouble (Matt. 7:6, 16, 15); and some of us wentbeyond and began judging one another (Rom.14:13; 7:1). But we never wanted to Lord to doit, even though we do know that He will bringevery secret thing into judgment. (Prov. 15:3;Ecc. 12:14.) Now we see that the world'sJudgment Day is a thousand years long (Psa.90:4; 2 Pet. 3:7, 8); we have learned that a day isnot always merely a 24-hour period. (Gen. 2:4;Heb. 3:8; 2 Cor. 6:2.) We see now that our LordJesus at the first Advent judged nobody (John12:47; Luke 12:14), but that God has exaltedHim to be the world's Judge (Acts 5:31) aDeliverer (Judges 3:9; Isa.FM2351:26); that He will have associate judges (1 Cor.6:2; Rev. 20; 6); that His judgments will endwar, promote righteousness and aid the poor andneedy (Isa. 2:4; 11:4; 26:9), destroyunrighteousness and bring in everlasting peaceand joy.— 2 Thess, 1:7; Isa. 65:18; 1 Cor. 15:25;1 Chron. 16:31; Psa. 96:13; Psa. 98:1; Pea, 72:1-14.Revelation 15:5.And after that I looked, and, [behold],—Another vision of the same thing.The Temple of the Tabernacle of thetestimony in heaven was opened.— PastorRussell was given a clear, beautiful, completecomprehension of the P]an of God as revealed inthe Tabernacle arrangements and sacrifices.(Acts 7:44). This is the foundation of all hisworks.Revelation 15:6And the seven angels came out of theTemple.— The seven volumes of ScriptureStudies, emerged, all in harmony with theteachings of the Tabernacle, from which theyproceeded.Having the seven last plagues.— Thoughcounted as plagues by ecclesiasticism they are inreality blessings, destined to rid the earth of

every obnoxious thing, not the least of which arethe great whore and harlots, large and small, thathave defiled the earth with their uncleandoctrines. (Rev. 7:5.) "Suppose that the salariesand ‘livings' of all ministers, bishop, priests, etc.,were cut off, all churches, chapels and cathedralsdestroyed, all theological seminaries broken up,and their professors turned to other pursuits, allreligious guilds and societies disbanded,including all sectarian organizations— whatwould be the effect? Who can doubt that it wouldbe a real blessing under the disguise of a greatand terrible catastrophe? The effect would be tobring true Christians together as the family ofGod, and not as sectarian bands; to study God'sWord, and not human traditions and creedsformulated in the Dark Ages. The Scripturesseem to indicate that very much of this sort ofdestruction of present systems must take placebefore all the ‘wheat,' the true Church, will beseparated from the ‘tares,' the mere professors."(Z.'08-119.) "The Church, or company ofbelievers, probationers for coming glory, in its‘voluntary association,' was indeed to recognize‘teachers,' ‘helps,' ‘Apostles,' etc., but not tomake them. If they recognize a man ‘mighty inthe Scriptures,' ‘apt to teach,' they should becareful always, even while rejoicing in andthanking God for such a servant, to require a‘thus saith the Lord' for every point of doctrine,and to search the Scriptures daily to see whetherthese things be so."— Z.'08-120.Clothed in pure [and white] BRIGHT linen.—"The ‘Linen Girdle' indicated a righteous ervant:linen— righteousness,FM236girdle— servitude." (T30.) "A different wordthan in Rev. 19:8. The word here used is suitableas describing priestly attire and refers toministrations on this side of the veil."— Cook.And having their breasts girded with goldengirdles.— "The under-priests were robed inlinen garments and wore girdles. Their robesrepresented the righteousness of Jesus, imputedto us, and their girdles represent us as servants or

ighteousness." (T36.) The Scripture Studies areservants of the Church— righteous servants, cladin the Lord's robe.— Rev. 1:13.Revelation 15:7.And one of the four beasts.— HeavenlyWisdom.— Rev. 4:7; Matt. 24:45; Jas. 1:5; 3:17;Ezek. 10:2, 7.Gave unto the seven angels [seven] goldenvials.— The message of Present Truth. "The vialwas the shallow bowl in which they drew fromthe larger goblet."— Cook; Psa. 79:6; Jer. 10:25;Zeph. 3:8.Full of the wrath of God.— Against all untruth,injustice and selfishness in organizations, Civil,Social, Ecclesiastical and Financial.Who liveth for ever and ever, Amen.—Whereas all of those are to pass away.— Rev.4:9, 10; 10:6.Revelation 15:8.And the temple was filled with smoke.— Thenominal Church is filled with confusion as thedeformities of her errors are made manifest.—Isa. 6:4.From the glory of God, and from Hispower.— As revealed in His Word in thisHarvest time.— 2 Chron.Revelation 5:14.And no man was able to enter into thetemple.— No person of mature thought. Thelarge proportion of new members now receivedin the various denominations is from the SundaySchool.— Rev. 9:20.Till the seven plagues of the seven angels werefulfilled.— Until the seven volumes of ScriptureStudies were written, published and circulated.Shortly afterward the true Temple will be inreadiness, wherein men, women and children ofall races and ages will find their hearts' hungersatisfied."Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake theheavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry

land; and I will shake all nations, and the desireof all nations shall come: and I will fill thisHouse with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. Thesilver [the Great Company class that will be usedin connection with its ministrations] is Mine, andthe gold [the Little Flock, of which it will becomposed] is Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. Theglory of this latter House shall be greater than theformer, [the nominal church], saith the Lord ofHosts; and in this place will I give peace, saiththe Lord of Hosts."— Hag. 2:6-9.FM237REVELATION 16ECCLESIASTICISM'S SEVEN PLAGUES16:1. And I heard great voice out of theTemple.— Pastor Russell was the voice of theLord thus used. (Rev. 7:2; 10:7.) He was of thetrue Temple, and "out of" the nominal temple atthe time these plagues were poured out.Saying to the seven angels.— The sevenvolumes of Scripture Studies. See Rev. 8:2-5 and14:17-20. "The plagues upon Egypt wereintended in some measure to foreshadow, toillustrate, the plagues with which this GospelAge will end." (F175.) Pastor Russell walked inthe light. When the plagues actually appeared, heno longer held to the explanation published in1883, before they appeared, and so stated onmany occasions.Go your ways, and pour out the SEVEN vialsof the wrath of God upon the earth.— In theprefaces to the several volumes of ScriptureStudies such expressions abound as "I send forththis volume with prayers," "and now it is sentforth in the faith." etc., etc.16:2. And the first went, and poured out hisvial [upon] INTO the earth.— Volume I wasdistributed among those already under religiousrestraint.And there fell a [noisome and] grievous ANDNOISOME sore.— The book seemed toecclesiastics like an evil and malignant ulcer, a

painful, running sore, which eats, corrupts anddestroys.Upon the men which had the mark of thebeast.— Roman Catholics.And upon them which worshipped hisimage.— Protestants affiliated with the FederalCouncil of Churches. Rev. 13:11; 13, 14, 15;14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.Another view of the book, from the standpoint ofthe clergy, is afforded by the plague of files (Ex.8:20-32.) It seemed to them like an old-timeEgyptian curse, with which they were quitefamiliar, namely, one more of the Evangelisticfirms already cursing society, and interferingwith the regular clergy business. "The Scripturaldetails are as follows: The arab filled the housesof the Egyptians, they covered the ground, theylighted on the people, the land was laid waste ontheir account. A biting, insidious creature, whichcomes like a dart, with great noise, and, rushingwith great impetuosityFM238on the skin, sticks to it most tenaciously. Theyboldly beset cattle, and not only obtain ichor, asother flies, but also suck out blood from beneath,and occasion great pain.They have no proboscis, but, instead, havedouble sets of teeth, like wasps, which they infixdeeply in the skin; they greatly infest the ears ofdogs. This genus is most impudentlypertinacious in its assaults, spares neither mannor beast, gorges itself to bursting with blood,infusing an irritating venom at the same time. Noidea can be formed of their obstinate rapacity. Itis in vain to drive them away; they return againin the self-same moment, and their perseverancewearies out the most patient spirit." (McC.)These flies, flying a short distance into theheavens, do their work around the dunghill ofhuman tradition, but the collections of one ofthem recently amounted to $400,000 in eightAmerican cities, so the business can be made amoney maker by those willing to cater to thedemand for sensationalism, and who have no

hesitancy in repeating ancient blasphemiesagainst God's holy name.These flies are called dog-flies, because theyinfest the ears of dogs; and when it isremembered that the Scriptures refer to theclergy as "dumb dogs" (Isa. 56:10, 11; Phil. 3:2)we can readily see the application. The clergy ofan entire city will sit on a platform, facingvirtually the whole population, and hearthemselves called liars, hypocrites, false-alarmsand other villainous names. But because theyhope to get a few "converts," and therefore a fewshekels for the "sanctuary," they will take it allmeekly, and prefer to take it rather than humblyadmit one item of truth in all Pastor Russell'sbeautiful writings. After the firm has left town,they frequently bemoan the treatment receivedand think longingly of the wherewithal taken bythe fly that was not satisfied with mere ichor, butwanted the real blood.At this point it may be well to explain theplagues of frogs and lice. The former seems torepresent the Old Theology Quarterly whichPharaoh found everywhere contaminating hiskingdom, but which, at the hand of the Lord,suddenly died out completely. The latter seemsto represent The Bible Students Monthly.There is no record that the plague of lice wasdiscontinued, and even yet the Egyptians (peopleof the world) and Pharaoh (the Devil) and hismagicians (the clergy) scratch their heads many atime, wondering how to deal with a plaguewhich they cannot duplicate.16:3. And the second [angel] poured out hisvial upon the sea.— Volume II, ScriptureStudies seemed to the beast and his image toreach and affect only the discontented,FM239those who never were very subservient to theruler of this present evil world, or any or hissystems.And it became as the blood of a dead man.—After death the blood separates Into a watery

liquid, called serum, and a solid substancetermed clot. As soon as this separation takesplace the clot begins to putrefy or corrupt. Thusit seemed to worshipers of the beast and hisimage that anybody that would accept theteachings of Volume II would be in a hopelesscondition.And every living soul died in the sea.— To theworshipers of the beast and his image it seemedas though such would be lost and would surelygo to hell to be tormented forever. An"evangelist" who held these views called at thehome of a lady in Scranton. Entering the hall hesaw an elegant picture of Pastor Russell.Instantly he lost control of what mind he had andvehemently said, "I called here as a Christianminister, but I see you have old Russell's picturehere. Are you a follower of his?" The ladyreplied that she was. He then said, "He is in hell,and you will be there too, if you follow him."Quick as thought the lady reopened the doorthrough which he had just entered, invited him tothe porch overlooking the valley; and as he stoodthere gazing into space she said, "Tell it to theatmosphere," and left him while she attended tomore important duties.Another picture of the effect of Volume II on theantitypical Egyptians may be seen from theplague of the murrain (Ex. 9:1-7.) "Thisconsisted in some distemper that resulted in asudden and dreadful mortality among the cattlein the field, including horses, asses, camels, oxenand sheep. It was, however, confined to theEgyptian cattle, and to those that were in thefield; for though the cattle of the Hebrewsbreathed the same air, drank the same water, andfed in the same pastures, not a creature of theirsdied. The Egyptian cattle that survived in thesheds, and were afterwards sent into the fields,were destroyed by the succeeding storm of fireand hail." (McC.)These creatures were valuable to the Egyptians.They used them for bearing their burdens, forsacrifices and for food. They represent theclasses that go to make up the nominal church

and support it. Thus it seemed to the worshippersof the Beast and his Image that the only way toprevent the loss of all their live stock would be tokeep them securely impounded, allowing themno liberty whatever.Revelation 16:4.And the third [angel] poured out his vial uponthe rivers and fountains of waters.— It seemedto the worshippers of the beast and his imagethat the teachings ofFM240Volume III of the Scripture Studies hadcontaminated the Scriptures, the Waters of Life,at their very source, by extending the call topeople to come out of Babylon while they werebusy trying to get people in.And they became blood.— Seemed repulsive,undesirable, bloody.— Z.'O7-279; Ex. 7:20; Rev.14:20.Another view of how Volume III appears to theworshipers of the beast and his image is shownby the plague or boils described in Ex. 9:8-12."The boil was a scab or pustule, which might ormight not break out into an ulcerous sore (Lev.13:18). With this, in one of its worst forms, Jobwas afflicted (2:7), and by this Hezekiah wasbrought to the verge of the grave. (2 Kings 20:7;Isa. 38:21.) It was an eruption of a very painfulkind accompanied with a burning itch, tending toproduce a permanent state of foul and wastefuldisease. One form of this disease which seizedupon the legs and knees, and was regarded asincurable, was peculiar to Egypt, and was hencecalled ‘the botch of Egypt.' (Deut. 28:27, 35.) Inthe case before us, this eruption had a tendencyto break out into larger swellings and becameprobably the disease called elephantiasis, adisease said to be peculiar to Egypt, or the blackleprosy, a disease which also affects cattle."(McC.)It was "ashes of the furnace," loyalty to thememory of the bullock, the one perfect Sacrificefor all, Christ Jesus, that caused the boils; and it

is particularly noted that the magicians (clergy)could not withstand this plague, the message,"Come out of her, My People."Revelation 16:5.And I heard the angel of the waters.—Volume III. Scripture Studies.Say, thou art righteous, [O Lord] which art,and wast.— See Rev. 1:4; 15:3; 19:2.[And shalt be], THE HOLY.— The Lord, theHoly One, was present, at the time Volume IIIwas written.Because Thou hast judged thus.— Made thebeautiful Harvest truths appear "bloody" to thosenot consecrated.Revelation 16:6For they have shed the blood of saints andprophets.— Literally and figuratively.— Matt.23:34, 35; Rev. 13:15; 18:20.And thou hast given them blood to drink;[for] THAT WHEREOF they are worthy.—See Rev. 14:20; Isa. 49:26.Revelation 16:7.And I heard [another out of] the altar.— The"Altar to the Lord in the midst of the land ofEgypt" (Isa. 19;19) at the time these plagues arebeing poured out upon the antitypical Egyptians,is the Great Pyramid, discussed in a separatesection of Volume III.[Say] Saying Even so, Lord God Almighty.—The Lord Jesus.— Rev. 1:8; John 5:22; Matt.28:18.FM241True and righteous are Thy judgments.— Theteaching of the Great Pyramid is in full accordwith the rest of the book. See Rev. 14:15. "It isby no means an addition to the writtenrevelation: that revelation is complete andperfect, and needs no addition. But it is a strongcorroborative witness to God's Plan. "Isaiahtestifies of an altar and pillar in the land ofEgypt, which ‘shall be for a sign and for a

witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land ofEgypt.' And the context shows that it shall be awitness in the day when the great Savior andDeliverer shall come to set at liberty Sin'scaptives."— C315.Revelation 16:8.And the fourth angel poured out his vial uponthe sun.— Volume IV of Scripture Studies, assoon as published, was sent free to all clergywhose names could be obtained. They are taught,and teach others, that they are importantluminaries in the heavens, suns, rivaling inbrilliancy and wisdom the Lord Himself, whoseplace they take in the minds of the people, bysetting forth their own views on every subject,rather than the Lord's Word. Volume IV, then,sent to this class, and calling attention toBabylon's fall, seemed to them as the height ofall presumption in wickedness.And power was given unto him to scorchmen.— Greek "The Men," i. e., the worshipersof the beast and his image.With fire.— Perhaps some of the clergy becamea trifle warm as they read Volume IV, as theirlater conduct seems to suggest. Why they shouldhave disliked Pastor Russell when he told thetruth, and proved it, is remarkable.And men.— Greek "The Men;" the clergy. InRev. 8:9 the clergy are not so honored.Were scorched with great heat.— Becamewarm, indignant at the Pastor's kindlyexplanation of the whore and the harlots, and theplainly evident application to the Papacy and theProtestant sects.And blasphemed the name of God, which hathpower over these plagues.— Misrepresentedthe name and character of the mighty one, PastorRussell, to whom the Lord committed the task ofpresenting to His Church this meat in dueseason. This misrepresentation burst like a stormafter the publication of Volume IV, Studies, andcontinued until the Pastor's death, yea, andshame to say it, even afterwards, in the columns

of such sheets as the New York World and theBrooklyn Eagle. What monuments of infamythese people have reared for themselves! Theyrichly deserve all they will get when the tideturns.And they repented not to give Him glory.—"One great obstacle to many is the contractedidea generally entertained of the meaning of theword god. They fail to noteFM242that the Greek theos (god) does not invariablyrefer to Jehovah, but signifies a mighty one. Inthe following texts the word god (theos) is usedto refer to others than the one supreme being,Jehovah— viz.: — John 10:34. 35; Acts 7:40,43; 17:23; 1 Cor. 8:5."— B274.Another view of how the publication of VolumeIV looks to the worshipers of the beast and hisimage is shown in the plague of hail, describedin Ex. 9:13-26. "The character of this and thefollowing plagues must be carefully examined,as the warning seems to indicate an importantturning-point. The ruin caused by the hail, wasevidently far greater than that effected by any ofthe earlier plagues; for it destroyed men, whichthose others seem not to have done, and not onlymen, but beasts and the produce of the earth. Inthis case Moses, while addressing Pharaoh,openly warns hie servants how to savesomething from the calamity. Pharaoh for thefirst time acknowledges his wickedness." (McC.)The appropriateness of these comments to thesubject matter of "The Day of Vengeance," or"The Battle of Armageddon", (as it is nowcalled) as the latter would appear to the mind ofthe clergy, is self-evident. Your true clergymanhas the greatest abhorrence for any truth thatwould tend to lessen men's reverence for himselfor the systems which he aims to perpetuate.Revelation 16:10.And the fifth [angel].— Volume V, of Studies.Poured out his vial upon the seat of the east.—Thoroughly and scripturally analyzing the

subjects of trinity, human immortality andeternal torment, the foundation of all Papaldoctrine, as well as constituting a large part ofthe stock in trade of the Protestant aggregation.And his kingdom was full of darkness.—Complete ignorance of the truths on thesesubjects as taught in the Bible.And they gnawed their tongues for pain.—"Note the expression of Rev. Samuel T. Carter ina Presbyterian journal— The Evangelist. Hesays: ‘It must be admitted that if a Church ishonest, that which stands in its Confession is itsfaith. It must be acknowledged that what iscontained in its Confession is the faith of anyhonest church. The Westminster Confession ofFaith is still the unquestioned Confession of thePresbyterian Church. Is the Presbyterian Churchhonest in its zeal for purity first and peaceafterward? Be it known, then, to all the worldthat the Presbyterian Church by its Confessiondeclares that all the heathen perish, that manymen are hopelessly lost from all eternity by thedecree of God, and that there are infants in hell.. . . In reality the church does not believe thesedreadful doctrines. Then it stands before Godand man with a lie in its right hand.' "— Z.'00-148.FM243Revelation 16:11.And blasphemed the God of Heaven.— "Intoken of entire allegiance to the beast."— Cook.Because of their pains [and their sores], andrepented not [of their deeds].— "Thecommotion amongst Presbyterians continues—some standing firm for their church creed, othersrepudiating it and begging to be released from it.Many thus indirectly confess that they havedespised it for years, and have realized it to be alie and a blasphemy against God, and afterconfessing to this acting and confessing a lie foryears they beg to be released without cost or losseither of human or Divine favor, and especiallywithout loss of bread and butter." (Z.'00-148.)The way in which Volume V, Scripture Studies,

appeared to the worshipers of the beast and hisimage is further illustrated in the plague oflocusts, described in Ex. 10:1-11. "This plaguehas not the unusual nature of the one thatpreceded it; but it even exceeds it in severity, andso occupies its place in the gradation of the moreterrible judgments that form the latter part of theseries. Its severity can be well understood bythose who have been in Egypt in a part of thecountry where a plague of locusts has alighted.In this case the plague was greater than anyordinary visitation, since it extended over a farwider space, rather than because it was moreintense; for it is impossible to imagine any morecomplete destruction than that always caused bylocusts." (McC)With what dismay must the clergy have read thekind words for volume V, which appeared in thecolumns of the secular press.Revelation 16:12And the sixth [angel].— Volume VI of Studiesin the Scriptures.Poured out his vial upon the great RiverEuphrates.— Seemed to the worshipers of thebeast and his image to be instituting a new andhorrible thing, a people's church, in which thereis no place for clergy, collections, churchedifices, reverence for one day above another, orin fact any of the customs cherished in thenominal church.And the water thereof was dried up.— "LiteralBabylon was built upon the literal riverEuphrates, while in the Gospel age mystic orfigurative Babylon, which carried away captiveSpiritual Israel, is portrayed as sitting upon themystic Euphrates. In the type, the golden vesselsof the Temple were carried away and profanedby literal Babylon: in the antitype, the precious,Divine (golden) truths, pertaining to the serviceof the true Temple, the Church (1 Cor. 3:16, 17;Rev. 3:12), were far removed from their properplaces, perverted and misapplied by mysticBabylon. Literal Babylon being built upon the

iver Euphrates, which materially contributed toits wealthFM244and resources, its overthrow was accomplishedby the turning aside of those waters. So mysticBabylon sits upon, is supported by, many waters(peoples, nations), and its fall is predicted,through the turning aside of its supporters andsustainers, the people." (B209; Jer. 50:38,51:36.)"Ecclesiastical circles in Germany are muchexercised at the rapidly increasing desertionsfrom the State Church. Although the process ofofficial separation from the Church is one of thegreatest difficulty, delay and expense, it iscomputed that in Berlin alone considerably over10,000 persons have severed their connectionwith the Church during the past year. So great isthe number of those who are notifying theirintention to terminate their membership thatspecial offices have been opened in Berlin toreceive their applications, which now numberbetween 300 and 400 dally. Among the workingclasses, especially those attached to the SocialDemocratic party, there exists a bitter hostility tothe clergy."— Z.'09-83."A program for a general strike against theChurch is the latest plan of action. The ‘No-Creeders' (Monists) in league with the Socialists,convened mass meetings in Berlin, Brunswickand Saxony, in which every means of incitationwas employed in an appeal toward a secessionfrom the State Church. At these meetings over1,300 persons signed a declaration announcingtheir intention to secede from the Church. Fourthousand more followed, and according tojudicial court-records received towards the endof December, 17,000 secessions tookplace in December up to the 23d, and the dayafter Christmas 8,000 more announced theirintention. The following press reports may serveas a typical illustration of the mode of procedurein such meetings. ‘Without exception, every onewho even by vague allusion, ventured to take a

stand for his Church was howled down, hissedfrom the rostrum and subjected to filthyinvectives. To illustrate: When a ministerascended the platform, the following was heard,‘He looks it!' ‘Old Sky-pilot!' And from anotherpart of the hall the same evening we heard thefollowing words aimed at the ministers:‘Damned Rags!' ‘Pig-priests!' A gentleman whointerrupted was yelled at, ‘Rous mit theParsonface!' "— Z.'14-133."Reports in Great Britain show that Baptists,Congregationalists and the various Methodistdenominations there are declining in numbersand prestige. The cause of this is not far to see.Christianity has become merely another name fordecency and civilization. All doctrines areabandoned as merely speculations. Churches arebecoming merely social clubs in which form andceremony mark theFM245quality. This accounts for the growingunpopularity of those sects which once stood forthe highest standards of earnestness andChristian zeal and liberty, non-conformity andsimplicity." (Z.'10-324.)"The pastor of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church,New York City, Rev. Dr. Charles F. Aked, whocame to its direction from a London pulpit, in hissermon Sunday said: ‘When I interview myparishioners, and they are among the mostrepresentative in the city, I find the spirit ofreligious depression very unlike the spirit ofabounding enterprise in business, inmanufacturing, in engineering and construction.There are about 16,000,000 Catholics incontinental United States. Now, in ourimmigration for ninety years back, no less than15,000,000 were Catholics. If all remained loyalto its tenets they would number 45,000,000 nowinstead of 16,000,000. The Protestants have lostground, too, when the filling up of the country iscounted. Our own denomination, the Baptists,reflects the general trend. The increase amongthe Baptists of America has been equal to onlyone-fourth of the birth rate among us, proving

that three out of four of our Baptist populationhave fallen away from us. The decline ofChristianity is universal."In England, in France, in Spain, Italy andGermany we hear the same cry. Only lately I wastalking to an English clergyman. He told me thatnot merely is there a great falling off in churchgoersin England, but that the class of peoplewho frequent churches are becoming inferior."The church is out of touch with the masses.Everything has progressed except Christianity.The pulpit has too many bigots, too many bores,too many hell-fire screechers for the enlightenedthought of the day. The church is obliged toaccept any applicant for the ministry who isrespectable. Even with this latitude. Baptist,Presbyterian and Methodist vocations show aremarkable falling off in twenty-five years.' "(Z.'08-324.)"Rev. Charles A. Eaton at the Euclid AvenueBaptist Church, Cleveland, spoke as follows: ‘InItaly one-third of the people at the very outside,are more or less nominal followers of the Churchof Rome; another third, possibly, are more orless sympathetic toward the Church; whileanother third are out and out continually andcompletely antagonistic, apparently, not only tothe Church of Rome, but to all forms ofChristianity. You enter France—the same storyis true, only aggravated and multiplied athousand fold. You enter Great Britain, which Iconsider to be the last citadel of Christianity inthe world, with a people more robust and sane intheir religious interests and sympathies than anyother people. And what is the condition there?The non-FM246conformist churches of Great Britain last yearnot only made no progress, but met, according totheir statistics, with an absolute loss of 18,000;the Baptist Church of Great Britain last year lost5,000 people. In the year 1905 there were nearly7,000 Presbyterian, Congregationalist andMethodist churches that had not one single

member unite with them in twelve months. In arecent year in New York city, according to thestatement of Dr. Aked, of the Firth AvenueBaptist Church, 335 Protestant churches reporteda net gain that year of 386 members. That is tosay 335 churches gained one member apiece andfifty of them gained two in twelve months.Brethren, I say to you this morning, that theAmerican Church is dying— it is dying! It isdying! Don't forget it.' " (Z.'08-211.)"A declaration by the Rev. Dr. Charles E.McClellan, pastor of the Fairhill Baptist Church,that ‘Protestantism in the United States is fastdecaying and will soon be a thing of the past,'aroused a storm at the fifty-third session of theNorth Philadelphia Baptist Association. DoctorMcClellan spoke on what he called the decline ofProtestantism while making his report aschairman of the missionary committee. ‘Thespirit of Protestantism is dying in the UnitedStates, and it will soon be a thing of the past,' hesaid. ‘Philadelphia, both denominationally andreligiously, is going to perdition at a rapid rate.Recently I attended the services in one of ourchurches, at which I had been invited to speak. Ifound in attendance nineteen adults and onechild. The same condition exists all over the city.We have large, magnificent churches, but smallcongregations, showing that it is easy to getmoney, but hard to get men.' "— Z.'10-373.That the way of the kings of the east might beprepared.— "He must be comparatively blindwho cannot see that the wonderful prophecieswhich speak of the fall of Babylon (Isa. 14:22;Jer. 50 and 51) were not wholly fulfilled byCyrus the Persian. Much of the prophecy stillwaits for fulfillment in mystic or symbolicBabylon today. The Kings of the East, or kingsfrom the sunrising are, we understand, the kingsof Christ's Kingdom, who are also priests— theBody of Christ, the Royal Priesthood. ‘Thou hastmade us-unto our God kings and priests, and weshall reign on the earth.' From this standpoint,Cyrus, who with his army, overthrew literalBabylon, was a figure or illustration of Messiah,

King of kings and Lord of lords. (Isa. 41:25;44:28; 45:1-14.)"— Z.'99.174; Rev. 7:2.Revelation 16:13.And I saw three unclean spirits.— Denotingdemoniacal origin. (Matt. 10:1; Mark 1:26; Luke4:33.) "The Lord's people must discriminatebetween doctrinesFM247presented to them as truth— they must ‘try thespirits,' whether they be holy or evil, of God orof the Evil One— the Spirit of Truth or the spiritof error. These both are introduced by prophets,or teachers."— E320, 295.[Like] AS IT WERE frogs.— Frogs. aregarrulous, have a very wise look, large mouths,are much puffed up and utter only croakings. Inthe "distress of nations with perplexity" whichhas come upon Christendom as a result of hersins, the croakings of the wise now fill the aireverywhere. Actually all knees are "weak aswater."— Ezek. 7:17; 21:7. See especially D i-xvi.Come out of the mouth of the dragon.— Thethree fundamental truths of history are man'sFalls, Redemption and Restoration. Stated inother language these three truths are the mortalnature of man, the Christ of God and HisMillennial Kingdom. Standing opposite to theseSatan has placed three great untruths, humanimmortality, the Antichrist and a certain delusionwhich is best described by the word Patriotism,but which is in reality murder, the spirit of thevery Devil. It is this last and crowning feature ofSatan's work that is mentioned first. The othertwo errors are the direct cause of this one. Thewars of the Old Testament were all intended toillustrate the battlings of the New Creatureagainst the weaknesses of the flesh, and are notin any sense of the word justification for thehuman butchery which has turned the earth into aslaughter-house. Nowhere in the New Testamentis Patriotism (a narrow-minded hatred of otherpeoples) encouraged. Everywhere and alwaysmurder in its every form is forbidden; and yet,

under the guise of Patriotism the civilgovernments of earth demand of peace-lovingmen the sacrifice of themselves and their lovedones and the butchery of their fellows, and hail itas a duty demanded by the laws of heaven."Everybody of importance in the early years ofthe twentieth century was an ardent champion ofpeace. A crowd of royal peacemakers in a worldsurcharged with thoughts and threats of war, aband of lovers strolling down an avenue whichthey themselves had lined with lyddite shells andtwelve-inch guns. Prince Bulow, Sir HenryCampbell-Bannermann, Mr. H.H. Asquith, Mr.John Hay, and Mr. Elihu Root, pacific in temper,eloquent in their advocacy of the cause ofinternational good will, were a galaxy of peacelovingstatesman under a sky black with thethunder-clouds of war. English and Germanpapers were discussing invasions, and the needof increased armaments, at the very time thattwenty thousand Germans in Berlin wereapplauding to the echo the friendly greetingsFM248of a company of English visitors. While tenthousand boys and girls in Tokyo were singingloving greetings to our naval officers, there weremen in the United States rushing from city tocity urging the people to prepare for anAmerican-Japanese war. After each new peaceconference there was a fresh cry for more guns.While the Palace of Peace at The Hague wasbuilding, nations hailed the advent of the airshipas a glorious invention, because of the service itcould render to the cause of war. The fountainsfrom which there flowed these dark and swollenstreams of war rumor were all located within themilitary and naval encampments. It was theexperts of the army and navy who were alwaysshivering at some new peril, and painting sombrepictures of what would happen in case newregiments were not added to the army andadditional battleships were not voted for thefleet. It was in this way that legislative bodiescame to think that possibly the country wasreally in danger; and looking round for a ground

on which to justify new expenditures for warmaterial, they seized upon an ancient paganmaxim— furnished by the military experts— "Ifyou wish peace, prepare for war.' No guns wereasked for to kill men with— guns were mountedas safeguards of the peace. No battleships werelaunched to fight with— they were preservers ofthe peace. Colossal armies and gigantic navieswere exhibited as a nation's ornaments—beautiful tokens of its love of peace. Theexpenditure crushed the poorest of the nationsand crippled the richest of them, but the burdenwas gladly borne for the cause.The most virulent and devastating disease ofhumanity now raging on the earth is militarism.There are demon suggestions which obtain sofirm a grip upon the mind that it is difficult tobanish them. The naval experts of Germany aredragging the German Empire ever deeper intodebt, unabashed by the ominous mutterings of acoming storm. The naval experts of England goright on launching Dreadnaughts, while thenumber of British paupers grows larger with theyears, and all British problems becomeincreasingly baffling and alarming. The navalexperts of Russia plan for a new billion-dollarnavy, notwithstanding Russia's national debt isfour and one-quarter billion dollars, and to payher current expenses she is compelled to borrowseventy-five million dollars every year. Withmillions of her people on the verge of starvation,and beggars swarming through the street or hercities and round the stations of her railways, thenaval experts go on asking new appropriationsfor guns and military equipment.FM249"Like many another fever, militarism grows bywhat it feeds on, and unless checked by heroicmeasures is certain to burn the patient up. Bereftof reason are the nations by Satan's ingeniousand terrible final beclouding of the minds ofmen."The militarist is comic in his seriousness. Hesays that if you want to keep the peace you mustprepare for war, and yet he knows that where

men prepare for war by carrying bowie knives,peace is a thing unheard of, and that where everyman is armed with a revolver, the list ofhomicides is longest. Like many other diseases,militarism is contagious. One nation can beinfected by another until there is an epidemicround the world. Is it possible, some one asks,for a world to become insane? That a communitycan become crazy was proven by Salem, in thedays of the witchcraft delusion; that a city canlose its head was demonstrated by London, at thetime of the Gunpowder Plot; that a continent canbecome the victim of an hallucination wasshown when Europe lost its desire to live, andwaited for the end of the world in the year 1000.Why should it be counted incredible that manynations, bound together by steam and electricity,should fall under the spell of a delusion, andshould act for a season like a man who has gonemad?"All the great nations are today facing deficits,caused in every case by the military and navalexperts."Everything in Germany, Italy, Austria, Englandand Russia is held back by the confiscation ofthe proceeds of industry carried on for thesupport of the army and navy. In the UnitedStates the development of our resources ischecked by this same fatal policy. We havemillions of acres of desert land to be irrigated,millions of acres of swamp land to be drained,thousands of miles of inland waterways to beimproved, harbors to be deepened, canals to bedug, and forests to be safeguarded, and yet for allthese works of cardinal importance we can affordonly a pittance. We have not sufficient money topay decent salaries to our United States judges,or to the men who represent us abroad. We havepests, implacable and terrible, like the gypsymoth, and plagues like tuberculosis, for whoseextermination millions of money are needed atonce."— C. E. Jefferson, American Associationfor International Conciliation.— Z.'09-179.The first expenditure of the United StatesGovernment ($7,000,000,000), upon entering the

world war, was 27% in excess of value of all thecrops harvested in the United States in thebanner year of its history. This amount wouldgridiron the country with macadam roads sixmilesFM250apart, east and west, north and south. It is doublethe capital and surplus of every bank in thecountry. It is equal to our entire cost foreducation, from kindergarten to university, forten years."War is in open and utter violation ofChristianity. If war is right, then Christianity iswrong, false, a lie. If Christianity is right, thenwar is wrong, false, a lie. The God revealed byJesus, and by every spiritual leader of the race, isno God of battles. He lifts no sword— He asksno sacrifice of human blood. His spirit is love,His rule is peace, His method of persuasion isforgiveness. His law, as interpreted andpromulgated by the Nazarene, is ‘love oneanother,' ‘resist not evil with evil,' ‘forgiveseventy times seven,' ‘overcome evil with good.'‘love your enemies, bless them that curse you, dogood to them that hate you, pray for them whichdespitefully use you and persecute you.' Such aGod and such a law, others may reconcile withwar, if they can. I cannot; and what I cannot do, Iwill not profess to do. But I must go farther— Imust speak not only of war in general, but of thiswar in particular. Most persons are quite ready toagree, especially in the piping times of peace,that war is wrong. But let a war cloud no biggerthan a man's hand appear on the horizon of thenation's life, and they straightway begin toqualify their judgment; and if the war cloudgrows until it covers all the heavens, they finallyreverse it.This brings about the curious situation of all warbeing wrong in general, and each war being rightin particular.Germans denounce war, with the exception ofcourse of the present conflict with England.Englishmen condemn war, but exclude from

their indictment the present fight against thecentral Empires. If you tell me that this war isfought for the integrity of international law, Imust ask you why it is directed only againstGermany and not also against England, which isan equal, although far less terrible, violator ofcovenants between nations? If you say it isfought on behalf of the rights of neutrals, I mustask you where, when and by what belligerent therights of neutrals have been conserved in thiswar, and what guarantee you can offer that, afterall our expenditure of blood and money for theirdefense, these rights will not be similarlyviolated all over again in the next war by anynation which is battling for its life? If you saythat it is fought for the security of Americanproperty and lives, I must ask you how and towhat extent it will be safer for our citizens tocross the seas after the declaration of war than itwas before? If you say that it is fought invindicationFM251of our national honor, I must ask you why noharm has come to the honor of others nations,such as Holland and Scandinavia, for example,which have suffered even more than we, butwhich, for prudential reasons, refuse to take uparms? If you say it is a war of defense againstwanton and intolerable aggression, I must replythat every blow which we have endured has beenprimarily a blow directed not against ourselvesbut against England, and that it has yet to beproved that Germany has any intention or desireof attacking us. If you say that this war is a lifeand-deathstruggle for the preservation ofcivilization against barbarism, I must ask youwhy we remained neutral when Belgium wasraped, and were at last aroused to action, not bythe cries of the stricken abroad, but by our ownlosses in men and money? If you say that thiswar is a last resort in a situation which everyother method, patiently tried, has failed to meet, Imust answer that this is not true— that otherways and means of action, tried by experienceand justified by success, have been laid beforethe administration and willfully rejected.

"In its ultimate causes, this war is the naturalproduct of our unchristian civilization. Its armedmen are grown from the dragon's teeth of secretdiplomacy, imperialistic ambition, dynasticpride, greedy commercialism, economicexploitation at home and abroad. In the sowingof these teeth, America has had her part; and it istherefore only proper, perhaps, that she shouldhave her part also in the reaping of the dreadfulharvest. In its more immediate causes, this war isthe direct result of unwarrantable, cruel, but nonethe less inevitable interference with ourcommercial relations with one group of thebelligerents. Our participation in the war,therefore, like the war itself, is political andeconomic, note ethical, in its character. Anyhonor, dignity, or beauty which there may be inour impending action, is to be found in theimpulses, pure and undefiled, which areactuating many patriotic hearts today, and not atall in the real facts of the situation. The war itselfis wrong.Its prosecution will be a crime. There is not aquestion raised, an issue involved, a cause atstake, which is worth the life of one blue-jacketon the sea or one khaki-coat in the trenches."—Rev. John Hayes Holmes, Church of theMessiah, Park Ave. and 34th St., New YorkCity.And out of the mouth of the beast.— TheAntichrist doctrine of the Divine right of theclergy was the direct cause of the great war. Thisfrog has been coming out of the mouth of thePapal beast for sixteen centuries. "The GermanKaiser's reported proclamation to his army inFM252Poland reads: ‘Remember you (my army) areGod's elect. God's spirit has descended on mebecause I am Emperor of Germany. I amJehovah's sword, His representative, theinstrument of the Most High. Woe and death beto those who resist my will! and to all who donot believe my mission, and to cowards in myarmy! The enemies of the German people shallperish. God demands their destruction. He it is

who through me commands you to fulfill Hiswill!'These false doctrines of the Dark Ages arebearing a terrible fruitage in the present war.Similarly the teaching of eternal torment,misrepresenting and blaspheming God'scharacter, is bearing an evil fruitage. Millions ofpeople are being turned away from faith in a Godof Love and from faith in the Bible as HisMessage by the most monstrous blasphemies ofthe Dark Ages. I charge the responsibility of allthis against the sects and creeds of Christendom.I charge that the ministers, whose eyes are nowopen to a saner comprehension, have neglectedthe Bible, have neglected the people, and insteadof helping them out of the darkness, are nowleading them into darkness in an oppositedirection— into Evolution and Higher Criticismand everything contrary to the Word of God.God is still misrepresented in the world. Thecreeds of the Dark Ages are still hugged to thebosom in outward pretense, while inwardly theyare loathed. A great fraud, a great hypocrisy, yousay? I answer, Yes; the most astounding theworld has ever known. Two hundred thousandprofessed ministers of God and of Christ arestanding before the world today telling thelegends of the Dark Ages and seeking to hinderthe people from coming to a knowledge of theTruth, meanwhile receiving the people's moneyand reverence. Does not such hypocrisy, suchblasphemy against God, such deception of thepeople, such keeping of them in darkness,deserve a great punishment, and is it notnigh?"— B. S. M."In all the warring countries the professedministers of Christ are acting as recruitingagents. All kinds of arguments are used topersuade the young men of the country, contraryto the teachings of the Master. The same menwho are accustomed to laugh at the declarationthat the Turkish soldiers in former wars werepromised, in the event of death, a sure passportto Heavenly Paradise— these same ministers arenow urging all the eligible with whom they haveinfluence to prepare to go to battle to lay down

their lives. While the Germans have on everybattle flag and upon their soldiers' belts, ‘Godwith us,' the British ministers are quoting Bibletexts to encourage enlistment of their young menand to throw a halo ofFM253glory upon their soldier dead." (Z.'16-267.) "Theclergy are finding themselves in a tight place.They are expected to be faithful to their country,right or wrong. They are expected to preach theWar as the will of God and the going to war as ameritorious matter that will have Divine rewardand blessing. They must encourage recruiting, inobedience to the commands of their earthly king,and in violation of the commands of theHeavenly King, who has directed them to bepeacemakers, and to follow peace with all menand do no murder, either under legal sanction orotherwise." (Z.'15-267.)"Recently in Canada the Editor was astoundedby the activity of the preachers there—especially those of the Church of England. Onewas out in khaki uniform marching through thestreets with the volunteers. Asked by a collegefriend, ‘Did I see you in the ranks?' he answered,‘Yes. I wanted to encourage the boys.' ‘And didyou think of going to the front, to the trenches?'‘Not a bit of it!' He was merely acting as a decoyto get others to the front; just as a bull whichthey have at one of the Chicago stockyards,meets the animals about to be slaughtered and,tossing his head in the air, becomes their leaderup the gangway leading to the slaughter. Therehe knows his little niche, into which he glidesand is sheltered; while the others drive and pressone another forward to the slaughter."— Z.'15-259.And out of the mouth of the false prophet.—The one cardinal error upon which all protestant(false prophet) sects agree is the doctrine ofhuman immortality, the original lie told in Eden(Gen. 2:17; 3:4). In speaking of it our Lord says,"When he speaketh the lie, he speaketh of hisown." (John 8:44, Diaglott.)

Speaking of it again, the Apostle Paul says, ofthe worshipers of the beast and his image, "Theyadmitted not the love of the Truth that theymight be saved. And on this account God willsend to them an energy of delusion, to theirbelieving the falsehood." (2 Thee. 2:10, 11.)In each case the Greek gives the definite article.The frog issuing from the false prophet (theimage of the beast) is the doctrine of humanimmortality. These deluded souls actuallybelieve this error, and will be able to prove it tothe satisfaction of the dragon, without a doubt.This error lies at the bottom of the doctrines ofeternal torment and of the trinity. There is a hintin 1 John 4:1-3 that the cardinal error on whichthe false prophet will insist is that when Jesuscame from the Father He was more than flesh, i.e., had at least an immortal soul.— Rev. 13:11,13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:10;Matt. 24:24.FM254Revelation 16:14.For they are the spirits of devils— See Eph.6:12. "We are naturally led by the analogy of theinfluence of evil spirits as described in theGospels to compare the effect produced by thedemons referred to in this verse, with theinstances of possession of which we readelsewhere in the New Testament."— Cook.Working miracles.— It is very possible that thestrongest "proof" of the immortality of man willyet be obtained by the false prophet throughmaterializations of evil spirits, perhaps first atpreachers' meetings, and afterwards in public.We will wait and see. Meantime: the mentalinvasions indicated in Rev. 7:3 and 2 Thess, 2:11will surely come, whether the physicalmaterializations come or not.— Rev. 13:13, l4."The newspapers far and near are publishing thefollowing item: ‘Fred K Foskett, a youngmachinist of Orange, Mass., has attracted theattention of Prof James, of Harvard, and other

leading members of the Boston branch of theAmerican Society of Psychical Research, whogave him tests recently. Foskett poured a quart ofalcohol into the basin, lighted it and then washedhis hands, bathing them ‘for nearly ten minutesin the burning fluid, washing it up over his armsand to his face— literally bathing himself inblazing alcohol. As soon as they were finishedthe physicians present examined Foskett, andthey could not find the slightest trace of a burn orblister.Foskett then told them that the flames did notgive him the slightest sensation of burning, thathe felt comfortably warm and pleasant, andnothing more. The second tests were made at thehome of Prof. James in Cambridge. A scientistwho was there said that Foskett performed all ofhis experiments of the day before, and then‘absolutely and positively dematerialized. Heseemed to dissolve into thin air as we watched,was gone forty-one seconds and thenmaterialized.'"— Z.'09-83; Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess,2:9.Which go forth unto the kings of the [earthand of the] whole world, to gather them to thebattle of [that] THE great Day of GodAlmighty.— Of which the present horribleEuropean war is only the preliminaryskirmish.— Rev. 17:14; 19:19."This battle, which will end with the completeoverthrow of earth's present rulership, is alreadycommenced. The gathering of the armies isplainly visible from the standpoint of God'sWord. The Sword of Truth, already sharpened, isto smite every evil system and custom— civil,social and ecclesiastical. The internal conflict isalready fomenting. It will ere long break forth asa consuming fire; and human systems, anderrors, which for centuriesFM255have fettered truth and oppressed the groaningcreation, must melt before it. Yes, truth— andwidespread and increasing knowledge of it— is

the Sword which is perplexing and wounding theheads over many countries." (Psa. 110:6; B101.)Not until great Babylon is utterly overthrownand her influence over the world broken— willthe great mass of mankind come to realize thetrue state of the case. Then they will see that thegreat trouble through which they will havepassed was that symbolically termed ‘The battleof the great Day of God Almighty;' that inproportion as they have aided error and wrong,they have been battling against the law andforces of the new Empire and the new Ruler ofearth; and that in proportion as their tongues, andpens, and hands, and influence, and means, wereused to support the right and the truth on anysubject, they had been to that extent fighting onthe Lord's side. And during all the trouble therewill be in the world those who will bear witnessto its cause, declaring the Lord's presence andthe setting up of His Kingdom which is inopposition to the powers of darkness to be thereal cause of the trouble and shaking and overturningof society.'— B141.Revelation 16:15.Behold, I come as a thief.— A thief comesunexpectedly, for the purpose of securing jewelsonly.— Mal. 3:17; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; Matt.24:42-44; 1 Thess, 5:2.Blessed is he that watcheth.— "Because notheedless, careless, indifferent servants of theKing, but faithful and earnest ones, the Watchersdiscern that there are three words or distinctlydifferent signification, used in respect to theLord's Second Advent; namely, parousia andepiphania and apokalupsis. Parousia is used inrespect to the earliest stage of the SecondAdvent, while apokalupsis relates to the sameAdvent later." (Z.'02-86.) "The Greek wordsapokalupsis and apokalupto signify revealment,uncovering, unveiling (as of a thing previouslypresent but hidden). The name of the last book ofthe Bible is from the same root— Apocalypse orRevelation."— Z.'02-92; 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7;Luke 17:29, 30.

And keepeth his garments.— Holds fast to hispledge of consecration even unto death.Lest he walk naked.— As the nominal churchesare doing even since-the war council atWashington, May 6, 1917.And they see his shame.— During theapokalupsis epoch now at hand. (Rev. 3:18.)"The exposure to the world that they lack whatconstitutes the Christian state.— Cook.— Matt.5:43, 44.Revelation 16:16.And [he] THEY gathered them together.—The three unclean spirits do the gathering.—Rev. 19:19.FM256Unto a place called in the Hebrew tongue[Armageddon] ARMAGEDON.— "The factthat St. John has employed a word (Har-Magedon), ‘The destruction of their troop.' notfound in connection with any locality orhistorical event, of itself points to a figurativeinterpretation. (Zech. 12:11.) Nor indeed are weto think of literal warfare." (Cook.)"The word ‘mountain' in the termArmageddon— 'Mountain of Megiddo'— seemsto have been used because Megiddo was in amountainous region, though the battles werefought in a valley adjacent. The meaning here is,that there would be, as it were, a decisive battlewhich would determine the question of theprevalence of true religion on the earth. What weare to expect as the fulfillment of this wouldseem to be, that there will be some mustering ofstrength— some rallying of forces— someopposition made to the Kingdom of God in thegospel by the powers here referred to whichwould be decisive in its character." (Barnes.)Another view of Volume VI, Scripture Studies,as it appeared to the worshipers of the beast andhis image, may be had in the plague of darknessupon the Egyptians described in Ex. 10:21-29.The three days of terrible darkness over the landof Egypt represent the three years of the great

war, and indicate its close shortly after thepublication of this final witness of the Church.While this plague was still in progress, Mosessaid to Pharaoh, "I will see thy face again nomore." It is even so; Pastor Russell passedforever out of reach of the antitypical Pharaoh,Satan, in the fall of 1916. But in steadfast beliefthat "his works do follow him," we hold that hesupervises, by the Lord's arrangement, the workyet to be done. See Rev. 16:1.Revelation 16:17.And the seventh [angel].— Volume VII,Scripture Studies.Poured out his vial [into] UPON the air.—Seemed to the clergy to be directed against theruling powers. "The terrors of the revelation ofChrist will thus appear spread out over theUniverse."— Cook.And there came a great voice.— An earnestand vigorous setting forth of this prophecy andthat of Ezekiel.Out of the Temple of [Heaven, from theThrone,] GOD.— The true Church.Saying, it is done.— See title of this book.—Ezek. 9:11.Revelation 16:18.And there were [voices, and] thunders.—Seven of them— indicating wide-spread interestin the Scripture Studies. There will probably alsobe some thundering by the esteemed clergy. If inthe past they had thundered less and lightenedmore, the world would not be in its presentpredicament.— Rev. 8:5.FM257And lightnings.— A good lighting up of thedark places of the ecclesiastical firmament.AND VOICES.— The "voices" of the GreatCompany, who, after the Little Flock have gonebeyond, will display unparalleled energy andfaithfulness amid unparalleled difficulty.— Rev.11:15; 8:5.

And there was a great earthquake.— Socialrevolution. The same mentioned in Rev. 8:5;11:19 and 1 Kings 19:11, 12, following the War.Such as was not since men were upon theearth.— Worldwide socialism, anunprecedented and sure-to-fall experiment ingovernment.So mighty an earthquake, and so great.— Thefollowing is from an address given to theChicago Bankers Club in December, 1916, byFrank A. Vanderlip, president of the NationalCity Bank of New York."State socialism in Europe may developproblems, the like of which never concerned ourminds. We may have to meet collective buying,State aided industries, forms of governmentalcontrol of ocean borne commerce and novelfactors in international finance. There may comeout of the war changes in forms of governmentthat will have profound and worldwideinfluence."Revelation 16:19.And the great city was divided into threeparts.— Christendom is now divided into threeparts: Socialistic Russia, Imperial Teutonia, andthe Representative Governments of the West; butwe think a religious division is coming: TheGreek church, the Papacy and the False ProphetProtestant aggregation, all under papal control.Or the city of Rev. 14:20, may be meant.— 2Kings 2:10, 12, 15.And the [cities] CITY of the nations fell.—The reference is to Rome, the "city" mentionedin Rev. 17:18. By Rome is meant the Papacy. Allother kings have already drunk deeply of thewrath of God and Sheshach's turn has come.—Jer. 25:26; Rev. 14:8.And great Babylon came in remembrancebefore God.— "The fall of Babylon willastonish the entire world, so complete is theillusion that Christendom represents the Throneand Government of Messiah among men. And,be it remembered, the vast majority in all the

various sects and denominations of Christendomare worldly people who have no conceptionwhatever of the true Church and her cause. Theirambition is to approximate righteousness and aform of godliness, but no more than this seems tothem necessary, since they have not beenbegotten of the Holy Spirit and therefore cannotappreciate things from the divine standpoint."—Pastor Russell. See Rev. 18:5.FM258To give unto her the cup of the wine of thefierceness of [His] THE wrath.— The wine ofthe vine of the earth.— Rev. 14:17-20; Jer. 8:14;Isa. 51:17-20; Jer. 25:26-28; Rev. 18:6.FM16:20.And every island fled away.— Even therepublics will disappear in the fail of 1920.And the mountains were not found.— Everykingdom of earth will pass away, be swallowedup in anarchy.Revelation 16:21.And there fell upon men.— Greek "The Men,"the worshipers of the beast and his image, i. e.,the clergy.A great hail out of heaven.— Truth,compacted, coming with crushing force. Aconcluding statement of ‘how the seventhvolume of Scripture Studies appers to theworshipers of the beast and his image.— Rev.11:19; Isa. 28:17; 30:30; Ezek. 13:11; Joshua10:11.Every stone about the weight of a talent.—113 lbs. (Mal. 3:10.) Another view of theseventh volume of Scripture Studies, as itappears to the worshipers of the beast and hisimage, is found in the last of the Egyptianplagues, the death of the first-born, Exodus 11th.and 12th. chapters. As soon as this plague camethe Egyptians, from Pharaoh down, were anxiousto speed the parting guest, and willing to give upall the jewels of silver (the Great Company) and

the jewels of gold (the Little Flock). Inconnection with the statement that "there was nota house where there was not one dead," it isadmitted that if any sects were overlooked in thelists cited in comments on Rev. 8th and 9thchapters the omission was unintentional and willbe corrected in later editions.The three days in which Pharaoh's host pursuedthe Israelites into the wilderness represents thethree years from 1917 to 1920 at which time allof Pharaoh's messengers will be swallowed up inthe sea of anarchy. The wheels will come offtheir chariots— organizations.And men blasphemed God because of theplague of the hall.— Apparently, the book willbe unpopular for a time. "As soon as Divinerestraints upon Satan were released, he movedthe Sabeans to steal Job's cattle and to kill hisservants; he caused fire to come down fromheaven, which not only killed but burned upJob's flocks of sheep; he sent the Chaldeans whostole Job's camels, and finally produced acyclone which smote the house in which Job'schildren were feasting together, and destroyedthe house and killed its occupants; and heattacked Job's person with disease as soon asgranted permission. (Job. 1:9-2:7.)"— S80.For the plague thereof was exceeding great.—Quite a shower.FM259REVELATION 17THE PAPACY'S LAST STANDRevelation 17:1.And there came one of the seven angels.—Volume VII, Studies in the Scripture.Which had the seven vials,— An explanation ofthe plagues upon symbolic Babylon.And talked with me.— The John class, theChurch in the flesh.Saying [unto me] Come hither; I will shewunto thee.— In the 8th, 9th, 16th and 18th

chapters of Revelation, and throughout the Bookof Ezekiel.— Nahum 3:3, 4.The judgment of the great whore.— Papacy,the "beast."— Rev. 19:2.That sitteth upon many waters.— The peoplesof the earth.— Jer. 51:13; Rev. 17:15.Revelation 17:2.With whom the kings of the earth havecommitted fornication.— "The kingdoms ofEurope today claim to be Christian kingdoms,and announce that their sovereigns reign ‘by thegrace of God,' i. e., through appointment ofeither Papacy or some of the Protestant sects."—A268; Rev. 18:3; Isa. 1:21; Jer. 2:20-24; 3:6;Ezek. 16:15.And the inhabitants of the earth have beenmade drunk.— "So great an institution as madeall nations drunk with her false doctrine must bevery prominent, indeed, to those who were madeso under the influence of the stupefying draftfrom her cup."— Pastor Russell.With the wine of her fornication.— The mixeddoctrines, part truth and part error, that originallyled to the union of church and state,— thespiritual harlotry.— Jer. 51:7; Rev. 2:20; 17:5;18:3; 19:2.Revelation 17:3.So he carried me away in the spirit into thewilderness.— "All who would get a true view ofBabylon must, in spirit, take their position withthe true people of God ‘in the wilderness'— inthe condition of separation from the world andworldly ideas and mere forms of godliness, andin the condition of entire consecration andfaithfulness to and dependence upon Godalone."— D27.And I saw a woman.— The Roman CatholicChurch.Sit upon a scarlet colored beast— PaganRome, and its successors.

Full of names of blasphemy.— "From Ferraris'Ecclesiastical Dictionary, a standard RomanCatholic authority, weFM260quote the following condensed outline or papalpower as given under the word papa article 2nd:"The pope is of such dignity and highness that heis not simply a man but, as it were, God, and thevicar [representative] of God. . . . Hence the popeis crowned with a triple crown, as king ofheaven, of earth and of hell. Nay, the pope'sexcellence and power are not only aboutheavenly, terrestrial and infernal things, but he isalso above angels, and is their superior; so that ifit were possible that angels could err from thefaith, or entertain sentiments contrary thereto,they could be judged and excommunicated bythe pope. . . . He is of such great dignity andpower that he occupies one and the same tribunalwith Christ; so that whatsoever the pope doesseem to proceed from the mouth of God. . . . Thepope is, as it were, God on earth, the only princeof the faithful of Christ, the greatest king of allkings, possessing the plenitude of power; towhom the government of the earthly andheavenly kingdom is entrusted.' He further adds:"The pope is of so great authority and power thathe can modify, declare or interpret the DivineLaw.' ‘The pope can sometimes counteract theDivine Law by limiting, explaining, etc.'"—B310.Having seven heads and ten horns.— See Rev12:3; 13:1; 17:9-12; Dan. 7:7, 20; Rev. 5:6; 1Sam. 2:10; Deut. 33:27; 1 Kings 22:11.Revelation 17:4.And the woman was arrayed in purple.—Symbolizing the apostate church's claim toroyalty. "I sit a queen and am no widow."— Rev.18:7, 12, 16.And scarlet color.— Symbolizing her claims toshare in Christ's work of sacrifice, in the doctrineof the mass.

And decked with gold.— Symbolizing herclaim that she includes in her membership all thetrue Church of God, those who shall ultimatelyattain the Divine nature.And precious stones.— Symbolizing her claimthat she is the sole custodian of the Lord'sprecious jewels of truth and character.— 1 Cor.3:12; Mal. 3:17.And pearls.— Symbolizing her claim that shehas sole power over all that the Lord bought byHis death.—Matt. 13:45, 46.Having a golden cup in her hand.—Symbolizing her claim that she is the repositoryof all Truth Divine.—Jer. 51:7.Full of abominations and [filthiness]FILTHINESSES of [her] THE fornication OFHER AND OF THE EARTH.— "Babylon hathbeen a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that madeall the earth drunken; the nations have drunkenof her wine; therefore the nations are mad[intoxicated with her errors]. (Jer. 51:7-9.)"—C156; Rev. 18:6; Isa. 65:4.FM261Revelation 17:5.And upon her forehead.— In plain sight of allthe spiritually minded. (And how strange it isthat everybody does not see it!)Mystery.— "We have already called attention tothe fact that the Church of Christ is called in theScriptures the ‘Mystery of God,' because,contrary to expectation, the Church was to be theMessianic Body which, under its Anointed Head,Jesus, shall rule and bless the world. We havealso drawn attention to the fact that theScriptures refer to Babylon as a counterfeitsystem (mother and daughters— some more andsome less corrupt, some better and some poorercounterfeits), and there designated the ‘Mysteryof Iniquity.' We are to remember that it is Satanwho in the Scriptures is credited with having‘deceived the whole world' on this subject;putting evil for good and good for evil; light fordarkness and darkness for light. Satan ‘now

worketh in the children of disobedience' (Isa.5:20; Eph. 2:2) even as he proffered hiscooperation to our Lord Jesus."— F199; 2 Thess,2:7; Prov. 5:6.Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots andabominations of the earth.— "Since Papacy,the mother, is not a single individual, but a greatreligious system, in keeping with the symbol weshould expect to see other religious systemsanswering to the illustration of daughters ofsimilar character. To this description the variousProtestant organizations fully correspond. Thedaughter systems parted from the mother undercircumstances of travail, and were born virgins."(D29.)"But some sincere Christians, may still beanxiously inquiring,— 'If all Christendom is tobe involved in the doom of Babylon, what willbecome of Protestantism, the result of the GreatReformation?' This is an important question; butlet the reader consider that Protestantism, as itexists today, is not the result of the GreatReformation, but of its decline."— D28; Ezek.16:44; Hos. 2:2-5; Isa. 1:21; Rev. 18:9; 19:2."The claims of apostolic succession and clericalauthority are almost as presumptuously set forthby some of the Protestant clergy as by the Papalpriesthood. And the right of individual privatejudgment,— the very fundamental principle ofthe protest against Papacy, which led to the GreatReformation,— is now almost as strenuouslyopposed by Protestants as by Papists. Protestantsseem to have forgotten,— for they trulyignore,— the very grounds of the originalprotest, and, as systems, they are fast driftingback toward the open arms of the ‘Holy (?)Mother Church.' "‘Let us hold out to you ourhand affectionately' (says Pope Leo toProtestants in his famous Encyclical addressed"To the Princes and Peoples of the Earth"). "andFM262invite you to the unity which never failed theCatholic church, and which never can fail. Longhas our common mother called you to her

east." "The doctrine of ‘the Divine right ofkings,' taught or supported by almost every sect,is the foundation of the old civil system, and haslong given authority, dignity and stability to thekingdoms of Europe; and the doctrine of theDivine appointment and authority of the clergyhas hindered God's children from progressing inDivine things and bound them by the chains ofsuperstition and ignorance to the veneration andadoration of fallible fellow-beings, and to theirdoctrines, traditions and interpretations of God'sWord. It in this entire order of things that is tofall and pass away in the battle of this greatday— the order of things which for centuries hasheld the people docile under the ruling powers,civil, social and religious. All this has been byGod's permission (not by his appointment andapproval, as they claim). But though an evil initself, it has served a good, temporary purpose inpreventing anarchy, which is immeasurablyworse, because men were not prepared to dobetter for themselves, and because the time forChrist's Millennial Kingdom had not yet come.Hence God permitted the various delusions togain credence in order to hold men in check until‘The Time of the End'— the end of ‘The Timesof the Gentiles' (which expired October 1,1914)."— D35.Revelation 17:6.And I saw the woman drunken with the bloodof the saints.— " ‘But the blood of Protestants isnot called the blood of saints, no more than theblood of thieves, man-killers, and othermalefactors, for the shedding of which, by theorder of justice, no commonwealth shall answer.'"-Rhemish (Catholic) translation, footnote.(B320.) "‘She wore out the saints of the mosthigh God,' and ‘was drunken with the blood ofthe saints.'— Rev. 18:24."— Z.'04-236; Rev.16:6.And with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.—Most of these martyrs will doubtless be honoredby a place in the Great Company. (See Rev. 7:9.)This Scripture was fulfilled in the Dark Ages,but we are still in the Dark Ages, and will be

until this system is destroyed. It takes more thana mere profession of faith to make a Christian."Jezebel today has daughters— systems termedProtestant— which, nevertheless, copy largelythe mother's spirit. It is through the influence ofthe daughters that the antitypical Elijah mayexpect future persecutions, instigated by themother, accomplished through the daughters, astypically represented in the case of John theBaptist, beheaded by Herod at the instance ofSalome, but at the instigation of Herodias—Jezebel."— Z.'04-236.FM263And when I maw her.— Discerned her truecharacter.I wondered with great admiration.— "Withgreat wonder" (Diaglott), that the Lord wouldpermit such an institution to exist.Revelation 17:7.And the angel.— Volume VII, ScriptureStudies.Said unto me.— See Revelation, Chapters 4, 5and 6.Wherefore dost thou marvel.— This is all quiteright and necessary. The Papacy was foreseenand permitted as a part of God's wonderful planfor developing and testing His Church, provingwho are worthy to be of the First Resurrection,joint-heirs with Christ.I will tell thee the mystery of the woman.—The apostate Church of Rome.And of the beast that carrieth her.— PaganRome, now represented in earth's warringgovernments.Which hath seven heads and ten horns.— SeeRev. 12:3; 13:1. The exposition of the remainderof this chapter was greatly assisted by thefollowing letter: "Your request for my version ofwhat I understood Bro. Russell's expectations tobe respecting the fulfillment of the 17th Chapterof Revelation received and after considerable

meditation upon the matter I have decided tosubmit the following: Brother Russell stated thatthere were three possible fulfillments of thisChapter, and that he did not or would not go onrecord as to which would be the correctinterpretation, for the reason that this Chaptercould not be interpreted in a positive way untilafter its fulfillment. He stated that this Chapterwas the key to all of the pictures, or prophecies,of Revelation, which are as yet wrapped inmystery.On various occasions I requested Bro. Russell togive me his idea respecting the three possiblefulfillments; but he remained absolutely mumrespecting two of the ways, but freely expressedhis opinion respecting the third way, which hebelieved would be the way in which theprophecy would be fulfilled. ‘The beast that thousawest was, and is not and shall ascend out of thebottomless pit and go into perdition,' weunderstand to be the Holy Roman Empire—Church and State, united in power from 799 to1799. The term ‘Thou sawest refers to thethousand-year reign of the Pope, and the term‘And is not' refers to the present non-existence ofthe Empire in power, and the term ‘And shallascend from the bottomless pit and again go intoperdition' refers to the re-establishment of theHoly Roman Empire in power and its subsequentdestruction. The statement ‘When he cometh, hemust continue a short space,' was understood byBro. Russell to mean that the beast would ruleonly for a very short time. In answer to a directquestion on this pointFM264Bro. Russell stated that he did not believe thisshort space could be interpreted in days, months,or years, but that it simply meant a short time. Inthe 12th verse, we read that ‘The ten horns whichthou sawest are ten kings, which have receivedno kingdom as yet, but receive power as kingsone hour with the beast.' This seems to set forththe Papal view respecting the various kings ofEurope which at the present time have notreceived the official anointing by the Pope, and

consequently have not as yet received theirkingdom. If this is correct, it would then alsomean that if the Pope should anoint these kingsand declare them to be ruling by Divine right,they thereby would officially receive power askings, and would rule with the Pope and togetherwith the Pope would constitute the beast again inpower."Bro. Russell was anxiously awaiting thesettlement of the present world war for thereason that it seemed very probable that the Popewould be the leading figure in bringing about itssettlement, and possibly the very basis of thesettlement will be the recognition of the Pope asthe Holy See. If the Pope receives suchrecognition, he could in return immediately grantan official anointing of the rulers of the variousgovernments included in the settlement, and theythen as stated in Verse 13, will be ‘Of one mindand shall give their power and strength unto thebeast.' If this is to be the fulfillment of thispicture, then it will only be a question of timeuntil these same governments will turn upon theRoman Church and ‘Shall make her desolate andnaked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her withfire.' (Rev. 17:16.) The foregoing briefly outlineswhat Bro. Russell seemed to think would be theoutcome of the present war. He had certainarticles in prospect which, if backed up byfulfilled prophecies, were to be the absolute andirrevocable proof to the world of all of theleading pictures given in the entire book ofRevelation. Personally, I think everything seemsto be shaping itself towards the fulfillment of theChapter on the line above specified. If you aremaking any use of this letter, kindly specify oremphasize the fact that Bro. Russell consideredthe matter largely as a speculation, and that hepositively stated that he would not go on recordin the matter for the reason that when he treatedthe matter he would do so in the light of fulfilledprophecy as the last word and as the unsealingof the entire book, and that he would not attemptto do this until such a time as the interpretationcould not be refuted." That time has evidentlynow come.

Revelation 17:8.The beast that thou sawest.— The Antichrist.Was.— Exercised actual dominion until1799 A. D.FM265And is not.— Has not had even a vestige oftemporal power since 1870. Since then it hasbeen in oblivion, the "bottomless pit."And shall ascend out of the [bottomless pit],ABYSS.— "Private letters from the Vatican,received by Dr. A. Palmieri of the Library ofCongress, a recognized writer on ecclesiasticalsubjects, announce that Pope Benedict XV isabout to appoint a commission of four cardinalsto renew a movement begun by Pope Leo XIII,and abandoned by Pope Plus X, looking to areunion of Christianty and the cultivation offriendly relations with the Anglican Church. Apublic announcement on the subject from Romeis expected soon. Dr. Palmieri said that the newmovement, as outlined in his advices, will bedirected particularly toward an establishment ofthe reunion of the Russian church and the Papacyand to a thorough re-examination into thevalidity of Anglican or Episcopal ordinations,which was settled in the negative in a papal bull‘Apostolica Sedis,' by Pope Leo X. The interestof the Pope in the problem of Christian unity issaid to have been intensified by the recentprogress of the world congress, initiated by theAmerican Episcopal Church."‘The new Pope,' said Dr. Palmieri, summarizingthe information received from Rome, ‘has takena considerable part in the efforts of neutralnations to establish peace among nations. TheVatican's efforts have been suggested not onlyby a humanitarian spirit, but by a longing forChristian unity and to end the conflict whichlong since has divided Christian churches.Efforts of Leo XIII for carrying out the reunionof Christianity were abruptly stopped by Piux X,who aimed at an inner reform of the Catholicclergy and turned all his energies to the crushingof modernism [Higher Criticism and Evolution].

Benedict XV thinks it is time to renew the policyof Leo XIII, also that a re-establishment of apolitical peace would be the first step towardrenewed attempts to stop the splitting ofChristianity into a greater number of sects. Itseems to the Vatican that the Orthodox Slavswill be very soon called to take a more activepart in the life of western nations, eitherProtestant or Catholic, and that it is necessary tocome to an understanding with them to avoidevils produced by religious intolerance. Thenewly planned commission of cardinals will payattention to yearnings for unity, which from timeto time manifest themselves in the Orthodoxchurch, and to cultivate friendly relations withthe Anglican church. One of the most importanttasks of the new commission will be a thoroughre-examination of the arguments pro and con onthe validity of AnglicanFM266ordinations. The bull ‘Apostilica Sedis' by Leo Xhas settled in the negative the problem or thatvalidity, but generally theological schoolsassume a more favorable attitude towardacknowledgment or the validity of Anglicanorders, and the new commission or cardinals willcarefully ponder the reasons set forth by Russianand Anglican divines against the decision ofPope Leo X. The friendship of the Anglicanchurch is appreciated by Rome, for she may beas a link of union between Roman Catholicismand Russian Orthodoxy." (Z-'17-52.)We assume that the foregoing plan of the popewill succeed. "This is the supreme chance forChristianity ‘to assert her authority and guide theworld out of the darkness enshrouding it,'observes The Northwestern Christian Advocate(Methodist, Chicago), and it wonders whetherthe organized Christianity that ‘failed—ingloriously failed'— in 1914 will again ‘missher golden opportunity.'" (Literary Digest.)"An old writer has observed that the Beastreappears from the Abyss (see on ch. 11, 7)without his diadems, as though, in this last stage,he would symbolize rather the violence of

popular rage than the prescriptive sanctity ofmonarchical supremacy."—Cook.And go into perdition.— Be utterly destroyed atthe hands of the masses it has so persistently andoutrageously deceived.— Rev. 17:11.And they that dwell on the earth.— Allindependent Christians, not entangled in thesystems of either the beast or the image. SeeRev. 13:13, 14.Shall wonder.— Be astounded, perplexed anddismayed, "At the reappearance of the beast."—Cook.Whose names.— As a class, not as individuals.Were not written in the Book of Life.— Butnot necessarily in so-called Church books, kepthere on earth, for collection purposes.From the foundation of the world.— The bookor scroll covenanting life to an elect number wasprepared from the foundation of the world. Thenames in it have been written as the individualshave made consecration of themselves, comingunder the terms of the Divine call. In this view ofthe matter the book or scroll would represent theoriginal Divine purpose— God's intention tohave a Church, of which our Lord Jesus wouldbe the Head.— Rev. 3:5; Z.'99-265.When they behold the beast that was, and isnot, and [yet is] SHALL AGAIN BEPRESENT.—The Papal Empire restored.17:9. And here is the mind which hathwisdom.— A problem requiring the aid of theLord.— Rev. 13:18.FM267The seven heads are seven mountains.— Thekingdoms enumerated in Rev. 12:3.On which the woman sitteth.— Over which sheonce reigned in plentitude of power. Much ofRevelation is written in such a way that both aliteral and a symbolical explanation can be made,designed by the Lord to make the understandingof the book impossible to any except the fullyconsecrated. The following shows the physical

explanation of this text which would most appealto the unconsecrated. But it shows that theMother of Harlots has her headquarters at Rome.And when we know who the mother is, it isimpossible not to recognize the daughters. Romeis called in history the "seven-hilled city.""The original settlement of Romulus is said tohave been limited to the Palatine mount. Withthis were united before the end of his reign theCapitoline and the Quirinal; Tullus Hostillusadded the Caelian, Ancus Martius the Aventine;and finally Servius Tullius included theEsquiline and Viminal, and enclosed the wholeseven hills with a stone wall. The growth of thestate closely followed that of the city." (Brit.) Itwould not be possible to limit this explanation toseven forms of government which haveexercised sway ever the city of Rome. Therehave been many such governments. There wereseven of them during the nineteenth centuryalone— the Roman Republic of 1798, theKingdom of 1805, the Annexation of 1810, therestoration of the temporal power in 1814, theRevolution of 1848, the restoration of thetemporal power in 1849, and the Italianoccupation in 1870.17:10. And there are seven kings.— Sevenforms of government of the HOLY ROMANEMPIRE, the devil's own particular pattern ofgovernment.Five are fallen.— (1) The Regal period, from753 B. C. to 510 B. C. The "Kings" of this periodwere "not simply either the hereditary andpatriarchal chief of a clan, the priestly head of acommunity bound together by a common sacra,or the elected magistrate of a state, but a mixtureof all three."— Brit.(2) The Republic, from 509 to 451 B. C. andfrom 448 to 60 B. C. "It is characteristic of Romethat the change from monarchy to republicshould have been made with the least possibledisturbance of existing forms. The title of kingwas retained, though only as that of a priestlyofficer (rex sacrorum) to whom some of thereligious functions of the former kings were

transferred. The two annually elected consuls orpraetores were regarded as joint heirs of the fullkingly authority, and as holding the imperium,and the correlative right of taking the auspices,FM268by direct transmission from the founder of thecity." (Brit.)(3) The Decemvirate, a rule of ten men, from 451to 449 B. C.(4) The Triumvirate, a rule of three men, from 59to 49 B. C. and from 43 to 28 B. C.(5) The Dictatorship of Caesar, 48 to 44 B. C.All of these forms of the old Holy RomanEmpire have completely passed away.[And] one is.— The Dragon, still represented inthe warring powers of Europe. (See commentson Rev. 12:3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:2, 4, 11;16:13.) The rulership of Papacy during the DarkAges, both directly in its temporal power, andthrough the governments which it controlled orinfluenced, and still influences, was— as hasbeen shown— merely another aspect of thegovernment of Pagan Rome, generally styled theEmpire, but in Revelation called the Dragon, andthe Devil, and Satan.And the other.— The final form, of Arbitrator(whatever be the official title).Is not yet come.— But is due to make itsappearance with the close of the war, some timeabout October 1st, 1917. (See comments on Rev.16:17-21; Ex. 10:23.) Pastor Russell foretold thedarkness would come Oct. 1st. 1914, and it did!!And when he cometh, he must continue ashort space.— From the summer or fall of 1917to the spring or summer of 1918. "The languageis indefinite, the words ‘must continue' alonebeing emphatic. It is a duration such that bymeans of it the Church should be exercised inpatience."— Cook.Revelation 17:11.And the beast that was.— That once exercisedtemporal dominion and, through influence of the

European governments, once actually ruled theworld.And is not.— Does not now have any temporaldominion.[Even] he is the eighth.— The eighth hornwhich took the place of the three plucked up(Rev. 12:3); also the final form of the HOLYROMAN EMPIRE.And is of the seven.— "Cometh of the seven,"Greek.— Grew up by the plucking of the three.The Papacy is either the seventh or the eighthform, depending upon how the matter is viewed.If it be viewed as having reigned separately fromthe Dragon during the Dark Ages (as it did, whenit exercised temporal power), in its new guise itwill be the eighth form, its separate rulershipduring the Dark Ages being counted as theseventh.But if it be viewed as having been a co-partner ofthe Dragon during the Dark Ages, then itsforthcoming manifestation will be the seventhform. In any event the eighth form is one of theseven forms; and the regaining of the temporalpower this time will be the cause of the Papacy'sdestruction.FM269See Z.'03-325 for a hint that Benedict XV willnever have a successor. (He is personally theeighth pope reigning since 1799. Five of thesepopes had died prior to 1878. Here is a goodsecondary fulfillment.)And goeth into perdition.— "Daniel,representing the saints, says (Dan. 7:11), ‘Iwatched it then [after its dominion was gone andit was powerless longer to crush the Truth, thepower of the holy people], because of the voiceof the great words which that horn spoke, and Isaw that [it obtained no power over the holysaints and the Truth, but it did have anothereffect] the beast was slain, the body thereofdestroyed and given to the burning flame'—general anarchy. The destruction of the remnantof governments in the old Roman Empire,

caused by the misleading influence of Papacy'scontinued bombastic utterances, even after itsdominion is gone, is thus shown."— C68; 2Thess, 2:3.Revelation 17:12.And the ten horns which thou sawest.— Threeof which were originally plucked up to makeroom for the growth of the Papacy. See Rev.12:3; 13:1; 17:3; Dan. 7:7, 8, 20; Rev. 5:6; 1Sam. 2:10; Deut. 33:17; 1 Kings 22:11.Are ten kings.— The rulers, whether kings,Kaisers, presidents or others who have draggedinto the slaughter house the descendants of theten powers originally composing the RomanEmpire.Which have received no kingdom [as yet].—No official sanction as rulers from the counterfeit"king of kings and lord of lords"— the Pope.But receive power as kings.— "The absence ofthe diadem indicates that their kingdom is notfull, regal power, but as being transient, isrepresented as if it were royal power."— Cook.One hour with the beast— The "one hour" inthis verse (17:12) may signify one year, orthereabouts. The word in the Greek is hora. Thisis the same word which our Lord used when, inspeaking of John the Baptist He said, "He was aburning and a shining light; and you werewilling, for a time (hora — one year— thelength of John's ministry before hisimprisonment) to rejoice in his light." (Matt.14:3; Z.'04-60.) In matters that are still future wecan only use our best judgment as to thesignificance to be attached to expressions likethis. "Let every man be fully persuaded in hisown mind."— Rom. 14:5.Revelation 17:13.These have one mind.— All are desperatelyanxious to stop the terrible waste of human life,now that they see what their father, the Devil,has accomplished through their worship andservice of himself and his institutions.FM270

And [shall] give their power and strengthunto the beast.— Support it in its apparentlylaudable but actually selfish efforts in trying tostop the European war. "Deposit in his hands allthe available means which they possess."—Cook.Revelation 17:14.These shall make war with the Lamb.—Endeavor to suppress the message of PresentTruth.— Rev. 16:14; 19:19.And the Lamb shall overcome them.— "Zionneed not fear; for God is in the midst of her, andwill help her. Her consecration is unto death, andher privilege is to prove her faithfulness: ‘Thedisciple is not above his Master, nor the servantabove his Lord. It is enough for the disciple thathe be as his Master, and the servant as hisLord.'— Matt. 10:24, 25."It will probably be in an effort at selfpreservationon the part of ‘Great Babylon'—'Christendom'— when she sees her power inpolitics, priestcraft and superstition waning, thatthe work of truth-spreading will be stopped asdetrimental to her system. And probably at thisjuncture the Elijah class, persisting in declaringthe Truth to the last, will suffer violence, passinto glory and escape from the severest featuresof the great Time of Trouble coming— just inthe crisis of affairs when men begin to feel thatdesperate measures must be resorted to, tosustain the tottering structure of Christendom.Although the exact time of the deliverance or‘change' of the last members of the Body ofChrist is not stated, the approximate time isnevertheless clearly manifest, as shortly after the‘door' is shut (Matt. 25:10)."— C231.For He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.—Has the entire situation under perfect control— isthe real Pope.— 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16.

And they that are with Him are called.—When they hear, understand and heed themessage of complete consecration even untodeath (Rev. 19:9). This clause, in the Greek,indicates that these also, as well as the Lamb,shall overcome them.And chosen.— Elected as soon as they complywith the conditions, provided there are anyvacancies.And faithful.— "The door of opportunity toengage, with Christ our Lord, in the work of theGospel Age, will be closed when ‘the nightcometh wherein no man can work.' And all whohave not previously, by faithful service,developed the necessary character and provedtheir sympathy, devotion, love and zeal for theLord and His Truth (Matt. 10:37; Mark 8:38),will then be too late to do so. The closing in ofthis night will evidently put a stopFM271The Papacy's Last Standto any further labor to disseminate the Truth,which, misunderstood by the public generally,will probably be accused of being the cause ofmuch of the anarchy and confusion thenprevailing, instead of being seen in its true lightas a foreshadowing of the Divine mind andrevelation concerning coming troubles on theworld and their true causes."— C210; Rev. 2:10.Revelation 17:15.And he saith unto me, [The] THESE waterswhich thou sawest where the whore sitteth.—See Rev. 17:1, 9.Are BOTH peoples, and multitudes, andnations, and tongues.— And not, therefore,literal water or literal hills, or forms ofgovernment which have ruled the city ofRome.— Isa. 8:7.Revelation 17:16.And the ten horns which thou sawest.— Therulers of Europe and America, and their subjects,

descendants of the ten powers which originallycomposed the old Roman Empire.[Upon] AND the beast.— The re-establishedtemporal dominion of the pope in Rome andelsewhere. "Of her boastings and threats thefollowing from a Catholic journal of recent dateis a fair sample: ‘The Papacy will regain itstemporal sovereignty, because it is useful andconvenient to the Church. It gives the headexecutive of the church a fuller liberty and afuller sway. The Pope can be no king's subjectlong. It is not in keeping with the divine office tobe so. It cramps him and narrows his influencefor good. Europe has acknowledged thisinfluence, and will be forced to bow to it ingreater times of need than this. Social upheavals,and the red hand of anarchy, will yet crown Leoor his successor with the reality of power whichthe third circle symbolizes, and which was oncerecognized universally.' Yes, as the day oftrouble draws on, ecclesiasticism will endeavorto use its power and influence more and more tosecure its own political welfare, by its control ofthe turbulent elements of society; but in the crisisof the near future the lawless element will spurnall conservative influence and break over allrestraints, the red hand of Anarchy will do itsdreadful work, and Babylon, political andecclesiastical, shall fall."— D38.These shall hate the whore, and shall makeher desolate and naked.— People andgovernments will have a common hatred for theirmutual enemy when the motives which actuateher are clearly revealed.—Ezek. 16:35-44; 23:22,29; Zech. 1:19.And shall eat her flesh and burn her withfire.— Unite to complete her utter destruction.—Rev. 18:8, 18; Dan. 7:11; C68; Gen. 38:24;Ezek. 16:41; Lev. 20:14; 21:9.FM272Revelation 17:17.For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill Hiswill.— As expressed in His Word.

And to agree.— The European war would stoptomorrow if it were not for the officers holdingthe men to the task of butchery.And to give their kingdom unto the beast.—Put their liberties into the hands of the Papacy, asArbitrator.Until the words of God shall be fulfilled.—And the travail of nominal Zion shall discloseher true character.Revelation 17:18.And the woman which thou sawest.— TheApostate Church, the antitypical Jezebel.Is that great city.— The "HOLY ROMANEMPIRE."Which reigneth over the [kings] KINGDOMSof the earth.— "Expositors of every schoolgenerally agree that Rome Pagan, or RomePapal, or Rome under both aspects, is intendedhere. In order to repel the application to thePapacy, many Roman expositors also apply whatis said of the destruction of Rome, to thefuture— to Rome again become Pagan: This isthe hypothesis, observes Bishop Wordsworth, ofSuarez, Viegas, Ribera, Lessius, Menochius, C.… Lapide, and others, particularly Dr. Manningin our own day. Thus Stern writes: — Babylonis really the City of Rome, not only, however,according to the old-heathenish, but alsoaccording to the new-heathenish signification ofthe World's history."— Cook.Could there ever come a time when men, theworld over, could be more heathenish at heartthan now; and does not, therefore, even Papalcomment show that this Scripture is ready to befulfilled?Whene'er the storms come down on thee,And days of peace all seem to flee;This thought thy peace again shall bring,Why should I fear?— the Lord is King.E'en when the tempest rages high,And darkest clouds are drawing nigh,With hands of faith to this, O! cling,—Why should I fear?— the Lord is King.

Amid the stormy waves of life,Above the tumult and the strife,The chimes of hope still sweetly ring,—Be not afraid— the Lord is King.FM273REVELATION 18THE FALL OF ECCLESIASTICISMRevelation 18:1.[And] after these things.— As another view ofthe Harvest epoch.I saw another angel.— Messenger, theMessenger of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus.—Mal. 3:1; 10:1; 14:1.Come down from Heaven.— In 1874. Sea Rev.3:14.Having great power.— "All power in Heavenand in earth."— Matt. 28:18.And the earth was lightened.— See Mal. 4:2;Rev. 7:2.With His glory.— Some of the glories of theNew Day, all discovered since 1874, are addingmachines, aeroplanes, aluminum, antisepticsurgery, artificial dyes, automatic couplers,automobiles, barbed wire, bicycles,carborundum, cash registers, celluloid,correspondence schools, cream separators,Darkest Africa, disk ploughs, Divine Plan of theAges, dynamite, electric railways, electricwelding, escalators, fireless cookers, gas engines,harvesting machines, illuminating gas, inductionmotors, linotypes, match machines, monotypes,motion pictures, North Pole, Panama Canal,Pasteurization, railway signals, Roentgen rays,shoe sewing machines, smokeless powder, SouthPole, submarines, radium, sky scrapers, subways,talking machines, telephones, typewriters,vacuum cleaners and wireless telegraphy.—Ezek. 43:2; John 1:9; Matt. 25:31; Titus 2:13.Revelation 18:2.

And he cried [mightily] with a [strong]MIGHTY voice.— How apt are these Scripturesthat refer to Pastor Russell as a "voice"! (Rev.7:2; 10:3; 16:1.) So modestly are his workswritten that the author is nowhere manifest, butattention is always and everywhere drawn to theLord.Saying, [Babylon the great is] fallen, isBABYLON THE GREAT [fallen].— "Theexpression, ‘Babylon is fallen,' indicates that atsome time a sudden and utter rejection is to comeupon Babylon, when all favor will forever cease,and when judgments will follow— just such arejection as we have shown was due in 1878."—C155; Isa. 13:19-22; 21:9; Jer. 51:8-13; Rev.14:8; 16:59."In spite of all our wealth, the blight of poverty,with its accompanying sickness, suffering, crime,insanity and vice, continues. The social diseasemanifested in ‘atrophy and hypertrophy, in‘extremities bleeding at the bottom, bloatingFM274at the top, decay in both,' is a portent of themodern world. The net result of our wonderful‘civilization is that men have less time now thanthey have ever had since the world began."—Current Literature; Z.'11-420."Alienists the country over are sounding asolemn note of warning to the American peopleover the alarming rush in which we live.According to Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, federal purefood and drugs expert, nearly every man andwoman at some time in their lives border oninsanity. That view is also indorsed by thefamous Dr. William A. White, head of theUnited States government hospital for the insane,who backs up the stand taken recently by Dr.Owen Copp, new head of the PennsylvaniaHospital for the Insane. Because of the terribleravages of drink and drugs, particularly in theUnited States, thousands of people are renderedso extremely nervous that they are always on theverge of going crazy. The rush and worry ofmodern life he gives as the causes."— Z.'11-228.

And is become the habitation of devils.— "TheNew York World publishes an interview withBishop Fallows, of the Reformed EpiscopalChurch, as follows: ‘Telepathy is in establishedfact. In recent years great strides have been madein the explanation of psychic phenomena and inthe years to come the science of communicationwith the dead will be made a part of thecurriculum of great educational institutions. Ihave called the new science "Immortalism"because it depends for its existence upon theimmortality of the soul in which we all believe,and the preservation of identity beyond thegrave.' Bishop Fallows will be recognized bymany as one of the ministers who have recentlybeen taking a great interest in Faith Healingclinics. We have already pointed out that to ourunderstanding these cures are effected byhypnotic influences and that hypnotism is butanother form of Spiritism. We believe thatthrough this channel the fallen angels (‘wickedspirits,' Eph. 6:12) are seeking to break down thehuman will; and that the results, shortly, will bedireful in the extreme, leading to spirit controland every evil work."— Z.'09-355; Ecc. 9:5; 1Pet. 3:19; Jude 6; Jer. 51:37-41; Rev. 16:14; Isa.13:19-22; 34:14.And the hold of every foul spirit.— Rev. Wm.Sunday has exceptional opportunity for learning,and in his public discourses repeatedly "scoresthe ministers because they have no faith. Hecondemns their neglect of Bible study. He saysthe theological seminaries are turning outinfidels. He refers to the large amount of saloonproperty that belongs to church members. Heenumerates all kinds of worldly doings which goon in these denominations. He.FM275would have us believe that the moral standard ofthousands high in the churches is so low as toalmost stagger reason. Now if what Mr. Sundaysays about the denominations is true they are notfit places for good, respectable people, to saynothing of true Christians. In fact, if they areonly half as bad as he says, then every faithful

child of God ought to get out of them as quicklyas he can. If they are but one-quarter as bad asMr. Sunday tells, then the only safety on the partof one who wishes to retain his faith is to get outof such spiritual pest-holes."— Z.'15-207.And a cage of every unclean and hatefulbird.— "How true it is, that the most execrableof society seek and wear the garb of Christianprofession and ceremonialism, in some of thevarious quarters (sects) of Babylon.Of all the defaulters, and deceivers of men and ofwomen, how many are professedly members ofChrist's Church! and how many even use theirprofession as a cloak under which to forward evilschemes! It is well known that a majority of eventhe most brutal criminals executed die in theRoman Catholic communion.Babylon has contained both the best and theworst, both the cream and the dregs, of thepopulation of the civilized world." (C162.) Aparliamentary report of the status of society inEngland and Wales in 1873 showed that therewere then no Jewish criminals, 1 of every 20,000infidels was a criminal, 1 of every 666Dissenters was a criminal, 1 of every 72 Churchof England, and 1 of every 40 Roman Catholics.(C163.) "The great system in which the ‘fowl ofheaven' delight to roost, and which they havegrievously befouled (Luke 13:18, 19), and whichhas in fact become ‘a cage of every unclean andhateful bird,' is to be hewn down, and shalldeceive the world no longer."— C187; Isa.34:11; Jer. 50:39; Zeph. 2:14.Revelation 18:3.For all nations have drunk of the wine of thewrath of her fornication.— "The stimulatingpower is not the spirit of a sound mind, but thedelusion of a false doctrine; as the Prophetdeclares, they are ‘drunken,' but not with wine.(Isa. 29:9-13.) The people in general have losttheir taste and appreciation for the water of life,the Truth; and false teachers warn them against itas poison. The wine of false doctrines now beingmanufactured at all the Theological Seminaries

is the wine of evolution and higher criticism,which does not satisfy the thirst, but increasesthe confusion of mind. Even Babylon's notablesare dissatisfied, famished.— See Amos 8:11."—Z.'01-349.FM276And the kings of the earth.— The governmentsof Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, England,Russia, Spain, Portugal, etc.Have committed fornication with her.—Joined themselves to the Roman Catholic,Lutheran, Anglican and Greek CatholicChurches.And the merchants of the earth.— Popes,Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, PresidingElders, Reverends, etc.— Rev. 18:11, 15; Isa.47:15; 23:8; Ezek. 27:36.Are waxed rich through the abundance of herdelicacies.— Supplied partly in cash and partlyin left-overs from church fairs, suppers, etc.Revelation 18:4.And I heard another voice from heaven.—The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, thecorporate body which Pastor Russell personallyorganized to conduct the Harvest work (Rev. 8:3;14:18). This voice has been exerted continuouslysince 1884. "Our thought is that it is the Lordwho calls His people out of Babylon; the call isto be recognized especially aa a Voice fromHeaven. Apparently, the Voice is PresentTruth."— Z.'14-180.Saying, Come out of her.— "This call appliesnot only to those in Babylon the Great, but tothose in other denominations— mother anddaughters. Be not of those who cannot see theerrors of Babylon and who, consequently, are notof the called ones. The object of the call to comeout is not for people merely to withdraw from anominal church. No one is called out of Babylonuntil he sees her true condition. This call toassociate with Christ, with Messiah, is given bythe Lord through the Prophet when He says,‘Gather My saints together unto Me; those that

have made a Covenant with Me by sacrifice.'(Psa. 50:5.) They were to be gathered, not to theRoman or other systems, but to the Lord, tobecome one with Him." (Z.'12-277.)"The Lord's call out of Babylon is not an audibleone— He merely calls us by the principles ofrighteousness. He lifts the curtain before the eyesof understanding of His consecrated ones andthus lets them see some of the errors, some of thefalsities in which they and others of Babylon areinvolved— dishonoring the holy name—blaspheming the holy name by misrepresentationof the Divine character and Plan. This is andshould be call enough for those who are of theLord's Spirit, for those who love the Lord and thehonor of His name more than they love houses orlands or parents or children or any other creatureor thing— yea, more than they love their ownlives. Such are sure to respond and to come outof Babylon; others who remain, in spite of seeingtheFM277light, fail to be overcomers of the highest class—fail therefore to be in the elect Bride class, andmust be counted in with the Great Company,which will come through great tribulation, andwill get out of Babylon only when she has beencast as a great millstone into the midst of thesea— in the time of anarchous trouble withwhich this Age will close." (Z.'06-343.)"Baptists think their preachers have no authority.But the Baptists cannot do anything without theconsent of the preachers. The preachers hold apower that God did not repose there. God neverauthorized any men to go and ordain anotherman to preach the Gospel. God does theordaining; and it is for the church to decide,according to its best judgment, whom the Lordordains or calls as a pastor. The people in theMethodist church have almost no liberty, exceptthe privilege of giving money. The bishopscontrol the presiding elders, and under them thepresiding elders control the preachers; and so itis all the way down to the class leaders. Theyhave their head or chief amongst them. They

have a human head. The General Conference isthe highest authority. So the Presbyterian churchhas a head in the way of a General Assemblywhich has the deciding of matters."On one occasion I was called upon by aminister of the Reformed church. He wanted toknow how I managed my church. I said to him,‘Brother— , I have no church.' He said, ‘Youknow what I mean.' I answered, ‘I want you toknow what I mean, too. We claim that there isonly one Church. If you belong to that Church,you belong to our Church.' He looked at me insurprise. Then he said, ‘You have anorganization; how many members are there?' Ireplied, ‘I cannot tell; we do not keep anymembership rolls.' ‘You do not keep any list ofthe membership?' ‘No. We do not keep any list;their names are written in Heaven.' He asked,‘How do you have your election?' I said, ‘Weannounce an election; and any or all of God'speople, who are consecrated and are accustomedto meet with this company, or congregation, mayhave the privilege of expressing their judgmentof who would be the Lord's preference for eldersand deacons of the congregation.' ‘Well,' he said,‘that is simplicity itself.' I then added, ‘We payno salaries; there is nothing to make peoplequarrel. We never take up a collection.' ‘How doyou get the money?' he asked. I replied, ‘Now,Dr.' — , if I tell you what is the simplest truthyou will hardly be able to believe it. Whenpeople get interested in this way, they find nobasket placed under their nose. But they see thereare expenses. TheyFM278say to themselves, ‘This hall costs something,and I see that free lunch is served betweenmeetings, for those living at some distance. Howcan I get a little money into this thing?' Helooked at me as if he thought, ‘What do you takeme for— a greenhorn?' I said, ‘Now, Dr. — , Iam telling you the plain truth. They do ask methis very question, ‘How can I get a little moneyinto this cause?'" (Pastor Russell Question

Meeting. Gen. 19:15, 22; Isa. 48:20; 52:11; Jer.50:8; 51:6, 45; Matt. 24:16.)"The present work of gathering the Lord's saintsout of Babylon is represented under varioussymbolic descriptions,— it is the gathering of thewheat from the tares into the barn (Matt. 18:30):it is the gathering of the good fish into basketsand the casting of the unsuitable fish caught inthe Gospel net back into the sea (Matt. 13:47-49); it is the gathering of His jewels (Mal. 3:17);it is the midnight cry to the virgins, whichseparates the wise from the foolish (Matt. 25:6);and it is the gathering of the ‘Elect' from all thenon-elect of Christendom, from the four winds—from every quarter." (Matt. 24:31.) (D600.)"Lot's wife, after starting to flee as directed.‘looked back;' coveting the things behind: andso with some, now fleeing from Babylon to themountain (Kingdom) of the Lord; they are morein sympathy with the things behind than with thethings before. Only those will run the race to thefinish who set their affections on the thingsabove, and not on the things beneath." (D608.)"Those who thus flee to the Lord will neither beconsumed by fear and dread, nor swallowed upby the projects and false theories— sciencefalsely so called— with which this day abounds.And, withal, they may be in the devouring fire[trouble], witnesses for God and His Plan, andteachers of the people— pointers to the gloriousoutcome of Jehovah's Plan, lifting up a standardfor the people.— Isa. 62:10." (B31.) "The tablesof the various sects of Christendom were startedas tables of the Lord, and adorned to some extentwith food from His storehouse, the Word. Butthe great Adversary placed upon these tableserrors, delusions, doctrines of devils, which haveblemished them as a whole; wherefore it isappropriate now to apply to them the words ofthe Scriptures, ‘Come out from amongst themand be ye separate; touch not the unclean thing.'"(Z.'07-91.)"Our friends, like Abraham's friends, wouldpersuade us of the folly of leaving Babylon, itscomforts and associations: they assure us that

our opportunities for greatness, etc., will bedistinctly lessened by the course of obediencewhich we take. Nevertheless we, like Abram, goforth taking all of ourFM279possessions with us, great or small— nothingmust be left behind to be a treasure in Babylonand to attract our hearts thither again. All thingsmust be brought with us so that not our own livesand talents only, but our influence upon others,must all be made to count." (Z.'01-230.)"As to missionary activities (Matt. 23:15), whatadvantage can accrue to the heathen from givingthem the false doctrines of the Adversary? Thefew who may be reached will have the more tounlearn when the Times of Restitution begin."—F641.My people.— "We would not be understood asincluding all Christians as ‘Babylonians.' Quiteto the contrary. As the Lord recognizes some inBabylon as true to Him and addresses them now.saying, ‘Come out of her, My people' (Rev.18:4), so do we; and we rejoice to believe thatthere are today thousands who have not bowedthe knee to the Baal of our day— Mammon,Pride and Ambition. Those who will not comeout until Babylon falls and they come throughthe ‘great tribulation' (Rev. 7:8, 14) shall not beaccounted worthy to share the Kingdom.Compare Rev. 2:26; 3:21; Matt. 10:37; Mark8:34, 35; Luke 14:26, 27." (D627; Mic. 2:10; Jer.12:7-11; 23:33-40; Jer. 11:14, 15; Prov. 19:27;Matt. 14:28, 29; Hos. 4:6; Isa. 27:12.)"The begetting of spiritual children of God,through the Word of His grace, and their being tosome extent cherished, nourished and broughtforward by these human sectarian tare systems,is well illustrated by certain insects, the young ofwhich are injected into the backs of theirenemies, and there warmed, nourished anddeveloped, up to the time of their complete birthand deliverance, which means, usually, the deathof the insect which temporarily carried them

about." (F656.) Now the point of deliverance hasbeen reached.That ye be not partakers of her sins.— "If youfail to obey the Lord through fear of earthly loss,it will prove that these things are more preciousto you than His favor, and He will treat you asHe treats the hypocrites; you will have a share intheir experiences." (Z.'14-180.)"We do not know but that they may go to theextreme in our day— to kill socially to killecclesiastically, perhaps to kill physically.Nearly all the persecutions that have come toGod's people have come from professedChristians, fellow-believers. ‘Your brethren thathated you, that cast you out for Mr Name's sake,said, Let the Lord be glorified; but He shallappear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.'(Isaiah 66:5.)"— Z.'14-181; Num. 16:26.And that ye receive not of her plagues.— SeeRev. 16:1-21.FM280Revelation 18:5.For her sins [have reached] CLEAVEDTOGETHER unto Heaven.— Ezekiel hastouched on this!— Jer. 51:9; Gen. 11:3, 4; Luke10:11.And God hath remembered her iniquities.—By seven plagues; the seven volumes of Studiesin the Scriptures.— Rev. 16:1-21. See alsobottom of this page.Revelation 18:6.Reward her even as she rewarded [you].— Adiligent attempt has been made in this direction.Anything overlooked will be inserted in the nextedition.— Psa. 137:8; Jer. 50:15, 29; 51:24.[And] double unto her double according toher works.— Make a double exposition(explaining Revelation and Ezekiel) that willshow her up just as she is.In [the] HER cup which she hath filled.— TheScriptures which she has twisted, distorted andmisapplied. "The cup which she has used as a

means of seduction shall now be changed intothe instrument of her punishment."— Cook.Fill to her double.— Greek, "the double." (Isa.61:7.) Give her enough light on Ezekiel andRevelation to show her the exit.— Isa. 21:7-10.Revelation 18:7.How much she hath glorified herself, andlived deliciously.— And to what lengths has notPapacy gone in this direction, with the Protestantsects doing their best to keep the pace!So much torment and sorrow.— Mourning forthe dead, Greek.— Amos. 8:10.Give her.— "I have laid a snare for thee, andthou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wastnot aware; thou art found, and also caught,because thou hast striven against the Lord. TheLord hath opened His armory [Ezekiel andRevelation] and hath brought forth the weaponsof His indignation: for this is the work of theLord God of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans .. . the vengeance of the Lord our God, thevengeance of His Temple. . . . Recompense heraccording to her work; according to all that shehath done, do unto her."— Jer. 50:24-29.For she saith in her heart.— Babylon reallybelieves her prosperity will continue forever.They "shall believe the lie."— 2 Thess, 2:11.I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall seeno sorrow.— See Isa. 47:8, 9; D43; Zeph. 2:15.Revelation 18:8.Therefore.— "Because she will violentlystruggle for life and power."— D39.Shall her plagues.— Death, mourning, famineand fire.Come in one day.— The year of 1918. See Rev.3:14; 11:11.Death.— "By the hand of her enemies."And mourning.— For the loss of her people.—Rev. 18:7.FM281

And famine.— Literal and symbolic (Amos.8:11). "As we call to mind the long train of evilsby which Babylon has oppressed and worn outthe saints of the most High (the true Zion), andhow it is written that God will avenge His ownElect, and that speedily; that, according to theirdeeds, He will repay recompense to His enemies;that He will render unto Babylon a recompense(Luke 18:7, 8; Isa. 59:18; Jer. 51:6), we begin torealize that some fearful calamity awaits her. Thehorrible decrees of Papacy,— the reproach andreward of which Protestantism also is incurringby her present compromising association withher,— for the burning, butchering, banishing,imprisoning and torturing of the saints in everyconceivable way, executed with such fiendishcruelty in the days of her power by the arm of theState, whose power she demanded and received,await full measure of just retribution."— D39.And she shall be utterly burned with fire.—Completely destroyed in the anarchy to ollow.—Rev. 17:16; Gen. 38:24; Ezek. 16:41; Lev.20:14; 21:9.For strong is GOD the Lord [God] who[judgeth] JUDGED her.— "Compare Rev.17:17, where the event is expressly declared tohave been overruled by God." (Cook.) "And Iwill punish Bel in Babylon [the God ofBabylon,— the Pope]; and I will bring forth outof his mouth that which he hath swallowed up[he shall repudiate in his extremity the ‘greatswelling words' and blasphemous titles which hehas long appropriated to himself— that he is theinfallible vicar.' ‘vice-gerent of Christ,' ‘anotherGod on earth,' etc.], and the nations shall notflow together any more unto him. Yea, the wallof Babylon [the civil power that once defendedit, and that in a measure does so still] shall fall.. . . Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: the broadwalls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and herhigh gates shall be burned with fire [shall bedestroyed]; and the people shall labor in vain,and the folk in the fire [to prop and save thewalls of Babylon], and they shall be weary.—Jer. 51:44, 58."— D40. The people are already

getting weary of supporting murderousgovernments.Revelation 18:9.And the kings of the earth, who havecommitted fornication [and lived deliciously]with her.— In the illicit unions of Church andState the advantage, from a worldly viewpoint,has been on the side of the Church. She hascompelled the State to cleanse her filthy linenwhile she proceeded to pollute another lot. Farfrom living deliciously, the horns have reallyhated the harlot for her impudent, shamelessconduct.Shall [bewail her], WAIL and lament forher.— Not because they loved her, but becauseshe was useful to themFM282in keeping the people in ignorance andsubjection.— Jer. 50:46; Ezek. 26:15 to 27:36.When they shall see the smoke of herburning.— When they witness her confusionand signs of imminent destruction as portrayedin the seventh plague— "the handwriting on thewall."— Dan. 5:1-9; Rev. 18:18; 19:3.Revelation 18:10.Standing afar off for fear of her torment.—Realizing that this is a question of interpretationof the Scriptures and not wishing to getentangled in it any more than absolutelynecessary.— Jer. 51:30-33.Saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon,that mighty city.— Alas, that great religioussystem that was always eager to affiliate with usand give a religious coloring to even wholesalemurder by enticing its young men to enlist underour banners!For in one hour is thy judgment come.— Inthe one year 1917-1918.— Rev. 17:12.Revelation 18:11.And the merchants of the earth.— Salesmen ofreligious goods— Popes, Cardinals,

Archbishops, Bishops and smaller fry.— Ezek.27:36; Isa. 23:8; 47:15; Rev. 18:3, 15, 23.Shall weep and mourn over her.— Saying, insubstance, "What shall I do? for my lord takethaway from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; tobeg I am ashamed."— Luke 16:3.For no man buyeth their merchandise anymore.— "And it shall come to pass in that day,saith the Lord of Hosts, that I will cut off thenames of the idols [all sectarian denominations]out of the land, and they shall no more beremembered: and also I will cause the prophets[the clergy] and the unclean spirit [their falsedoctrines] to pass out of the land. And it shallcome to pass that when any [former clergyman]shall yet prophesy [try to still further mislead thepeople into giving him reverence and coin], thenhis father and his mother that begat him shall sayunto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakestlies in the name of the Lord: and his father andhis mother that begat him shall thrust himthrough when he prophesieth [so enraged willthey be when they realize how they have beendeceived respecting fears of hell or assurances ofHeaven for themselves and other descendants ofmonkeys, which the preachers have taught themthey are]. And it shall come to pass in that daythat the prophets [clergy] shall be ashamed everyone of his vision [of the creeds], when he hathprophesied [preached]; neither shall they wear arough garment [distinctive clothing— collarsfastened on backwards, in harmony with theirconceptions of religious things, and ties andclothing inFM283mourning to suit] to deceive: But he shall say Iam no prophet [no preacher of the gospel at all],I am an husbandman [a farmer]; for man taughtme to keep cattle from my youth. [Ezekiel 34:1-31 shows how poorly they kept the cattle]. Andone shall say unto him, What are these wounds[marks of rough usage] in thine hands? Then heshall answer, Those with which I was woundedin the house of my friends [by myarishioners]."— Zech. 13:2-6.

Revelation 18:12.The merchandise of gold.— Truths respectingthe Divine nature. There was a time when thenominal church had the custody of these truths,but that privilege passed in 1878.And of silver.— Truths respecting the GreatCompany.And precious stones.— Truths respecting theLord's jewels.— Mal. 3:17.And of pearls.— Truths respecting the thingspurchased by the Lord's death.— Matt. 13:45,46.And fine linen.— Truths respecting therighteousness of the Lord's saints.— Rev. 19:8;Rom. 8:4; 2 Pet. 1:9.And purple.— Truths respecting the Church'sexpectation of coming royalty.— Rev. 5:10;20:4; Luke 12:32; 22:29, 30; James 2:5; Mark10:23; 1 Cor. 4:8; Rev. 3:21; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev.2:26, 27; Psa. 2:8-12; 49:14; Rom. 8:19; 16:20.And silk.— Truths respecting the most beautifulof all the fabrics of the loom— grand, beautifulcharacters made so by the wisdom and mercy ofGod out of men and women that to start withwere only poor worms of earth.And scarlet.— Truths respecting the Ransomsacrificeof our Lord. (1 Tim. 2:6; Rom. 14:9;Rom. 5:18, 19; John 1:29; 1 John 2:2.) All thesetruths have passed away from Babylon, but theerrors must go, too.And all thyine wood.— Errors respecting man'sinherent immortality. Thyine wood is a sweetsmellingwood; wood is a symbol or humantraditions. The sweetest of all human theories isthe declaration that when a man dies he is notdead at all. (1 Cor. 3:12.) Very shortly men willbegin to come back from the dead, "the last first"(Matt. 59:30; 20:16); and stories that they havebeen in some fabulous hell or in Heaven will beat a considerable discount.And all manner vessels of ivory.— Stories ofdeath-bed repentance and dreams, used to

decorate unscriptural doctrines. Ivory was and isused in the harness of horses. It was also used todecorate beds. (Amos 6:4.) Horses symbolizeteachings, and beds symbolize creed-beds. Theapplication fits, whichever way the symbol isapplied.— Jer. 23:28.FM284And all manner vessels of most preciouswood.— Errors that appeal to the heart of thenatural man.— 1 Cor. 3:12.And of brass.— Copper; errors respecting thenature of man, created perfect and to be recreatedin the same likeness.— Gen. 1:31; Rev.21:5.And iron, [And marble].— Errors respectingthe "iron rule" and when it is to be exercised.—Dan. 2:40; Rev. 2:27.Revelation 18:13.And cinnamon, and spice, and odours, andointments.— Errors respecting the nature andwork of the Holy Spirit. "These principal spicesrepresent things which go to make up theanointing which we receive to become priestsand kings with Christ.EXODUS 30:23HolyAnointing OilOlive oil, an hinMyrrh 500Cinnamon 250Calamus 250Cassia 500EXODUS 31:3BezaleelFilled with the Spiritof the LordWisdomUndewrstandingKnowledgeWorkmanshipISAIAH 11:2ChristSpirit of Lordresting upon himWisdomUnderstandingKnowledgeCounsel and Might"In the above parallel we find knowledge parallelwith calamus and understanding with cinnamon,and of each a like quantity is prescribed. Wehave the understanding of all the knowledgereceived of God."— Z.'07-349.And frankincense.— Errors respecting the kindof praise proper to offer. Much of the hymn-booktheology is bad.

And wine.— Errors respecting our privilege ofdraining the Lord's cup of sorrow now, that wemay drink the cup of joy with Him hereafter.—Matt. 20:22; 26:27.And oil.— Errors with reference to the anointingof the Royal Priesthood.— Psa. 133:1-3; 1 Pet.2:5.And fine flour.— Errors as to why the truewheat are so repeatedly crushed, broken andsifted— until "nothing of earth is seen."And wheat.— Errors as to who are the truewheat. A sister on her first service of Truthliterature at a church door was asked by thepastor, "What are you doing around here?"Startled, the Sister replied, "I am looking for thewheat." The pastor replied, with some anger,"Go away! There is no wheat here."And beasts.— Cattle; errors as to the nature ofsacrifices with which the Lord is pleased.— Psa.66:15.And sheep.— Errors as to how to care for thetrue sheep.And horses.— Errors as to the kind of doctrinesto employ.— Rev. 9:17-19.And chariots.— Errors in multiplyingorganizations not authorized in the Scripturesand not in harmony therewith.SM285And slaves.— Errors respecting what it means tobe a servant of the Lord.— Luke 16:13; 2 Tim.2:24; Matt. 10:24, 25; 23:11.And souls of men.— Errors respecting what isthe soul.— Ezek. 18:4; Isa. 53:13.Revelation 18:14.And the fruits that thy soul lusted after.—Love of ease, money and praise of men.Are departed from thee.— Replaced by theconditions affecting the common people. "Everyvalley [lowly and depressed one] shall beexalted, and every mountain and hill [highlyexalted one] shall be made low: and the crooked

[doctrines] shall be made straight, and the roughplaces [where the iron heel of oppression hasmade a hard path for the weary multitudes tofollow] shall be made plain."— Isa. 40:4.And all things which were dainty andgoodly.— Stained glass windows, soft carpetsand upholstery, church suppers, etc.[Are departed] PERISHED from thee, and[thou shalt] THEY SHALL find them nomore at all.—The future of the clergy is that inthe Millennial Age they will have to work for aliving, like everybody else! Isn't it awful tocontemplate? It means an expense of 65c for analarm clock in every preacher's house inChristendom!Revelation 18:15.The merchants of these things.— The salesmenof these goods, the clergy.— Rev. 18:3, 11;Ezek. 27:36; Isa. 23:8; 47:15.Which were made rich by her.— Who basehitherto made a good living in the profession ofthe ministry.Shall stand afar off for the fear of hertorment, weeping and wailing.— Over theirlost jobs.Revelation 18:16.[And] saying, Alas, alas, that great city.—Babylon, mother and daughters.That was clothed in fine linen.— Seemed to theworshipers of the beast and his image veryrighteous.And purple.— Seemed to be already reigningon the earth.And scarlet.— Seemed to have been faithful tothe blood shed on Calvary.And decked with gold.— Seemed to have beenthe repository of Truth Divine.And precious stones.— Seemed to haveincluded in her membership all the Lord's jewels.

And pearls.— Seemed to be the sure heir of allthat the Lord purchased by His death.Revelation 18:17.For in one hour so great riches is come tonought.— In one short year, 1917-1918, the vastand complicated system of sectarianism reachesits zenith of power, only to be suddenly dashedinto oblivion.— Rev. 18:10.FM286And every shipmaster.— Pilot (sky pilot),Greek.— Ezek. 27:27.And [all] the company in ships] EVERY ONEWHO SAILETH BY THE PLACE.— All thepassengers.— Ezek. 27:29.And sailors.— Mission workers.And as many as trade by sea.— As many aswork the sea, Greek. Salvation Army, Volunteersof America, and others who work solely amongthe masses not under religious restraint.Stood afar off.— Realized that the old doctrinesand the schemes for raising money would neverwork again.Revelation 18:18.And cried when they saw the smoke of herburning.— Her confusion and destruction by theLord.Saying, What city is like unto this greatcity.— With its millions of adherents, allprofessedly interested in mission work.Revelation 18:19.And they cast dust on their [heads] HEAD.—Did a certain amount of mud-slinging.— Ezek.27:30; Lam. 2:10.And cried, weeping and wailing.— Andgnashing their teeth, too, no doubt.Saying, Alas, [alas] that great city.— Thatwonderful religio-political combination.Wherein were made rich all that had ships inthe sea.— All preachers who were strongenough and clever enough to manage people's

churches, independent of the sects. Many such"independent" churches have large memberships.By reason of her costliness.— By reason of theamount of money that can be raised in and forsuch institutions.For in one hour is she made desolate.— "Tothem the fall of Babylon at first is astounding, aperplexity, but will work no real injury, becausethe reign of Babylon over the earth will besuperseded by the reign of the New Jerusalem—the Kingdom of God's dear Son."— PastorRussell; Rev. 18:8; 3:14; 11:11.Revelation 18:20.Rejoice over her, thou Heaven.— New powersof spiritual control, Christ and His Bride,appointed to take her place.— Jer. 51:48; Phil.3:20; Rev. 11:18.And ye [holy] SAINTS AND Apostles.— Youwho have suffered at her hands.— Matt. 23:34,35; Rev. 13:15; 18:24.And Prophets.— The faithful teachers of theChristian church, and also the Prophets of old,who foresaw Mystic Babylon's rise and fall, andknew that it stood between them and thefulfillment of their hopes. "Daniel, who wasthinking specially of Israel, and of the fulfillmentof God's promises to the fathers, perceived thatall that he had heard could not occur in 2300literal days, especially when Gabriel said to him,‘But shut thou up the vision,FM287for it will be fulfilled after many days.' Andthough he knew not how long each symbolic daywould be, he was made sick at heart by thethought of so many evils as were coming uponGod's people— though he saw not the change ofthat name from fleshly to spiritual Israel. Weread, ‘And I, Daniel, languished and was sick forsome days.'"— C105.For God hath avenged you on her.— Thisvengeance of God for the wrongs done to Hissaints in all ages began in 1878 (Rev. 6:10, 11),and closes with the full end of the Harvest. When

the last member of the Great Company class isdelivered the system will utterly perish.Revelation 18:21.And a mighty angel.— The common people.Took up a stone like a great millstone.—Temporarily lifted ecclesiasticism to greatheights.And.— Experiencing a sudden conviction oftheir error in so doing, and of the truly devilishcharacter of the system.Cast it into the sea.— Overwhelmed it in aflood of anarchy. When this occurs there will bea "great hissing noise" (2 Pet. 3:10, Diaglott),indicating that the millstone will be warm,wrathy, at the moment of disappearance. Theeffect of throwing a hot stone into water is todisintegrate it completely.— Jer. 51:61-64; Ex.15:5; Neh. 9:11.Saying, Thus with violence shall that greatcity Babylon be thrown down, [And shall befound no more at all.]— "The masses of thepeople, no longer ignorantly stupid as during theDark Ages, will awaken to the true situation, andwill execute upon Babylon the Great— alreadyrepudiated by the Lord— the judgment foretold.She shall be cast like a great millstone into thesea, never to rise again. The sea represents themasses of the people, especially a restlessopposition class." (Z.'13-343.)"The fact is the world has outgrown the redhotand peppery dishes that suited the lastgeneration, and it is quite beyond the power of avery few solemn gentlemen to produce areaction."— D110; Jer. 51:64.Revelation 18:22.And there shall be no more found in her thevoice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers,and trumpeters.— Those able to make melodyand harmony out of the Scriptures.— Isa. 24:8;Ezek. 26:13.IT shall be heard no more at all in thee.—Even now Ecclesiasticism is entirely unable to

supply any explanation of either Ezekiel orRevelation, or to understand the one that issupplied.And no craftsman, [of whatsoever craft hebe,] shall be found any more in thee; [And thesound of a millstone shall be heard no more atall in thee].— God is the great craftsman. "Weare laborers together with God: ye areFM288God's husbandry, ye are God's building.According to the grace of God which is givenunto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid thefoundation and another buildeth thereon. But letevery man take heed how he buildeththereupon."— 1 Cor. 3:9, 10.Revelation 18:23.[And the light of a candle shall shine no moreat all in thee;] And the voice of theBridegroom and of the Bride.— Christ and Histrue Church.— Jer. 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; 33:11.Shall be heard no more at all in thee.—Neither Christ nor His saintly ones have hadanything to say in the affairs of the nominalchurch since 1878; nor have they wished to have."The rejection of Babylon (‘Christendom'), in1878, was the rejection of the mass ofprofessors— the ‘host,' as it is termed by Daniel,to distinguish it from the Sanctuary or Templeclass."— C180.For thy merchants were the great men of theearth— They said so, themselves. They haveattempted to direct everything from prize fightsup. Rev. Rainsford even tried to run a beersaloon, but was not able to make it a coinproducerfor the church and gave it up.— Isa.23:8; 47:15; Rev. 18:3, 11, 15; Ezek. 27:21, 36.For by thy sorceries were all nationsdeceived.— "Consider, again, why Babylon is sonamed. Evidently, because of her many errors ofdoctrine, which, mixed with a few elements ofDivine Truth, make great confusion, and becauseof the mixed company brought together by themixed truths and errors. This sin of holding and

teaching error at the sacrifice of truth is one ofwhich every sect of the church nominal is guilty,without exception. Where is the sect in whichyou can obey the Master's words and let yourlight shine? We know of none."— C180; Rev.17:2; 2 Kings 9:22.Revelation 18:24.And in her was found the blood ofProphets.— They are accounted as having slainthe Prophets because they refuse to heed them,and to that extent caused them to lay down theirlives needlessly!— Rev. 16:6; 17:6.And of saints.— They are accounted as havingslain the saints because they have given no heedto their warnings, and to that extent caused themto die in vain.— Jer. 51:49.And of all that were slain upon the earth.—The great European war, and other wars, arejustly laid at the door of the system that hasperpetuated the doctrines of Divine right ofclergy and kings; and it is for this reason thatGod has decreed her sins must be wiped out firstwith symbolical blood (Rev. 14:20), andafterwards with literal blood in the red sea ofanarchy.— Ex. 14:21-28; Isa. 63:1-6.FM289REVELATION 19THE OVERTHROW OFSATAN'S EMPIRERevelation 19:1.[And] after these things.— After the saints areglorified and present ecclesiastical systems aredestroyed.I heard AS IT WERE a great voice of muchpeople.— The Great Company.— Rev. 7:10.In heaven.— The only heavenly-minded onesremaining on earth.Saying, Alleluia; Salvation.— Deliverancefrom the Papacy and other sects has come at last.

[And glory, and honor,] and power [unto theLord] OF our God.— It has been accomplishednot by human power, but by the Wisdom andPower of God.— Rev. 7:12.Revelation 19:2.For true and righteous are Thy judgments.—"God is light, and in Him is no darkness atall."— 1 John 1:5; Rev. 15:3; 16:7.For He hath judged the great whore.— Hasexecuted the judgments long foretold.Which did corrupt the earth with herfornication.— Her illicit union with worldlygovernments.And hath avenged the blood of [His] HERservants at her hand.— The millions who haveperished in the Great War have been the servantsof Babylon. The direct cause of their slaughter isthe doctrine of the Divine right of the clergy.These have maintained the kings of Europe ontheir thrones, falsely telling them they are rulingas part of Christ's Kingdom. This position hasled to the death of all these millions, and theirblood will be required at Babylon's hand.Revelation 19:3.And again they said, Alleluia.— The more theythink it over, the happier they will become.And her smoke.— The evidences of herdestruction; the remembrance.— Isa. 34:10; Rev.14:11; 18:9, 18.Rose up for ever and ever.— Will be recordedin secular history, even as it is recorded in "theWord of God, which liveth and abideth forever."— 1 Pet. 1:23.Revelation 19:4.And the [four and] twenty FOUR elders.—The prophecies.— Rev. 4:4, 10.And the four beasts.— Infinite Power, Justice,Wisdom and Love.— Rev. 4:7.

FM290Fell down and worshipped God that sat on theThrone, saying Amen; Alleluia.— The God,the mighty One, here referred to is the LordJesus.— Rev. 5:8.Revelation 19:5.And [a voice] VOICES.— The Little Flock,beyond the veil.Came out of the Throne.— They will be in theThrone at that time.— Rev. 3:21.Saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants.—Of the Great Company class.— Rev. 7:15; Psa.134:1-3.[And] ye that fear Him, [both] small andgreat.— Your deliverance was wholly due to theLord. We did what we could to help you, but itwas as nothing. To the Lord belongs all the gloryfor your deliverance and ours.— Rev. 11:18.Revelation 19:6.And I heard as it were the voice of a greatmultitude.— "In the Age to come, when Godshall ‘pour out His Spirit upon all flesh,' asduring the present Age He pours it upon His‘servants and handmaids,' then indeed all willunderstand and appreciate the promises nowbeing grasped by the ‘little flock'; and they willrejoice in the obedience and exaltation of theChurch, saying, ‘Let us be glad and rejoice, andgive honor to God, for the Marriage of the Lambis come, and His Wife hath made herself ready.'They will rejoice in the glorification of theChurch, through which blessings will then beflowing to them; and while they will realize thatthe ‘exceeding great and precious promises'inherited by the Anointed (Head and Body) arenot for them, but have been fulfilled upon us,they will be blessed by the lesson illustrated inthe Church; and while they run for the blessingsthen held out to them, they will profit by theexample of the Church and glorify God on herbehalf. But this knowledge will not bringcovetousness; for under the new order of thingstheir calling to perfect human nature will fully

satisfy them, and will seem more desirable tothem than a change of nature."— A86.And as the voice of many waters.— Allmankind.— Rev. 17:15.And as the voice of mighty thunderings.— Anoverwhelming and complete reaction in favor ofthe Truth. The "seven thunders" will then bethundering as never before.— Rev. 10:4; 8:5.Saying, Alleluia: for [the Lord] God OURLORD THE Omnipotent reigneth.— "ShowsHimself to be king by subduing His enemies."(Cook.) Thoroughly convinced of the greatnessof the Lord's power, as all men will be by the endof the Time of Trouble, they will be glad toentrust all their interests to His care.291Revelation 19:7.Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor toHim.— "Thy people shall be willing in the dayof Thy power."— Psa. 110:3.For the Marriage of the Lamb is come.— Themarriage of men and women is declared in theScriptures to be a type of the marriage of Christand His Church. (Eph. 5:22-23.) It is arecognized principle that the antitype is greaterthan the sum of all the types. The death of Christwas greater than all the sacrifices throughout theJewish Age. Now call to mind that the weddingday is the happiest of every human being. Thinkof all the happiness caused by all the weddingsthat have ever occurred, and know that the sumtotal is as nothing compared to the joy that willpervade the Universe when the festal day ofeternity takes place, and Christ and His Bride aremade one.And His Wife.— "The Bride represents ‘all whohave believed up to the commencement of theMillennium. These alone are the mystical Bodyof Christ But after they are completed, at theSecond Advent the earth will be peopled by the"nations of the saved" in flesh and blood,— atotally different party from the then glorifiedBride.'"— Cook.

Hath made herself ready.— The witnessing tothe world during the present Age is quitesecondary and incidental to the Church's moreimportant work of making herself ready.—F608; T115; Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1; 2 Cor. 11:2;Eph. 5:27; Rev. 21:2, 9; John 3:29; Cant. all;Psa. 45:10-14; Matt. 9:15; 25:1; 25:10; Mark2:19; Luke 12:36.19:8. And to her was granted that she shouldbe arrayed in fine linen, BRIGHT AND cleanand white.— "‘She shall be brought unto theKing in raiment of needle work' (Psa. 45:14)—in the simple white robe of her Lord's ownfurnishing, the robe of His righteousness, uponwhich she will have wrought, with muchcarefulness, the beautiful adornments of theChristian graces. And great will be the rejoicingin Heaven and in earth at her abundant entranceinto the King's palace.— 2 Pet. 1:5-8, 11."—C193.For the fine linen is the righteousness ofsaints.— Here and there throughout theScriptures are keys which unlock its mysteries.(Rev. 3:18; Psa. 132:9.) This is the key to severalotherwise obscure passages.Revelation 19:9.And he.— The faithful and wise Servant towhom the custody of all the things in HisStorehouse was especially promised by the Lordof the Harvest.— Luke 12:42-44; Rev. 3:14; 1:1.Saith unto me, write.— To representatives ofthe John class, commissioned to write somethingof encouragement to the Church after he himselfhad ceased to write.Revelation 292Blessed are they which are called unto the[marriage] supper of the Lamb.— TheMarriage Supper (Luke 14:15) will be like all theother feasts the Church has had, not of physicalfood, but of truths Divine. That will be the timewhen the Lord, the Head of the family, willexplain to us every part of every verse in all HisHoly Word. We shall have perfect memories

then, in which to treasure every word He utters,and perfect bodies, too, in which to perform tothe full all God's holy will. We have the will todo it now. We have tried to understand HisWord, and tried to help others to understand it;but the best we could do was far from perfect.The Lord, in His love and mercy, has acceptedour best endeavors here as evidence of ourworthiness for the perfect opportunities thatawait us. "Ultimately the full number purposedby the great Householder will have been called,accepted, and found worthy through Christ tohave a place at that table— to share in that greatFeast. (Matt. 22:1-10.) At that feast, we areassured, will be a secondary company, notworthy to be of the Bride class. These may befiguratively styled the bridesmaids, the GreatCompany class; for after the account of thegathering of the Bride we have the Lord'smessage to these subsequently delivered fromBabylon, saying, ‘Blessed are they that are calledto the marriage supper of the Lamb.' You canimagine the honors and joys of that greatbanquet!"— Z.'14-74.And he saith unto me, These MY TRUESAYINGS, are the [true] sayings of God.—Ascend, beloved, to His joy;Thy festal day has come;To-night the Lamb doth feast His own,To-night He with His Bride sits down,To-night puts on the spousal crown,In the great Upper Room.Revelation 19:10.And I fell at his feet to worship him.— "Ifthere come to any of us a thought of doinghomage to the Lord's messengers or servants itwould be our duty to fully recognize that Godalone, however much He may use humaninstrumentalities in conveying His blessings, isto be honored and reverenced and appreciated asthe Author and Giver of every good and perfectgift.— James 1:17."— Z.'07-105; Rev. 22:8.And he said unto me, See thou do it not.— ButSatan said to the Lord, "All these things will I

give thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worshipme." (Matt. 4:9.) When Papacy did this, Satanwas true to his promise. By resorting to worldlyforms, customs and entertainments all thedaughters have followed the example of themother.FM293I am thy fellowservant.— "St. John in hishumility forgets his own share in imparting therevelation; and the Angel in his humility bringsthis to light (Acts 10:25, 26)."— Cook; Acts14:14, 15; Rev. 22:9; Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Tit.1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1.And of [thy] THE brethren that have thetestimony of Jesus: worship God.— "Whoseservants we both are; of Whose prophetic Spiritwe alike partake in this our common ministry;and therefore one of us may not worship theother."— Cook.For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit ofprophecy.— "All Christians, in every age, whocan receive and understand prophecy, have thisspirit." (Cook; 1 Cor. 12:13.) However, "Thedesign of prophecy is to bear testimony to Jesus.This is its great and ultimate end. The wordprophecy here seems to be used in the largesense in which it is often employed in the NewTestament— meaning to make known the divinewill, and the primary reference here would seemto be to the preachers and teachers of the NewTestament. The sense is, that their grandbusiness is to bear testimony to the Savior. Theyare all appointed for this, and therefore shouldregard themselves as ‘fellow-servants.' Thusunderstood, this passage has no direct referenceto the prophecies of the Old Testament, andteaches nothing in regard to their design, thoughit is in fact undoubtedly true that their grand andleading object was to bear testimony to the futureMessiah."— Barnes; Rev. 12:17.Revelation 19:11.And I saw heaven opened.— The hidden thingsof God as recorded in the Seventh Volume ofSTUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.— Rev. 11:19.

And behold a white horse.— Teachings which,however unpalatable to Churchianity, arenevertheless the truth.And He that sat upon him was calledFaithful.— "The faithful and true Witness."—Rev. 3:14.And True.— "He that is holy, He that is true."—Rev. 3:7.And in righteousness He doth judge and makewar.— "While the Lord forbids His people tofight with carnal weapons, and while He declaresHimself to be a God of peace, a God of order andof love, He also declares Himself to be a God ofjustice, and shows that sin shall not forevertriumph in the world, but that it shall bepunished. ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saiththe Lord.' (Rom. 12:19; Deut. 32:35.) And whenHe rises up to judgment against the nations,taking vengeance upon all the wicked, Hedeclares Himself ‘a man of war' and ‘mighty inbattle, and having a ‘great army' at Hiscommand.— Exod. 15:3; Psa. 24:8; 45:3; Rev.19:11; Isa. 11:4; Joel 2:11."— D549.FM294Revelation 19:12.His eyes were [as] a flame of fire.— The Lord'sWisdom sees that the time has come for thedestruction of present iniquitous systems.— Rev.1:14.And on His head were many crowns.— Theright to rule all the kingdoms of the earth.—Ezek. 21:27.And He had a name written, that no manknew, but He Himself.— This new name is tobe also the name of the Church, His Bride.Possibly it has not yet been revealed.— Rev.2:17; 3:12.Revelation 19:13.And He was clothed with a vesture [dipped in]SPRINKLED WITH blood.— A reference toHis faithfulness even unto death, and a hint toHis Body what to expect shortly.

And His name [is] HATH BEEN called theWord of God.— In this picture He isrepresented as coming, not as the Messenger ofthe Covenant, but in apokalupsis, revealment asearth's rightful King.— John 1:1; Rev. 1:2.Revelation 19:14.And the armies which were in heaven.— Allthe armies of Rev. 7:5-8, the Little Flock,whether on this side of the veil or on the other.—Rev. 17:14.Followed Him.— "The sheep follow Him: forthey know His voice. And a stranger will theynot follow."— John 10:4, 5.Upon white horses.— Teachings clean andpure.Clothed in fine linen, white and clean.— 'Therighteousness of saints."— Rev. 19:8.Revelation 19:15.And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword.—"Our examination, in a preceding volume, of thegreat difference in character between theKingdom of God and the beastly kingdoms ofearth, prepares us to see also a difference inmodes of warfare. The methods of conquest andbreaking will be widely different from any whichhave ever before overthrown nations. He whonow takes His great power to reign is shown insymbol as the One whose sword went forth outof His mouth, ‘that with it He should smite thenations; and He shall rule them with a rod ofiron.' That sword is the Truth.— Eph. 6:17."—C100; Isa. 11:4; 49:2; 2 Thess, 2:8; Rev. 1:16;2:12, 16;19:21; Hos. 6:5; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12.That with it He should smite the nations.—"‘He shall smite the earth with the rod of Hismouth, and with the breath of His lips [the forceand spirit of His Truth] shall He slay the wicked.'(Isa. 11:4; Psa. 98:1.) To no human generalshipcan the honors of the coming victory for truthand righteousness be ascribed. Wild will be theconflict of the angry nations, and world-widewill be the battle-field and the distress of nations;

and no human Alexander, Caesar or Napoleonwill be found to bring order out of theFM295dreadful confusion. But in the end it will beknown that the grand victory of justice and truth,and the punishment of iniquity with its justdeserts, was brought about by the power of theKing of kings and Lord of lords."— D19.And He shall rule them with a rod of iron.—"In this ‘Day of Jehovah,' the ‘Day of Trouble,'our Lord takes His great power (hithertodormant) and reigns, and this it is that will causethe trouble, though the world will not sorecognize it for some time. That the saints shallshare in this work of breaking to pieces presentkingdoms, there can be no doubt. It is written,‘This honor have all His saints— to execute thejudgments written, to bind their kings withchains, and their nobles with fetters of iron'— ofstrength. (Psa. 149:8, 9.) ‘He that overcometh,and keepeth My works unto the end, to Him willI give power over the nations, and He shall rulethem with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a pottershall they [the empires] be broken to shivers.'"—Rev. 2:26, 27; Psa. 2:8, 9; C100.And He treadeth the winepress of thefierceness and wrath of THE ANGER OFAlmighty God.— The Lord assumes an interestin and responsibility for the complete series ofSTUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, the last one ofwhich especially represents the winepress feature(Rev. 14:18-20), but it would be unreasonable toexpect that the Lord would miraculously useimperfect tools to do an absolutely perfect workand each must use his judgment as to the valueof the interpretations in this book. Additionally,it should be remarked that the language here ismore intense than in Rev. 14, indicating theextension of the winepress feature to other thanecclesiastical matters.Revelation 19:16.And He hath on His vesture and on His thigha name written.— "The thigh is introduced asthe place where the sword (which is not

mentioned here, see ver. 15) is usually found, inaccordance with Psa. 45:3: ‘Gird Thee with Thysword upon Thy thigh, O Most Mighty.'"—Cook.King of kings and Lord of lords.— Before thecontroversy aroused by this book is finished,every person in the world will be convinced thatit marks a distinct step by the Lord in His seizureof Satan's Empire.— 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14;Psa. 137:3; Dan. 8:25. 19:17.And I saw [an] ANOTHER angel.— TheElijah class after the publication of VolumeSeven, Studies in the Scriptures. See Rev. 8:3-5;14:18.Standing in the sun.— Resplendent in the lightof the Gospel.— Rev. 12:1; Matt. 13:43.And He cried with a loud voice.— Fearlesslyand plainly declaring the Truth.Saying to all the fowls.— Birds, Greek.— Matt.24:28.FM296That fly in the midst of heaven.— First to the"eagles," the far-sighted ones, the Little Flock,and then, by extension, to all who live, mentally,on any plane above the grossly material.Come [and gather yourselves] BEGATHERED together unto the GREATsupper of [the great] God.— We should lookfor applications appropriate to the symbolicalbook we are studying, even though it developlater, as it will, that these passages will have aliteral and terrible fulfillment in a deluge ofactual bloodshed, of which the European War isbut a preliminary.Revelation 19:18.That ye may eat the flesh of kings.— Five ofthese kings or rulers are enumerated in Rev. 6:4.Doubtless the reader has eaten them, in thesymbolical sense. They are there to be eaten.And the flesh of captains.— Lessercommanders, enumerated in Rev. 8:7-12. Nodoubt the reader has eaten these also.

And the flesh of mighty men.— Warriors.These warriors are referred to in Rev. 9:7, 9,although there mentioned under the name oflocusts. If the reader has not eaten (appropriated,absorbed, digested) the account, the task shouldbe undertaken at once, or something will bemissed.That the Lord made no mistake in selecting theLocust as a symbol of the Methodist system ofblindly following leaders is clear from thefollowing extract from the works of a traveler:"While sojourning in Syria I was told that thewhole country round Mt. Lebanon was dismayedone year by the news that a vast army ofmarching locusts was coming from the easterndesert. The governor of the district ordered aregiment of soldiers to aid the people toconstruct a great rampart of heath bushes to beset on fire as the locusts came up to it, hopingthus to save the gardens of Beirut. These locustsalways hopped straight ahead, deviating neitherto the right nor left, and on coming to a housewent up its stone walls, over it and down it, as ifit were a level place, and in such inconceivablenumbers that an American resident described thenoise of the great host passing over the roof aslike to that of a tremendous hailstorm. At everygreen leaf on the way each took a bite, and thenwent on for the next one to take his bite, until inan incredibly short time not a green thing couldbe seen. When they reached the prepared heapsof heath, and these were set on fire, the locustsmarched on without pausing, until in a brief timethey put the bonfires completely out. As the seawas not far off everybody hoped that they wouldtake toFM297surf bathing. And so they did. Just as certaininjurious political crowds among us can alwaysbe always depended upon to march up to thepolls and vote the straight ticket, when thevanguard reached the waves, like all good truelocusts, in they hopped, followed by all the rest,till the billows seemed to roll only grasshoppers;nor did the scene end until the last of the rear

guard had skipped over the heaps of his deadcomrades to make his last jump into the bluewaters or the Mediterranean."— Jer. 51:64.And the flesh of horses.— Did you not see thehorses in Rev. 9:17, 18, and did you not eatthem, fire, jacinth, brimstone and all?And of them that sit on them.— Did we notfind two hundred millions of these horsemen,and did you not eat them?— See Rev. 9:16.And the flesh of all men, both free and bond,both small and great.— And did we not find allthe rest of the men included in Rev. 9:20, 21, anddid we not eat them in the same manner? We did,indeed. We ate or appropriated the truthconcerning them. It is our eating of these truthsthat lead to the events next narrated.Revelation 19:19.And I saw the beast.— The Papacy restored topower. Weymouth's New Testament in ModernSpeech translates this verse as follows, and addsa footnote that the "once for all," though notexpressed in the Greek, is implied in the aoristtense of the verb: "And I saw the Wild Beast,and the kings of the earth, and their armies, allassembled to make war, once for all, against theRider upon the horse and against His army."And the kings of the earth.— Called to the warby demons. (Rev. 16:13-16.) "The kings of theearth set themselves [in opposition], and therulers [not knowing that they are fighting againstthe establishment of the Lord's Kingdom], takecounsel together against the Lord and against HisAnointed, [but] He that sitteth in the heavensshall laugh; the Lord shall have them inderision."— Psa. 2:2, 4; D52.And their armies— Their following, Civil,Social, Ecclesiastical and Financial.Gathered together to make war.— "The war,"Greek.Against Him that sat on the horse, and againstHis army.— Although composed of the twelvesymbolical tribes (Rev. 19:14; 7:4-8) they are,after all, but one army, all "One in Christ Jesus."

"Let it be seen that the best and the worst ofearth's nations are but ‘kingdoms of this world,'whose lease of power from God is now expired,that they may give place to their ordainedsuccessor, the Kingdom of Messiah, the FifthUniversal Empire of earth (Dan.FM2982:44; 7:14, 17, 27)— and it will do much toestablish truth and to overthrow error. But as itis, the actions of Papacy in this regard,sanctioned by the Protestant Reformers, gounquestioned among Christian people. And sincethey should uphold the Kingdom of Christ, theyfeel themselves called to the aid of the presentfalling kingdoms of so-called Christendom— tothe side of the kingdoms of this world, and theprince of this world, rather than to the side of thecoming true Kingdom of Christ."— A270; Rev.16:16; 17:13, 14.Revelation 19:20.And the beast was taken.— The Papacy wascaught. (Jer. 50:43-46.) No doubt the publicationof this book will come at a time unfavorable tothe schemes of the Papacy and interfere greatlywith its efforts at reestablishment.— Rev. 17:14.And with him the false prophet that wroughtmiracles before him.— The Image of theBeast.— Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2;16:2, 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.With which he deceived them that hadreceived the mark of the beast.— Protestants.And them that worshipped his Image.—Catholics.These both.— Both of these systems, not thepeople.Were cast alive.— While they are stillorganized and operative.— H59.Into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.—Into the complete and everlasting destruction, ofthe anarchy (symbolized by fire) of the Time ofTrouble. This utter destruction of these systems

is the beginning of the annihilation of everythingout of harmony with God's righteousarrangements. It was typified by the valley ofGehenna, just outside of Jerusalem. By the aid ofbrimstone the bodies of specially detestablecriminals were there burned with the other refuseor Jerusalem. Standing upon the edge of thisvalley at night it had the appearance of a lakeburning with fire and brimstone. Burningbrimstone is the most deadly agent known, andsymbolizes utter destructiveness.— Dan. 7:11.Revelation 19:21.And the remnant.— The people who are leftafter their systems are destroyed.Were slain with the sword of Him that satupon the horse.— Will, in due time, come intoloving and cheerful submission to the truth.—Rev. 19:15; 2 Cor. 10:4.Which sword proceeded out of His mouth.—All should be able to see that it is not a literalsword that is here referred to.And all the fowls were filled with theirflesh.— See Rev. 19:18.FM299REVELATION 20THE THOUSAND YEARS' REIGNRevelation 20:1.And I saw an Angel come down [fromHeaven].— The Messenger of the Covenant atHis Second Advent.— Mal. 3:1.Having the key of the [bottomless pit]ABYSS.— Only Infinite Wisdom could providethe key to the solution of present difficulties inthe earth. Here is a system of superstition andcrime two thousand years old, and the praise andservice of it ingrained into nearly every humanbeing. All literature is poisoned with it. Publicopinion is for it. The educated, the refined, thewealthy, the powerful are all for it and all againstany change that would give the lower strata of

society a fair chance. To overcome conditionslike this is a task for Divinity itself.And a great chain in His hand.— The TRUTH,as contained in the Seven Volumes of ScriptureStudies. This chain of Truth has been forged, linkby link, over a period of forty years. Eachvolume has made it more certain that old systemscan never hope to stand against it.Revelation 20:2.And He laid hold on the dragon.— Theiniquitous system of civil government which hasassociated with it the principle of holding themasses in subjection by preying upon their fearsbeyond this life. The subject of specialcondemnation in this regard, the masterpiece ofSatan, is the old Roman Empire, still living inthe Papacy and the Church-State governments ofEurope. This system is about contemporaneouswith the (seven) Times of the Gentiles (2520years ending in Oct, 1914), which began in theFall of 607 B. C., or, as we would say, at thebeginning of 606, Jewish Time. Rome wasalready well started on its upward path at thattime."Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, fifth legendary kingof Rome, 616-578 B. C., appointed guardian tothe sons of Ancus Marcius, he succeeded insupplanting them on the throne on their father'sdeath. He laid out the Circus Maximus, institutedthe great games, built the great sewers, andbegan the construction of the temple of Jupiteron the Capitol. He removed from Tarquinil inEtruria to Rome by the advice of his wife, theprophetess Tanaquil. Tanaquil was famous forher shrewdness and prophetic gifts, whichenabled her to foretell the future greatness of herhusband." (Brit.)FM300That old serpent, which is the Devil, andSatan.— "While the name Old Serpent includesSatan, ‘the prince of devils,' it is here evidentlyused as a synonym for all the sinful agencies andpowers which had their rise in him." (S32.) "OurLord's declaration, that Satan is the great

Adversary, not only of God, but of humanity, isby no means a fancy sketch, but the plain truth.Satan alone is the willful, intelligent plotter andschemer who uses a superhuman intelligenceand, so far as permitted, superhuman powers, inopposing righteousness and truth and those whoare of the Truth. The inspired record asserts,persistently and consistently, that Satan beganthe rebellion against the divine law, and seducedour first parents into disobedience, through hisown ambition for power; and that since man'sfall this same Adversary has been the implacableopponent of God, of righteousness and of truth;and not only the ensnarer of mankind, but theopposer of the great Plan of Atonement whichGod devised and is prosecuting through Christ.From the Scriptural account it does not appearthat Satan had any sympathizers or associateconspirators amongst the angels at the time of hissecession and attempt to establish a lordship ordominion of his own in the earth."— F611.And bound him.— " ‘The god of this world hasblinded the minds of them which believe not, lestthe light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who isthe image of God, should shine unto them.' (2Cor. 4:4.) God wills that all should be so savedfrom all the train of evils following Adam's sinand curse, that they may come to a knowledge ofthe Truth. Why does He will this? To the intentthat having a clear knowledge of the Truth theymay make the very best possible use of the newtrial for life secured for them by their Redeemer'sRansom-sacrifice. It is for the carrying out ofthis, God's will, that the Redeemer willinaugurate His Millennial Kingdom, which willfirst bind Satan (restrain all outside evilinfluences) and then release man from hisblindness;— as it is written, ‘the eyes of theblind shall be opened.' (Isa. 35:5.) For the samereason, viz., that the new trial shall be mostfavorable for man, it is the Divine arrangementthat its work shall be done gradually and requirea thousand years." (E480, 470.)"The Millennial Day is dawning, with its changeof earth's rulership from the control of the‘prince of this world' and his faithful, to the

control of Him ‘whose right it is' (by purchase)and His faithful saints. We have seen that thoughthe result of this change will be a great blessing;yet the time of the transfer, while the presentprince, the ‘strong man,' is being bound and hishousehold driven out of powerFM301(Matt. 12:29), will be a time of intense trouble."(C341.) "In reference to it Jesus said. ‘No mancan enter into a strong man's house and spoil hisgoods, except he will first bind the strong man,and then he will spoil his house.' (Matt. 24:29;Mark 3:22-27; Luke 11:12.) This binding orSatan is accordingly shown to be the first workof the New Dispensation. (Rev. 20:2.)" (A68.)"His every deceptive end misleading influencewill be restrained— so that evil shall no longerappear to men to be good, nor good appearundesirable; evil. Truth shall no longer appear tomen untrue, nor falsehoods be caused to appeartrue." (D519.)"The words of inspiration give us to understandthat Satan's struggles to retain control ofmankind will be especially desperate at itsclose."— S78.A thousand years.— The Millennial Day, theDay of the Lord's rest, following the sixthousand years of evil which ended in 1874."One Day is with the Lord as a thousand years."(2 Pet. 3:8; Psa. 90:4.)"It was the claim of the Papacy that the thousandyears of Christ's Reign, the Millennium,promised in Scripture to follow Christ's SecondAdvent, began in the year 800 A. D., under PopeLeo IlI., who claimed to be the representative ofChrist, His vice-gerent, to begin Christ's Reign inHis stead. In that year the ‘Papal states' wereceded to the Church by Emperor Charlemagne.Their ‘Millennium' ended, it was claimed, in theyear 1799, when Napoleon confiscated theterritories granted to the Church and took thePope, Pins VI., a captive to France, where hedied.

The succeeding freedom from Papal persecution,and the widespread circulation of the Bible in thelanguages of the people, was declared by thePapal leaders to be the ‘little season' (Rev. 20:3)to follow the thousand-year Reign of Christ onearth; and they are hoping that soon they willregain their former power and prestige and oncemore reign supreme, and that their rule will bepermanent. This Papal Millennium is known inhistory as the ‘Dark Ages.' During those darkcenturies millions were tortured, exiled andmurdered for refusing to bow to the mandates ofthe apostate Church, under the leadership ofPopes, Bishops and priests. Agents and spieswore employed to apprehend and bring topunisment any who were found to expresssentiments contrary to the Papal hierarchy, orwho failed to bow in abject submission to theirauthority. Thus were the nations of Europepaganized, end steeped in error and superstitionand in reverence for men who falsely claimed tobe the special and authorized representatives ofGod on earth. They presumed to have authorityto alter the Laws of God when it seemedadvisable to them to d0 so, andFM302thought to change the time for the Reign ofChrist, as we have shown." (Dan. 7:25; Z.'16-181; B354.)"Those who lived next to the Apostles, and thewhole Church for 300 years, understood them[the "Thousand Years"] in the plain literal sense.'According to Jewish theology, as collected fromthe Talmud, Messiah is to gather in from theDispersion all the scattered descendants of theTribes, to discomfit their foreign oppressors, andfrom Jerusalem as a center to rule over the wholeearth which is to be a scene of temporalenjoyment and prosperity.Thus R. Salomen writes: ‘It is fixed that theworld shall stand for 6000 years, according tothe number of the days of the week; but on theseventh Day is the Sabbath, and during theseventh Millennium the world has rest.'"—Cook.

Revelation 20:3.And cast him Into the [bottomless pit]ABYSS.— Oblivion. In this instance it signifiesSatan's enforced idleness, which will surely beoblivion for him after the busy time he has hadduring the past six thousand years. How small hewill feel when he sees the Lord Jesus undo inone thousand years all that he accomplished insix thousand!And shut him up, and set a seal upon him.—Spirit of Truth in the hearts of men; the desire towin the favor or earth's new King, will depriveSatan of all his subjects. All his evil companions.human and angelic, will be destroyed in the Timeof Trouble, Alone, idle and humiliated constantlyfor a thousand years, is a punishment he richlydeserves.That he should deceive the nations no more,till the thousand years should be fulfilled.—"Some have become so deluded by thesophistries of Satan, by which he has deceivedall nations, that they do not believe that there is aGod: others believe in Him as a great andpowerful adversary, without love or sympathy,ready and anxious to torment them to all eternity;others are confused by the Babel of conflictingreports that have reached them, concerning theDivine character, and know not what to believe;and, seeking to draw near unto God, are hinderedby their fears and by their ignorance." (E19. 18.)"The trial, or judgment, of the overcomers of theChristian Dispensation and of the Dispensationthat preceded it, has been much more severe thanthe trial of the world will be in its judgment day;for these have had to Withstand Satan, the princeof this world, with all his wiles andensnarements, while in the world's judgment dayChrist will be reigning, and Satan will be bound,that he may not deceive the nations. These havesuffered persecution for righteousness' sake,while then men will be rewarded forFM303righteousness, and punished only forunrighteousness. These have had great stumbling

locks and snares in the way, which will beremoved when the world is placed on trial. Butthough the trial of these two special companieshas been much more severe than the trial of theworld will be the rewards are correspondinglygreater."— A146.[And] after that he must be loosed a littleseason.— To see who are in heart harmony withthe Lord's will, and who are governed by othermotives. As evil will be bound by the promptinfliction of punishment upon the would-be evildoer,so we may presume it will be loosed byallowing evil deeds to go temporarilyunpunished.— Rev. 20:8.Revelation 20:4.And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them.—The thrones of present earthly kingdoms.—Z.'82-3-6.And judgment was given unto them.—Judicial sentence was passed upon them as unfitto longer continue. (Z.'823-6.) This word isrendered condemnation in Luke 23:40; Jag. 3:1;Jude 4.And I saw the souls.— Persons, beings.—Z.'82-3-6.Of them that were beheaded for the witness ofJesus.— "All constituting the Kingdom class arehere referred to as beheaded. The Apostle givesus the key, saying. "The Head of every man isChrist; the head of the woman is the man; andthe Head of Christ is God.' (1 Cor. 11:3.) As awoman who becomes a wife accepts her husbandas the head of the family (loses her name, herindividuality, to become his bride), so theChurch accepts Christ as her Head, and eachmember of the Church thus comes into.relationship with the Lord as a member of HisBody. It is required of every one who would becounted in as a member of the true Church, thathe should be not only beheaded (lose his selfwill),but that he shall be united to the true Headof the Church and recognize himself as amember of the true Body of Christ— 'the Church

of the living God, whose names are written inHeaven.' "— Z.'01-227; Rev. 1:9; 19:10.And for the word of God.— On account of theWord of God and by means of it. We are"Begotten by the Word of Truth," and to live infullest harmony with its every precept, at anycost to the flesh, is the distinguishing peculiarityof the overcoming Church of God. "Only noware Bible students beginning to emerge fromunder the great cloud of false doctrine which forfifteen hundred years has misrepresented Godand the Bible, putting darkness for light. Onlynow can Bible study be prosecuted in its truespirit, without the fear of man, which brings asnare. Only now is there general education,which permits of Bible study in this true sense.Only now have we the convenientFM304Bible, cheap and in every home. Only now havewe more leisure and opportunity for Bible study.Only now have we good light by which tostudy."— Z.'13-366.[And which] IF ANY THEREFORE had notworshipped the beast, neither his image— SeeRev. 13:13-18.Neither had received his mark upon their[foreheads, or in their hands] FOREHEADAND ON THEIR HAND.— In years to comemillions will be surprised to know that they hadthese marks of assent and service to Satan'sempire. "The gospel of Satan is not a system ofrevolutionary principles, nor yet a program ofanarchy. It does not inspire wars and strife, butpeace and security. It does not set the motheragainst her daughter and the father against hisson, but promotes the fraternal spirit whereby therace is regarded as one great Brotherhood. Itdoes not seek to drag down and degrade thenatural man, but to improve and uplift him.To use a popular phrase, it appeals to ‘the best,all that is good within us.' It aims to make thisworld such a comfortable and congenial habitat

that the absence of Christ will not be felt andGod will not be needed. It endeavors to makemen so satisfied with this life that they shall betotally indifferent to the life hereafter. Itpropagates the principles of self-sacrifice, mercy,charity and benevolence, teaching men to live forthe good of others and to be kind to all. For thosewho observe its conditions and obey itscommands, it promises the development ofcertain inherent occult powers, the solution ofthe more recondite problems of man'sconstitution and the accumulation of esotericknowledge which is withheld from the multitude.In short, it declares that all who will eat of theforbidden fruit shall ‘be as gods.' The gospel ofSatan is one of works. The Devil's ‘Delusion isthat we can be saved by our own works, andjustified by our own deeds. Whereas God tellsus, ‘By grace are ye saved through faith, . . . notof works, lest any man should boast.' And again,‘Not by works of righteousness which we havedone, but according to His mercy He savedus.'— Eph. 2:8, 9; Tit. 3:5,"— Z.'16-42.[And] they BOTH lived and reigned withChrist.— See Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev.5:10.A thousand years.— "The loss of this hope byour forefathers led on to all the grievous errorsfrom which we are now seeking to escape. Dowe not still pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earthas it is done in Heaven?' The Messiah's comingKingdom is the key to the world's blessing byRestitution back to human perfection in a worldwideEden."— Pastor Russell. Observe howmany times this period is mentioned in Rev.20:2-7.FM30520:5. [But the rest of the dead lived not againuntil the thousand years were finished.]"These words are not found in the oldest andmost reliable Greek MSS., the Sinaitic, VaticanNos. 1209 and 1160, nor the Syriac MS.However, the repudiation of this clause is not

essential to the ‘Plan' as herein set forth; for therest of the dead— the world at large— will notlive again in the full sense, in the perfect sensethat Adam lived before he sinned and cameunder the sentence ‘dying thou shalt die.' Perfectlife without weakness or dying is the only sensein which God recognizes the word life. From Hisstandpoint all the world has already lost life, isdying, and might now be more properlydescribed as dead than as alive.— 2 Cor. 5:14;Matt. 8:22."The word resurrection (Greek, anastasis)signifies raising up. As related to man, itsignifies raising up man to that condition fromwhich he fell, to full perfection of manhood—the thing lost through Adam. The process ofresurrection will be a gradual one, requiring theentire Age for its full accomplishment; thoughthe mere awakening to a measure of life andconsciousness, as at present enjoyed, will ofcourse be a momentary work.And since anything short of perfect life is acondition of partial death, it follows that,although the above words are no part of theinspired record, it would be strictly true to saythat the rest of the dead will not live again (willnot regain the fullness of life lost) until thethousand years of restitution and blessing arecomplete."— A288.This is the First Resurrection.— "It isimpossible for the tongue to describe this greathonor and dignity."— 1 Cor. 2:9; Pastor Russell.Revelation 20:6.Blessed and holy is he that hath part in theFirst Resurrection.— " ‘We shall be like Him[the glorified "changed" Jesus], for we shall seeHim as He is.' He is a Spirit Being, ‘the expressimage of the Father's person,' ‘far above angels,principalities and powers, and every name that isnamed.' and hence, far above perfect manhood. Ifwe shall be like Him and share His glory and Hisnature, it means that we too shall be images ofthe Father's person. ‘whom no man hath seen norcan see, dwelling in light which no man can

approach unto;' but to whom we can approachand whom we can see as He is, because we havebeen ‘changed.' (1 John 3:2; 6:16; 1 Tim. 1:17;Exod. 33:20.) Lest any should misunderstandhim, the Apostle guards the above language byadding, ‘As we [the Church] have borne theimage of the earthly [one], we shall also bear theimage of the Heavenly [One].' It is not theApostle's thought that all shall bear the image ofthe Heavenly One, in this sense, ever. SuchFM306was not the design of our Creator. When Hemade man He designed to have a fleshly, humanearthly being, in His own likeness [mentally,morally], to be the lord and ruler of the earth, asthe representative of His Heavenly Creator."(Gen. 1:26-28; Psa. 8:4-7; F722.) "If we knowhow to reproduce the human voice, it gives us alittle illustration of how God, with His unlimitedPower, can preserve everything recorded by theconvolutions of our brain, and of how thesecould be preserved in the future absolutely—everything by which we could know ourselves inthe future."— Z.'14-315.On such the Second Death hath no power.—Aside from the Father and the Son, these are theonly ones in the Universe that will forever bebeyond the possibility of death.— Rev. 2:11;Rom. 2:7; 1 Tim. 6:16.But they shall be priests.— "The antitypicalconsecrating of the antitypicl priests is confinedto the present Gospel Age. It has progressedsteadily since our Lord and Forerunner ‘offeredup Himself'— and will be complete before thisAge has fully ended. And if we fail to be amongthe priests now, during the time of consecration,we cannot be of them when they begin theirservice for the people in the Kingdom, whenthese same priests (now despised of men, but a‘sweet savor to God') will have the title of Kingadded, and will, with their Head, Jesus, rule andbless all nations."— T47; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev. 1:6;5:10.

Of God and of Christ.— "No mention is madehere of being priests of the Holy Ghost as itwould undoubtedly have been mentioned if ithad been the third person of the "trinity.'"And shall reign with Him a thousand years.—"The ‘kingdoms of this world,' even while beingcrushed by the Kingdom of God, will be quiteignorant of the real cause of their downfall,—until, in the close of this ‘day of wrath,' the eyesof their understanding shall open, so that theywill see that a New Dispensation has dawned,and learn that Immanuel has taken to HimselfHis great power, and has begun His glorious andrighteous Reign."— C128; Rev. 20:4.And when the thousand years are expired,Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.— "Itwill be for only a little season; for, his heartremaining unchanged, he will soon see a newavenue to the success of his long-cherishedambition. He will see not merely a perfect humanpair with power to produce a mighty racedestined to live forever, but a race restored to lifeand vigor. His thought will be, ‘If I can win thismighty race to my standard, my triumph andexaltation will be speedily accomplished.'FM307Again, therefore, he will figure as a leader,though, as now, unrecognized by men. Doubtlessthe temptation will again rest upon his olddoctrine— that they shall not surely die, even ifthey do disregard the will of God."— Z.'94-251.Revelation 20:8.And shall go out to deceive all the nations.—"At the close of the Millennial Age there will bea ‘harvest' time, for sifting and separatingamongst the billions of human beings thenliving, each of whom will have enjoyed a fullopportunity of attaining perfection. The Harvestof the Millennial Age will witness the completeseparation of the ‘goats' from the ‘sheep'"(D644.)"While the blessing of the Lord will provide anabundance for all, nevertheless we may safely

assume that the provision will be in the hands oftheir fellows. It will be the ‘sheep' that will beespecially interested in, praying for andpreparing for, those who are in the great prisonhouseof death. And by so engaging their timeand energy these ‘sheep' will be manifesting apurpose, a will, in harmony with that of theCreator. (John 5:28, 29.) Any one not interestedin that work will be lacking in God's Spirit; andthis is what is charged against the goat-class."—Z.'14-268.[Which are] in the four [quarters of the earth]CORNERS, Gog.— Proud (Gog means high),Natural Israelites. (1 Chr. 5:3, 4.) " ‘Ye [proudand unfaithful Jews] shall see Abraham and Isaacand Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom ofGod [the earthly phase], and ye yourselves thrustout.' (Luke 13:28)."— Z.'07-302.And Magog.— Those who, during the GospelAge, were nominal Spiritual Israelites, but atheart were never anything but "tares" and alwaysremain such. Magog was the descendant ofJapheth. (Gen. 10:2.) Europe was peopled by hisdescendants, and it was to them that the Gospelcall of the Age now ending was by Divineappointment sent. (Acts 16:6, 9.) The Gospelwas sent into Europe that it might bedemonstrated that God could call and make intoChristlike characters representatives of even themost cruel, bloodthirsty, quarrelsome, rapaciouspeople on earth. Such they are. Japan is proofthat contact with Europeans will in a generationtransform a contented, peace-loving people into apeople of unbounded ambition, imbued with thespirit of the very Devil.— Ezek. 38:2; 39:1.AND to gather them together to battle.—"When at the close of the Millennial Age all theobedient of mankind shall have attained all thatwas lost in Adam and redeemed by Christ— thenall, armed with complete knowledge andexperience, and hence fully able to stand the test,will be tested severely (as was Adam), butindividually, and onlyFM308

those found in fullest heart-sympathy, as well asin outward harmony, with God and His righteousarrangements, will be permitted to go beyond theMillennium into the everlasting future or ‘world[age] without end.' All others will be destroyedin the Second Death." (E418, 402.) "We read,regarding that testing, that Satan will endeavor tolead astray all mankind, whose numbers willthen be as the sand of the sea for multitude; butthat many of them will choose evil anddisobedience, with past experience before them,and unhampered by present weaknesses andblinding influences, we do not suppose."— H62.Revelation 20:9.And they went up on the breadth of theearth.— "Building upon a supposed weakness inthe Divine character, these may be led to try totake advantage of the grace (favor) of God, andto use it as a license for wilful sin."— H62.And compassed the camp of the saintsabout.— "Just as in Great Britain, the peoplehave gone to Parliament to protest, so therebellious faction of mankind will protest againsttheir faithful princes. The separation of theAncient Worthies from the rest of the worldseems to imply that God has some specialpurpose in respect to them. The term camp itselfimplies that theirs is only a temporary conditionor arrangement, and that God has some betterthing in store for them." (Z.'13-53.)"The noble work of elevating the race by sureand steady steps (under the direction of theunseen spiritual members of the Kingdom) is thehigh honor to which the Ancient Worthies areappointed, and for which they will come forthprepared soon after the final wreck of thekingdoms of this world." (A291.)"Israel as a nation will be the first among thenations to come into harmony with the new orderof things; the earthly Jerusalem will be rebuiltupon her old heaps; and their polity will berestored as in the beginning under princes ofjudges. (Isa. 1:26; Psa. 45:16; Jer. 20:18."—(A294.) " ‘Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the

Prophets' and Ancient Worthies referred to byour Lord and by the Apostles (Matt. 8:11; Heb.11:4-40), having passed their trial, will beawakened from death perfect."Just as Adam, while perfect, beforetransgression, could commune direct with theHeavenly powers, so will these Worthiescommune, when restored to the same state ofperfection." (D619.)"The veil which Moses wore before the people,but laid off when with the Lord in the Mount,would seem to typify the earthly phase of hisKingdom, the ‘princes in all the earth.' " (D630.)"The friendship of David and Jonathan seems tobe suggestive of that beautiful accord which shallexist between the glorifiedFM309Church and the earthly princes who shall be nextto them in the Kingdom of God. Each will bedelighted to fill his honored place in thewonderful Plan of God, and will love the other ashis own soul." (Z.'95-291.)"As we consider the heavens, the work of God'shands, and the innumerable worlds therein underpreparation for inhabitants, we may reasonablysuppose that these Ancient Worthies, who werefaithful during the reign of evil, even unto death,will have some further honorable service, notonly during the Millennial Age, butsubsequently. For various reasons, therefore, werank them higher in honor than the GreatCompany." (Z.'04-313.)"These Ancient Worthies will be unlike theremainder of mankind, not alone in the fact thattheir trial is past while the trial of the world ingeneral will just be beginning; but they will beunlike them also in the fact that they will haveattained the reward or their faithfulness— theywill be perfect men. When Abraham, Isaac,Jacob and all the Ancient Worthies have beenresurrected, and shall appear amongst theregathered Israelites, their perfect minds willquickly grasp present-day knowledge andinventions. (John 7:15.) And as Jesus taught the

people positively, definitely, clearly, and notdoubtfully and in a confused way, as did thescribes, so it will be with the perfected AncientWorthies, when they appear amongst men."—D625."Isa. 11:10 points us to the Millennial Day, andanother root of Jesse, as connected with theblessing of the Gentiles. This latter seed seems tobe referred to also in Heb. 11:39, 40. TheAncient Worthies shall not only be the princes,the representatives of the spiritual, invisibleKingdom, but also grand ensigns or standards setup before mankind, as illustrations of what allmankind may attain unto." (Z.'98-312.) "Thepainful experiences of the Ancient Worthiesduring the Jewish age will be a store ofblessings, instruction and help, by which they,when made subordinate ‘princes' in theKingdom, will assist in the restitution work."(T111.)"While the Worthies are not in any sense part ofthe Sin-Offering, they are nevertheless connectedwith the cleansing from sin: their ashes (theknowledge and remembrance of theirfaithfulness unto death), mingled with the waterof Truth, and applied with the purgative,cleansing hyssop, is valuable, purifying,sanctifying." (T1O8.)"The service which the Ancient Worthies will begiven will be more than God would ordinarilyentrust to a perfect human being. It will be a partof this service to deal with the imperfect, fallencreatures and to help them up out of sin andimperfection. While in one sense of the word thiswork is desirable,FM310yet it is not what a perfect human being wouldprefer. These Ancient Worthies will come forthfrom the tomb perfect; but during the entireMillennium they will be amidst imperfectsurroundings."A part of the evidence that the AncientWorthies will be made sharers of the spirit natureand become members of the Great Company

class is built upon the fact that they seem to berepresented typically by the tribe of Levi. Thefact that this tribe had no inheritance in the landseems to imply that the Ancient Worthies willhave no earthly inheritance. Since the HeavenlyFather has been pleased to arrange for the GreatCompany a place on the spirit plane, and sinceHe is operating according to some generalprinciples of righteousness, we are inclined tothink that He may have something more for theAncient Worthies than will come to theremainder of mankind. When Abraham wascalled upon to offer up his son Isaac, heexhibited a degree of loyalty greater than theGreat Company will be called upon to manifest.Furthermore, in Gen. 17:8, God said untoAbraham, ‘And I will give unto thee and to thyseed after thee, the land wherein thou art astranger, all the land of Canaan, for aneverlasting possession; and I will be their God.'Two thousand years, later, St. Stephen said thatGod never gave Abraham so much as a foot ofthe promised land (Acts 7:5); but he implied thatAbraham will yet receive that land and afterwardleave it to his posterity. If the land is to be givento Abraham and his coadjutors, and then to beleft to his seed and mankind in general, thethought would seem to be implied that theAncient Worthies will pass to the spiritnature."— Z.'13-52." ‘O Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength![After the Church, the Bride, has been glorifiedwith the Lord, the faithful ones of the fleshlyseed of Abraham will begin to come intoprominence before the world by reason of theleaders whom God will then raise up for them.]Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities ofJudah [all who shall then be in covenantrelationship with God], Behold! Your God ishere.' [Thus the message now given by ‘the feet'of Christ— that the Millennial Kingdom isalready beginning its rule (Isa. 52:7)— will betaken up by the earthly class when the ‘feet ofHim' have passed beyond the veil.]— Isa.40:9."— Z.'92-78.

And the beloved city.— "The ‘beloved city' isthe New Jerusalem, the Church in glory, not theChurch in the flesh. The rebellion incited bySatan will be not only against the earthly princes,but also against The Christ."— Z.'13-63.FM311And fire came down from God out of Heaven,and devoured them.— They will beinstantaneously and mercifully electrocuted, nottormented.Revelation 20:10.And the devil that deceived them was cast intothe Lake of Fire and Brimstone.— "He is to bedestroyed, together with all his angels— hismessengers, all who follow his leading and hiscourse.— Matt. 25:41; Heb. 2:14."— F619.Where the beast and WHERE the falseprophet are.— Papacy and the ProtestantChurch Federation will have been in destructiona thousand years at the time this Scripture isfulfilled.— Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11;15:2; 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.And shall be tormented day and night for everand ever.— The Seven Volumes of ScriptureStudies are instruments the Lord is using to bringthese iniquitous systems to their end; and so longas these books remain, the torment of thesesystems will be in evidence. The systems willcease, but the "Seven Plagues" will continueforever.— Rev. 14:11; 19:3.Revelation 20:11.And I saw a great white Throne.— "Thewhiteness of the Throne indicates the purity ofthe justice and judgment which will be metedout."— B. S. M.And Him that sat on it.— "The Throne isMessiah's; it represents His MediatorialDominion of earth for a thousand years."— B. S. M.From whose face the earth and the heavenfled away; and there was found no place forthem.— "The heavens and earth which will flee

from the presence of the great Immanuel will notbe the Heavens of God's Throne, nor the earthwhich he has given to the children of men. Theheavens and earth which will flee away, and forwhich no place will be found, are, of course, thesymbolical ones. The symbolic heavensrepresent spiritual influences— Ecclesiasticism,Churchianity. Thus interpreted, our text declaresthat when Messiah assumes control of the world,the result will be that the social system of to-day,as well as present-day ecclesiasticism, will passout of existence— no place will be found forthem." (B. S. M.)" ‘Heaven and earth': To our Lord'scontemporaries the religions and social systemunder which they lived seemed almost as fixedand as eternal as the earth and sky. Indeed,‘heaven and earth' appears to have been a namewhich they gave to the then-existing order ofthings in recognition of what they deemed itspermanence and fixity."— Weym.; Rev. 21:1;Dan. 2:35.Revelation 20:12.And I saw the dead, [small,and] BOTH greatand small stand before [God] THETHRONE.— What a grandFM312privilege is that which awaits "Him whom mandespiseth, Him whom the nation abhorreth, aservant of rulers.""That thou mayest say to the prisoners [thetwenty billions in the prison-house of death] goforth; to them that are in [the] darkness [of thetomb]. Show yourselves." (Isa. 49:7. 9; Rev.11:18; 19:5). (The dead are standing while theyare dead. See Rev. 20:5 comments.)And the books were opened.— "The books ofthe Bible will then all be opened— understood.All will then see that the Golden Rules laid downby inspiration through Moses and the Prophets,Jesus and His Apostles, are the very ones whichGod will require of men in the future and whichMessiah will then enable the willing and

obedient to comply with by assisting them up outof their sin and degradation." (B. S. M.) Theentire Word of God will not be opened until afterthe Church is beyond the veil. Much of it(perhaps nearly all) will be opened by the GreatCompany class during the Time of Trouble, butsome of it may wait for the Prophets themselves.Meantime, all that is necessary for salvation andservice has been provided.— Dan. 7:10.And another book was opened, which is theBook of Life.— "In the great Day of the world'strial or Judgment another Book of Life will beopened. A record will be made of all who, byobedience, show themselves worthy ofeverlasting life on the human plane." (B. S. M.)"The First Book of life is called the Lamb's Bookof Life, containing the names of the electChurch, His Bride. This other Book of Life willbe the book, or record, of those who shall passthe restitutional trial or Judgment satisfactorily."— Z.'00-59.And the dead were judged.— "This judgment,or rulership, cannot begin until Christ, whomJehovah hath appointed to be the Judge or Rulerof the world, has come again— not again inhumiliation, but in power and great glory: notagain to redeem the world, but to judge [rule] theworld in righteousness. A trial can in no caseproceed until the judge is on the bench and thecourt in session at the appointed time.— Matt.25:31."— A345.Out of those things which were written in thebooks.— "It is by the Word of the Lord that menare judged (John 12:48-50); and not by theopinions or precedents of fellowmen in anycapacity. Therefore all should imitate the nobleBereans who ‘searched the Scriptures daily' tosee if the things taught them were true. (Acts17:11.) ‘To the Law and to the Testimony; ifthey speak not according to this word, it isbecause there is no light in them.'— Acts 17:11;1 Thess, 5:21; Isa 8:20."— D66.

FM313According to their works.— "The judgment ofthat time, the test, will not be of faith; forknowledge will be universal, and all the darknessand obscurity created by ignorance andsuperstition will hive passed away. The test atthat time will be of works, whereas the tests ofthe Church at the present time are of faith."— B. S. M.Revelation 20:13.And the sea.— The masses of mankind, notunder religious restraint— the condition of thewhole world in the time of anarchy due in its fullseverity in the fall of 1290, as previously shown.Gave up the dead which were in it.— Earth'snew Ruler will deal first with those who survivethe Time of Trouble, reckoned dead, even thoughactually having a small measure of life. Whenthe Lord said, "Let the dead bury their dead'(Matt. 8:22), He used the same word to describeboth classes. Those under the death sentence arecounted by the Lord in the same class with thoseupon whom the sentence has been alreadyexecuted. None but God's people have "passedfrom death unto life." (1 John 3:14.) All the restof the world, in God's sight, are dead.And death.— "From the ‘first, or Adamic death,a resurrection has been provided. All that are intheir graves shall come forth. It was in view ofGod's plan for redeeming the race from that firstdeath that in both the Old and New Testaments itis called a ‘sleep.' "— H58.And hell.— "The dark, secret condition, thegrave, which in the present time speaks to us of ahope of future life by God's resurrection powerin Christ."— Z.'10-41.Delivered up the dead which were in them.—"Thus God tells us through the Prophet, ‘I willransom them from the power of the grave[Sheol]. I will redeem them from death. . . . Ograve [Sheol] I will be thy destruction.' (Hos.13:14.) The first or Adamic death shall no longerhave liberty or power over men, as it has had for

the past six thousand years; no longer shall anydie for Adam's sin. (Rom. 5:12; Jer. 31:29, 30;Ezek. 18:2.)"— Z.'10-41.And they were judged every man according totheir works.— "Since all mankind will not beraised at once, but gradually, during the thousandyears, each new group will find an army ofhelpers in those who will have preceded it. Thelove and benevolence which men will then showto each other (the brethren of Christ) the Kingwill count as shown to Him. (Rom. 13:10.)"—Z.'10-39.Revelation 20:14.And death and hell were cast into the lake offire.— "The destruction of the first death andHades commences with the beginning of theMillennial Reign and continues to its close.Hades (the grave) will be destroyedFM314when all the dead in it have heard the Lord'svoice and come forth. (John 5:25.) But ‘death'will still have hold upon these, since every acheand pain and every mental and moralimperfection is a part of the inherited Adamicpenalty. The millions awakened will be stillunder condemnation, still in death; but inproportion as they render obedience to the termsof the New Covenant, progress will be madetoward health, perfection and life.On the other hand, those who, after fullknowledge, refuse to accept and personally applythe merit of the sacrifice of Christ, will remainunder condemnation; because their wills consentto evil, they will progress toward the SecondDeath. In the cue of the obedient, death will beswallowed up of life In the case of thedisobedient, death will be swallowed up of theSecond Death: (1 Cor. 15:26. 54, 55; Isa. 25:6-8.)"— H66.AND this is the Second Death; THE LAKEOF FIRE.— "This destruction or death is calledthe Second Death in contradistinction to the Firstor Adamic death, and not to signify that

everything which goes into it dies a second time.For Instance, death (the first or Adamic death),and Hades, the grave, are to be cast into it, whichwork will require the entire Millennium toaccomplish it; and in no sense will they everhave been destroyed before. So also the devil,the beast, and the false prophet, will never havebeen destroyed before."— H58; Rev. 21:8.Revelation 20:15.And whosoever [was] SHALL not BE foundwritten in the Book of Life.— The writing, thejudging, is still future.Was cast into the Lake of Fire.— "The SecondDeath, during the Millennial Age, is a part of theutter destruction which will include everyimproper, injurious and useless thing. (Isa. 11:9;Psa. 101:5-8.) But the Second Death, thesentence of that individual trial, will be final: itwill never be destroyed. We rejoice that there isno danger of this, but that Divine Justice uniteswith Divine Wisdom, Love and Power, to bringin everlasting righteousness on a permanentbasis."— H67; Rev. 19:20; Psa. 50:22.A thousand years, earth's coming glory,‘Tis the glad Day so long foretold;‘Tis the bright Norm of Zion's gloryProphets foresaw in times of old.What if the clouds do for a momentHide the blue sky where Morn appears,Soon the glad Sun of Promise givenRises to shine a thousand year.FM315REVELATION 21THE DESCENDING KINGDOMRevelation 21:1.And I saw a new heaven and a new earth.—"It may be that this, rather than ‘the Millennium,'is the name which we ought to give to theGolden Age, of purity and bliss which nextawaits the world. The words seem to include a

transformation and glorification of our materialglobe."— Weym."Paradise, the Garden of God, applicable as aname to Eden, where our first parents resided, isScripturally applied to the new earth whenRestitution blessings shall, during theMillennium, have brought it to perfection.This Paradise of the future is referred to by theApostles as ‘the third heaven,' and as ‘a newheavens and a new earth.' (2 Corinthians 12:2; 2Peter 3:13.) They are not referring to newplanets, nor to heavens ranged one aboveanother, as many have supposed, but to the thirdof three great periods of time, beginning withman's creation and extending into the illimitablefuture. The first of these periods, termed the firstheavens and earth—the old order of things—passed away with the Deluge of Noah's day. Thesecond period, ‘the heavens and the earth whichare now,' the present order of things, are reservedof God to pass away with a great symbolic fire oftrouble— revolution. etc.— which will utterlydestroy the present spiritual powers and thepresent social arrangements. (2 Peter 3:6, 7;Galatians 1:4; Zephaniah 3:8, 9.)The third great period is to be a ‘world withoutend,' under Divine administration. This will bethe third heavens and the third earth, or the newheavens and the new earth, which will differfrom the present condition of things in that theywill be righteous! whereas the presentarrangement is imperfect, unrighteous. The ‘newheavens' will consist of the new spiritual rulingpowers of the future— Christ the Head, and theChurch His Body."— Z.'16-392.For the first heaven and the first earth werepassed away.— "The Scriptures show us that inthis general rupture the nominal church(including all denominations) will be graduallydrawn more and more to the side of thegovernments and the wealthy, will lose much ofits influence over the people, and will finally fallwith the governments. Thus the heavens[ecclesiastical rule] being on fire, will

FM316pass away with a great hissing." (A333.) Two ofthe causes that operate to "burn" the present"earth" are declared to be hunger, and themisrule of beastly governments. (Deut. 32:24) Inthe end all will be glad to see the uncleanheavens pass away (Job 15:15) rent in twain (Isa.64:1) and the new heavens planted (Isa. 5:16)which will be heard in their lightest petition tothe God of all grace (Hos. 2:21). "Drop down, yeHeavens from above."— Isa. 45:8.And there was no more sea.— "Under thecontrol of the new Heaven— spiritual powers—the reconstructed social order will be sosatisfactory, so complete, so thorough, that therewill be no more dissatisfied masses. Everythingwill be reduced to law and order, obliterating thedifferences of wealth and power as they nowexist."— Z.'16-392; Isa. 2:12-22.Revelation 21:2.And I, [John] saw the Holy City, NewJerusalem.— "The New Jerusalem is not ‘thatgreat city [government] which ruleth over thekings of the earth' (Revelation 17:18) but is thenew Spiritual Government of the Millennial Age.It Is not reared by men; but, descends from Godout of Heaven. It is for this Kingdom, thisGovernment, that our Lord taught His disciplesto pray, ‘Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be doneon earth, as it is done in Heaven.'"— Z.16-392;Isa. 52:1; Matt, 5:14; Heb. 11:10. 16; 13:14;Rev. 3:12; 21:10; 11:2; 22:19.Coming down [from God] out of Heaven,FROM GOD.— "We are not to think of thisHoly City as being composed of literal stones,but of living stones'(1 Peter 2:4-7; Ephesians2:19-22.) Neither Christ nor the saints in glorycan be seen of men. But the whole world willquickly be made aware of the fact that a newGovernment has been instituted— a governmentof righteousness and all power."— Z.'16-392;Heb. 11:10; 12:22; Rev. 3:12; 21:10.Prepared as a bride adorned for herhusband.— "This declaration implies its beauty,

grandeur and perfection, as a bride's adornmenton such an occasion is particular and elaborate tothe last degree.Additionally, the statement reminds us that in thegovernment of the future the world's judges areto be the saints selected throughout the GospelAge and frequently called ‘the Bride, the Lamb'sWife.'"— Z.'16-392; 2 Cor. 11:2; John 3:29;Eph. 5:31, 32. 21:3.And [I heard] a great voice.— The Lord Jesus,the Father's Word.[Out of heaven] WAS saying, OUT OF THETHRONE, Behold the Tabernacle of God iswith men.— "This verse associates this Citywith the other figure of a symbolic Temple,which the Lord is now preparing, of which theFM317saints will constitute the ‘pillars.' God will dwellin this Temple, and time world of mankind willapproach God in it to receive the Divineblessings, as Israel approached the typicalTabernacle and the Temple in their typicalreligious services." (Z.'01-199.)"When we think of the Church as the Templeunder construction, it impresses upon us thethought that there is a future work to beaccomplished. Way construct a Temple, and thennot use it? St. Paul says, the Church is God'sworkmanship. (Ephesians 2:10.) And His workwill be so perfectly accomplished that there willbe no need or rectification or alteration beyondthe veil,— beautifully illustrated in the erectionof Solomon's Temple, of which we read that itsstones were prepared at the quarry and thenfinally assembled for the construction of theTemple, and that they were so perfectly shapedand marked for their various places that theycame together without the sound of ahammer."— Z.'15-189; 2 Cor. 6:16.And He [will dwell] DWELLETH with themand they shall be His people.— "All mankindwill be treated from the standpoint ofreconciliation, the Propitiation (price) for the sins

of the whole world (1 John 2:2) having beenprovided at Calvary, and the due time havingthen come for the manifestation of Divinefavor."— Z.'01-200; Psa. 68:18; Ezek. 37:27;Zech. 8:8.[And] God Himself shall be with them, [andbe their God].— "It will be the Kingdom ofGod, because God's dear Son and His joint-heir,the Church, will be in absolute accord with theFather, and all that shall be done under theircontrol will fully and completely represent theDivine will respecting men. Nevertheless, it willbe a separate Kingdom from that of theremainder of the Universe, as the Apostle Paulindicates. (1 Cor. 15:24. 25, 28.)"— Z.'01-200;Jer. 30:22; 31:33; Ezek. 11:20.Revelation 21:4.And [God] HE shall wipe away all tears fromtheir eyes.— "The wiping away of tears impliesa gradual work, such as we see will be theprocess of that glorious time. Man will not beexempt from every weakness and trial anddifficulty at the beginning, but if he will conformto the Laws of the Kingdom, all cause fordistress will gradually pass away, as restitutionblessings will lift him out of death into life."—Z.'01-200; Isa. 25:8; 65:19.And there shall be no more death; neithersorrow nor crying SHALL BE.— What aglorious sun-burst of blessing is in these words!What a grand fulfillment will be there of theApostle's declaration respecting "Times ofRestitution of all things which God hath spokenby the mouth of all the holy Prophets since theworld began"! The declaration, however, appliesto the very end of the Millennial Age,FM318and not in full to any previous time in that Age.(John 5:28. 29.)— Z.'01-200; 1 Cor. 15:26. 54;Rev. 20:14; Isa. 35:10; 51:11; 65:19.[Neither shall there be any more pain] For theformer things are passed away.— The reign ofSatan, sin and death will have ended forever. "To

gain a place in the earthly phase of the Kingdomof God will be to find the gratification of everydesire and ambition of the perfect humanheart."— A291.Revelation 21:5.And He that sat upon the Throne said,Behold, I make all things new.— "Thisexpression does not relate merely to rocks andtrees, etc., but to the great work which our Lordundertook; viz., the regeneration of humanity tothe complete perfection contemplated in theoriginal Divine Plan."— Z.'01-201; Rev. 20:11.And He said unto me, Write: for these wordsare [true and] faithful, AND TRUE.—"Present conditions seem so contrary to all thisgrand Restitution outcome that it cannot be fullybelieved and trusted by any except those whohave learned to walk with the Lord. To all othersthese things will appear untrue, and God willappear unfaithful, and the matters which we arehere discussing will seem ‘idle tales,' as fablesand golden fancies: but to us who believe, thesepromises are precious."— 1 Pet. 2:7; Z.'12-303.Revelation 21:6.And He [said] SAITH unto me, [it is done.] Iam Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and theEnd.— "It was the Father's good pleasure thatthe Blessed One, the Only Begotten of theFather, should accomplish the entire program ofredemption and restitution; and be forever theAssociate and Representative of the Father,through whom and by whom all things shouldcontinue, as He was the one through whom allthings were made that were made."— Z.'01-201;Rev. 1:8; 22:13.I will give unto him that is athirst of thefountain of the water of life freely.— "It is thisone who, during the Millennial Age, will extendto all the willing and obedient the Water of Life,everlasting life— the privilege of perpetualexistence. But they must thirst for it, must desireit; and this desire must be manifest in obedienceto the terms, the laws, upon which it will be

supplied freely."— Z.'01-201; Rev. 22:17; Isa.55:1; John 7:37.Revelation 21:7.He that overcometh shall inherit [all] THESEthings.— These earthly things.— Acts 3:21.And I will be his God, and he shall be Myson.— "Those addressed are not the Bride class,selected during the Gospel Age, (1 John 3:2) butthe sheep class of Matt. 25— such of mankind asduring the Millennial Age become the Lord'ssheep and obey His voice. They shall inherit theRevelation 319earth, the purchased possession— which Jesuswill restore at the close of the Millennium to allthe children of Adam who shall have acceptedHIs gracious favors and been regenerated byHim, and thus become His sons, and He theirGod— their Father. (Isa. 9:6)"— Z.'01-201;Zech. 8:8; Heb. 8:10; Rom. 8:21.Revelation 21:8.But the fearful.— "If any, enlightened by theTruth, and brought to a knowledge of the love ofGod, and restored to human perfection, become‘fearful.' and ‘draw back' (Heb. 10:38. 39), they,with the unbelievers, will be destroyed fromamong the people. (Acts 3:23.)"— A107.And unbelieving.— Who will not trust God,after all the marvels of His grace they will haveseen and experienced.— Heb. 11:6; Rom. 10:17;John 20:31; John 17:20; 1 Tim. 6:12; Luke 17:5;James 2:17.And the abominable.— "Those abominablecharacters among men, who, knowing the truth,yet love unrighteousness."— H60.And murderers.— Slanderers.— Psa. 141:3;Deut. 5:17; Matt. 5:21, 22; 15:18-20; 1 John3:15; James 3:2-12; James 4:11; Prov. 4:23, 24;Matt. 12:34-37; Eph. 4:31; Psa. 15:1-3 19:14;34:13; 101:5; Prov. 12:19; 16:28; 17:4; 26:20-21; Jer. 20:10; 1 Cor. 10:10; James 1:19; Deut.32:2.

And whoremongers.— Not at heart faithful tothe Lord.And sorcerers.— Dreamers, theorists, pseudophilosophers,endeavoring to accredit tothemselves the great salvation wrought.— Rev.22:15.And idolaters.— "Such as misappropriate andmisuse Divine favors, who give to self or anyother creature or thing that service and honorwhich belong to God."— H63.And all liars.— "All who do not love the Truthand seek it, and at any cost defend and hold it."(H63.) " ‘If something is six inches long, let it bejust six inches for six inches."— Z.'12-147.Shall have their part in the Lake whichburneth with fire and brimstone.— "Theseverest punishment inflicted by the Jews uponany criminal. The corpse (after the man had beenstoned to death) was thrown out into the Valleyof Hinnom (Gay-Hinnom) and was devoured bythe worm or the flame."— Weym.Which is the Second Death.— "Such companywould be repulsive to any honest, upright being.It is hard to tolerate them now, but in the close ofthe Millennial Judgment, when the Lord, therighteous Judge, shall have given everyadvantage and opportunity of knowledge andability, the righteous will be glad when thecorrupters of the earth, and all their work andinfluence, shall be destroyed."— H63.FM320Revelation 21:9.And there came [unto me].— To the Johnclass, the Church, on this side of the veil.One of the seven angels.— The Seventh.Which had the seven vials full.— They are stillfull after they are poured out on ecclesiasticism!Of the seven last plagues.— The Sevenvolumes of Studies in the Scriptures.And talked with me, saying, Come hither, Iwill shew thee.— See Luke 4:21.

The Bride, the Lamb's Wife.— "As a grandlesson of the Divine sovereignty, and as asublime contradiction to all evolution theories,God elected to call to this place of honor (as ‘theBride, the Lamb's Wife and Joint-heir'— Rom.8:17), not angels and cherubs, but some fromamong the sinners redeemed by the preciousblood of the Lamb. The continued permission ofevil is for the purpose of developing these‘members of the Body of Christ' and to furnishthem the opportunity of sacrificing their littleand redeemed all, in the service of Him whobought them with His precious blood; and thusof developing in their hearts His spirituallikeness, that when, at the end of the Age, theyare presented by their Lord and Redeemer beforethe Father, God may see in them ‘the image ofHis Son.' "— Col. 1:22; Rom. 8:29; E412, 395;Rev. 19:7; 21:2.Revelation 21:10.And he carried me away in the Spirit.— "Godhath revealed them unto us by His Spirit."— 1 Cor. 2:10; Rev. 1:10; 17:3.To a great and high mountain.— How similaris the language, recording the experience of thefirst and greatest Member of the Church, at thebeginning of His ministry. Concerning the Lord'sthird temptation we read: "In this temptation theLord is taken, not physically, but in the spirit ofHis mind, up into a high mountain— a veryexalted kingdom. Physically He was all this timein the desert near Jerusalem; and as a matter offact there is neither in that desert nor anywherein the world a mountain from which all thekingdom of the world could be viewed exceptwith the mind's eye."— Z.'06-43.And shewed me [that great] THE HOLY City,[The holy] Jerusalem, descending out ofHeaven from God.— The city came down fromHeaven to earth. If we went up to Heaven, itwould not be found there. ‘If Rev. 21 is to beliterally interpreted, then the whole surface, ofPalestine is far from sufficient to hold a city ofthis size. Besides, its height, length and breadthwere to be equal.— Rev. 21:2.

Revelation 21:11.Having the glory [of] FROM God.— TheChurch has a foretaste of this glory on this sideof the veil.— 1 Pet. 4:14.FM321[And] her light.— "The Lamb is the Lightthereof."— Rev. 21:23; 22:5.Was like unto a stone most precious.— "Thebrightness f His [the Father's] glory, and theexpress image of His person."— Heb. 1:3.Even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.— Abeautiful green-tinted diamond.— Rev. 4:3.Revelation 21:12.And [had] HAVING a wall great and high.—The pictures here are all pictures of the Bride.Nevertheless, the wall, the protection of thatHeavenly City, in a special sense represents ourHeavenly Father.No picture of the Bride would be complete thatdid not include Him who dwells within us, and isthe Author of the Plan, and the source of all ourjoys. Now as to the application of the picture ofthe wall to the Bride herself, one of PastorRussell's coworkers has aptly said: "We are likeliving stones, in the plural— 144,000 stones inone, if you will. There was one perfect Stone tobegin with, and all the others had to beconformed to the image of that Stone; Men havediscovered a way of taking two glasses ofdifferent density and fusing them together, soyou cannot tell where the point of fusion is. Andso, with this Little Flock of 144,000, they aregoing to be welded together in one— there willbe but one mind in that whole 144,000. There isonly one thing in view, and that is to performJehovah's will, and they rejoice in doing Hiswill."Revelation 21:12.And [had] HAVING a wall great and high.—The Heavenly Father.

And [had] HAVING twelve gates.— Thetwelve mystical tribes of Israel.— Rev. 7:5-8;Ezek. 48:31-34.And at the gates twelve angels, and THEIRnames written thereon.— The entire LittleFlock; twelve thousand of each tribe, eachworking together, under God's direction, as oneangel, or messenger. Doubtless certain specialwork is reserved for each tribe. All who gainmembership in that tribe will be particularlysuited to that work.Which are the names of the twelve tribes ofthe children of Israel.— Their names, and thecharacteristics they signify, are given in Rev.7:5-8.On the east.— Toward the Sun-rising, towardthe Dawn, toward the Little Flock, speciallyhonored and blessed in their sacrifices on behalfof the Church. The side of the Amramites.—Num. 3:19; F128.Three gates.— The mystical tribes of Joseph,Benjamin and Manasseh— Manasseh taking theplace of Dan.— Ezek. 48:32; Rev. 7:5, 7, 8.AND on the North.— The side of the Merarites,the Great Company.— Num 3:33; F129.FM322Three gates.— The mystical tribes of Judah,Reuben and Levi.— Ezek. 48:31; Rev. 7:5, 7.AND on the South.— The side of theKohathites, the Ancient Worthies.— Num. 4:2;F129.Three gates.— The mystical tribes of Simeon,Isaachar and Zebulun.— Ezek. 48:33; Rev. 7:6,8.And on the West.— The side of theGershonites, the Restitution classes.— Num.4:22; F129.Three gates.— The mystical tribes of Gad,Asher and Naphtali.— Ezek. 48:34; Rev. 7:6, 7.Although the pictures here given are pictures ofthe Bride, and the gates apply as above shown,

nevertheless these gates also represent theAncient Worthies, who during the MillennialAge will be the earthly representatives of theChurch, and, perhaps, exactly 144,000 innumber. Additionally, the Ancient Worthies arecalled "gates" in Isa. 26:2. "The gates orentrances of the City, which are twelve innumber, are inscribed with the names of thetwelve tribes of Israel. This is in harmony withwhat we have learned of the earthly phase of theKingdom of God, that the Ancient Worthiesfrom the various tribes of Israel, selected duringthe Jewish Age, will be the visiblerepresentatives of the Heavenly Kingdom in theearth, through whose instrumentality the nationsmay enter into the blessings of the Kingdom."—Z.'92-16."The city lies open and accessible to allquarters, and to all quarters alike --"— Luke13:29. Weym.Revelation 21:14.And the wall of the City had twelvefoundations.— "The Lord himself, is thefoundation, ‘Other foundation can no man laythan that is laid— Jesus Christ.' (1 Cor. 3:11.) Heis the great Rock, and St. Peter's confession ofHim as such was, therefore, a rock testimonial—a declaration of the foundation principlesunderlying the Divine Plan. St. Peter, disownedany pretension to being the foundation-stonehimself and properly classed himself in with allthe other ‘living stones' (Gr. lithos,) of theChurch,— though petros, rock, signifies a largerstone than lithos, and all the Apostles as‘foundation' stones would in the Divine Plan andorder have a large importance than theirbrethren."— F220; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:20.And [in] ON them the TWELVE names of theTwelve Apostles of the Lamb.— "We areentirely out of accord with the views of Papacy,of the Protestant Episcopal Church, of theCatholic-Apostolic Church, and of the Mormons,all of whom claim that the number of theApostles was not limited to twelve, and thatthere have been successors since their day who

spoke and wrote with equal authority with theoriginal Twelve. (2 Cor. 11:13.") (F209.) "Westill haveFM323with us the gift of Apostles, in that we have theirteachings in the New Testament, so full andcomplete as to require no addition; and hence theTwelve Apostles have no successors, and neednone, since there are but ‘Twelve Apostles of theLamb;' they are the twelve stars; the ‘twelvefoundations.'"— John 6:70; E229, 207.Revelation 12:15.And he that talked with me.— Volume VII ofStudies in the Scriptures.Had a [golden] MEASURING reed of gold.—The Divine Word.To measure the City, and the gates thereof,and the wall thereof .— Surely, if we can notfind the measurement in the Scriptures it ishopeless to look elsewhere.— Zech. 2:1, 2; Rev.11:1; Ezek. 40:3.Revelation 21:16.And the City lieth foursquare, And the lengthis [as large] as the breadth.— A perfect cube,like the Most Holy of the Tabernacle.And he measured the City with the reed,twelve thousand furlongs.— "The number of‘buildings' in the City seems to be indicated bythe measures— 12,000 times 12,000 furlongsequals 144,000,000 square furlongs. This areacontains 144,000 building-lots of one thousandsquare furlongs each— which circumstance maywell signify that the 144,000 faithful ones willreign with Jesus during a thousand years (onesquare furlong representing a year.")The length and the breadth and the height ofit are equal.— Each view of the City, from anyside, presents to view, Justice, Power, Love andWisdom.

Revelation 21:17.And he measured the wall thereof.— Itsthickness.An hundred and forty and four cubits,according to the measure of a man.— Themeasure of a man, the Man Christ Jesus, is1,000. His Day is to be 1,000 years in length.Adam's Day was a thousand years long. The totalmeasure is 144,000, the number of the Elect. Weshould expect to find the number of thoserescued during the Millennium shownsomewhere in these measurements; and this wealso find. The cubit, in symbolism, is flexible inlength, like the word "day." If we multiply thenumber of square furlongs in the city by the 144measures of a man the result is 144,000,000 by144 or 20,736,000,000, the estimated number ofthe sheep class at the end of the MillennialAge.— Matt. 25:34-40; Z.'05-271.That is, of the angel.— As interpreted by theangel.21:18. And the building of the wail of it wasof Jasper.— "The solid fabric of the wall wasjasper; and the city itself was made of gold,resembling transparent glass."— Weym.FM324And the City was pure gold, like unto clearglass.— Of Divine origin, and made up of thosewho have the Divine nature.Revelation 21:19.And the foundations of the wall of the Citywere garnished with all manner of preciousstones.— Mosaic manufacturers make 15,000colors; and it is estimated the trained eye candetect a million colors. In selecting and polishingthe 144,000 gems and putting them in place inthe Temple God is preparing a beautiful harmonyof characters in infinite variety that will delightthe hearts of all His creatures to all eternity.— 1Chron. 29:2.The first foundation was jasper.— Likeness tothe Father. See comments on Rev. 4:3.

AND the second, sapphire.— Faithfulness. Thesapphire of the ancients is the modern lapizlazuli, or azure stone, a mineral substance valuedfor decorative purposes in consequence of thefine blue color which it usually presents. It hasthe appearance of being spotted with gold dust."The stones of it are the place of sapphires: andit hath dust of gold." (Job 28:11.) The brilliantspots in the deep blue matrix invite comparisonwith the stars in the firmament. The crystalsform into units having twelve equal sides. Theblue is the color of faithfulness; the gold showsthe faithfulness towards God; the starlikeappearance shows the faithfulness towards all theHeavenly beings— angels, archangels, and theGreat Company; the crystalline formation showsthe faithfulness towards the symbolical andactual twelve tribes of Israel, which, in the lastanalysis, include all who shall become heirs ofsalvation. Those who gain the prize of the HighCalling can be trusted.— 1 Cor. 4:2; Luke 16:10-12.AND the third, a chalcedony.— Obedience;Submission. A green quartz, found in the coppermines of Chalcedon. It crystallizes in the twelvesidedand twenty-four-sided forms of cubiccrystalline formation. In the twelve-sidedcrystals each side is a surface of five equal sidesand angles. The Church's obedience is perfecttowards God as indicated in the faces of thecrystals, five being a symbol of Divinity. It isoperative towards the brethren as in the twelvefacedcrystals, and towards both phases of theKingdom, as in the twenty-four-sided crystals.The fourth, an emerald.— Deathlessness. Oneof the most beautiful of gems, of a bright greencolor, without any mixture, crystallizing in long,hexagonal (six-sided) crystals. The stone losescolor when strongly heated. From thoseoriginally imperfect (as shown in the six-sidedcrystals) God is creating a rice of deathless ones.Nevertheless, though begotten to the Divinenature, should

FM325they cling to the dross of their fleshly natures toodeterminedly, so great fires may be applied toburn away the dross as will destroy the value ofthe gem. This gem, too, represents the Church'spower to bestow life upon the dead world. Thecrystals may be broken or split crosswise. Theeverlasting life for the world, which may bemade continuous, is nevertheless susceptible ofbeing broken off at any time for disobedience.Revelation 21:20.The fifth, sardonyx.— Humility; Purity;Martyrdom. An ornamental stone much used forseals and cameos. It was considered by ancientoriental authorities that a fine oriental sardonyxshould have at least three strata, a black base, awhite intermediate center, and a superficial layerof red; these colors typifying the three cardinalvirtues— humility, black; chastity, white;modesty or martyrdom, red.The sixth, sardius.— Loyalty to Christ. Areddish stone much used by the ancients as agem stone; it has been in all ages the commonestof the stones used by the gem engraver.— Rev.4:3.The seventh, chrysolyte.— Heavenly Wisdom.Greek (Chrysos, gold, and lithos, stone. Themeaning of the term makes it the golden stone. Itis a gem of a golden color, lightly tinted withgreen. It is very transparent. "The wisdom that isfrom Above is first pure."— Jas. 3:17.The eighth, beryl.— Love of the Father. Apellucid gem of a bluish green color, muchprized as a gem stone by the ancients. Itcrystallizes in the hexagonal system, with sixtysixsides of various sizes and shapes. On each ofthe six principal sides are diamond-shapedmarks, alternately five and eight marks to a side,with four marks at the end. The sixty-six sidesrepresent the sixty-six books of the Bible; thetwo ends represent the Old and New Testaments;the diamond shaped marks represent theHeavenly Father; the three groups of eight eachrepresent the twenty-four prophecies of the

kingdom; five is a symbol of Divinity, and fourrepresents Justice, Power, Wisdom and Love.The ninth, topaz.— Benevolence. It is generallyheld that the mineral now called topaz wasunknown to ancient writers, and that their topazis our peridot. This is the name applied byJewelers to "noble olivine." It is a dark,decidedly green-colored mineral. Much mysteryfor a long time surrounded the locality whichyielded most of the peridot for commerce; but itis now identified with the island of St. John inthe Red Sea, probably the "Topaz Isle" of theancients. It crystallizes in twenty-six-sidedfigures. In some views— i.e., when the GreatCompanyFM326or the classes that are to be destroyed are takeninto consideration— the tribes of Israel numberthirteen; and when Spiritual and Fleshly Israelare considered separately, the total number istwenty-six. It is not the wish of the HeavenlyFather that any of these should perish, and it isthe wish of the Church to do all humanly andDivinely possible to save the unworthy from thefinal consequences of their own willfulness. Thisspirit will be exercised to the last limit of love.The tenth, chrysoprasus.— Constant, cheerfulendurance. The modern Chrysoberyl is a yellowor green gem stone, remarkable for its hardness,being exceeded in this respect only by thediamond and the jacinth. It is not infrequentlycloudy, due to microscopic cavities. Thehardness signifies ability to "endure hardness asgood soldiers," and the clouds signifydifficulties, troubles, to be overcome.The eleventh, jacinth.— Unchangeableness.The modern sapphire, next to the diamond inhardness; a beautiful blue stone. Many of thecrystals are parti-colored, the blue beingdistributed in patches in a colorless stone; but byskillful cutting the deep-colored portion may becaused to impart color to the entire gem. Thisstone crystallizes in the most beautiful andwonderful pattern conceivable, consisting of a

six-sided pyramid at either end, separated bythree different sets of surfaces of six each andtwo different sets of surfaces of three each. Wemay think of the two ends as representing theteachings of the Twelve Apostles, and thetwenty-four surfaces between as representing thetwenty-four elders (prophecies pertaining to theKingdom of God). God is unchangeable;although the different operations of His Plan, indifferent ages, make Him seem changeable tomankind. But the perfected Plan will be theadoration of all His creatures. This gem alsoshows how God can take characters whoseconduct may have been very irregular, and byskillful cutting make them copies of Himself.The twelfth, an amethyst.— Royalty. A stoneof a violet color, bordering on purple, composedof a strong blue and deep red. The name isderived from the Greek a, not, and methyskein, tointoxicate, expressing the old belief that thestone protected its owner from strong drink. Itwas held that wine drank out of a cup ofamethyst would not intoxicate. It crystallizes indouble pyramids (base to base) of three sides oneach pyramid. Amethyst was Pastor Russell'sbirth-stone; and behold how perfect itsapplication! He was true blue in his faithfulness,and fully loyal to the blood of Christ, as shownby the red. He has the royalty now, thank God!The cup which heFM327poured never intoxicated with error those whodrank its live giving draughts from the Fountainof all Truth, our Father's Word. The six-sidedcrystallization represents his Six Volumes ofScripture Studies, and this, the Seventh, asummary of all, represents the stone as a whole.There are over ninety varieties of crystals innature. Surely, "The fool hath said in his heart,There is no God."The following is William Miller's dream, asgiven in The Three Worlds, the first of PastorRussell's books, long since out of print, where itis told only as a dream. (Jer. 23:28.) It calls tomind a dream of Pastor Russell's, often told in

private. In his early youth he dreamed ofsleeping in an attic. Suddenly he awoke to seethe morning sun, just emerged over the hill-top,blazing directly in his face. He Jumped to hisfeet with a start, thinking that it must be late. Indoing so he stumbled over several forms stillasleep. He was about to reproach himself for thusrudely awakening them, when he discovered thatnot one of the sleepers had been disturbed.The application is evident. "The light shineth indarkness, and the darkness comprehendeth itnot." Pastor Russell was awakened by the risingof the Sun of the New Day. He tried to wakenothers, and succeeded with "just one here, onethere;" but the great mass are still asleep.However, the Dawn comes on apace. Now forWilliam Miller's dream:"I dreamed that God, by an unseen hand, hadsent me a curiously wrought casket, about teninches long by six square, made of ebony andpearls curiously inlaid. To the casket there was akey attached. I immediately took the key andopened the casket, when, to my wonder andsurprise, I found it filled with all sorts and sizesof jewels— diamonds, precious stones— andgold and silver coin of every dimension andvalue, beautifully arranged in their several placesin the casket; and thus arranged, they reflected alight and glory equaled only by the sun. [Thesejewels are the beautiful truths which the opencasket unfolded to his sight.] I thought it was myduty not to enjoy this wonderful sight alone,although my heart was overjoyed at thebrilliancy, beauty and value of its contents. Itherefore placed it on a center-table in my room,and gave out the word that all who had a desiremight come and see the most glorious andbrilliant sight ever seen by man in this life. Thepeople began to come in, they first few innumber, but increasing to a crowd. When theyfirst looked into the casket, they would wonderand shout for joy. But when the spectatorsincreased, every one would begin to trouble thejewels, taking them out of the casket andscattering them on the table.

FM328"I began to think that the owner would requirethe casket and jewels again at my hand; and thatif I suffered them to be scattered, I could neverplace them in their places in the casket again asbefore, and felt I should never be able to meetthe accountability; for it would be immense. Ithen began to plead with the people not to handlethem, nor take them out of the casket. But themore I pleaded, the more they scattered; and nowthey seemed to scatter them all over the room, onthe floor, and every piece of furniture in theroom. I then saw that among the genuine jewelsand coin they had scattered an innumerablequantity of spurious jewels and counterfeit coin.I was highly incensed at their base conduct andingratitude, and reproved and reproached themfor it; but the more I reproved, the more theyscattered the spurious jewels and false coinamong the genuine. I then became vexed in myvery soul, and began to use physical force topush them out of the room; but while I waspushing out one, three more would enter, andbring in dirt, shavings, sand, and all manner ofrubbish, until they had covered every one of thetrue jewels, diamonds and coins from sight. Theyalso tore into pieces my casket and scattered itamong the rubbish. I thought that no manregarded my sorrow or my anger. I becamewholly discouraged and disheartened, and satdown and wept. [When the 1844 time passed,how perfectly was this fulfilled.] While I wasthus weeping and mourning for my great lossand accountability, I remembered God, andearnestly prayed that He would send me help."Immediately the door opened and a man enteredthe room, when the other people all left if it.Then he, having a dirt brush in his hand, openedthe windows and began to brush the dust andrubbish from the room. I cried to him to forbear;that there were some precious jewels scatteredamong the rubbish. But he told me to fear not,for he would take care of them. Then while hebrushed the dust and rubbish, the false jewelsand counterfeit coin, all rose and went out of thewindow like a cloud and the wind carried them

away. In the bustle I closed my eyes for amoment. When I opened them the rubbish wasall gone, and the precious jewels, the diamonds,the gold and the silver coins lay scattered inprofusion all over the room. He then placed onthe table a casket, much larger and morebeautiful than the former, and gathered up thejewels, the diamonds, the coins, by the handful,and cast them into the casket, till not one wasleft, although some of the diamonds were notbigger than the point of a pin. He then calledupon me to come and see. I looked intoFM329the casket, but my eyes were dazzled with thesight. The contents shone with ten times theirformer glory. I thought that they had beenscoured in the sand by the feet of those wickedpersons who had scattered and trod them in thedust. They were arranged in beautiful order inthe casket— every one in its place— without anyvisible pains on the part of the man [PastorRussell] who cast them in. I shouted for joy; andthat shout awoke me."Revelation 21:21.And the twelve gates were [twelve] pearls;every several gate was of one pearl.— "Thepeculiar luster of a pearl is dependent on the factthat the surface is not perfectly smooth, butcovered with the irregularly sinuous edges ofinnumerable layers of inconceivable thinness,deposited one over the other. The distance ofthese edges from each other varies indefinitely,the pearls of the finest water having them closest.They are always, however, too fine to bedetected by the naked eye. The edges make somany steps, so to speak; and the iridescence isproduced by the mutual interference of the raysof light reflected from these thousands of angles.For their water, or lustre, as distinguished fromiridescence, pearls are indebted to their beingcomposed of thin layers, which allow light topass through them, while their numeroussurfaces disperse and reflect the light in such amanner that it returns and mingles with thatwhich is directly reflected from the exterior. The

thinner and more transparent the constituentlayers, the more perfect is the luster. Theimmediate occasion of the production of a pearlappears to be always the presence of someextraneous substance inside of the shell of themollusk." (McC.)The mollusk is the earthly tabernacle; theextraneous substance is the New Mind. Thesuccessive layers are the additions made to it,"precept upon precept, precept upon precept; lineupon line, line upon line; here a little and there alittle."— Isa. 28:13.And the street of the City was pure gold, as itwere transparent glass.— There will be but onestreet in that City, the street which has been inprocess of construction throughout the Age. TheProphets tell us of it.— Prov. 16:17; Isa. 40:3,49, 11, 35:8; 62:10-12.Revelation 21:22.And I saw no temple therein.— No specialplace of worship, for the use and benefit of theLittle Flock.[For] BECAUSE the Lord God Almighty andthe Lamb are the Temple of it.— The Bride'swhole life is completely wrapped up in theFather and the Son. Her one consuming wish isto glorify the Lord's dear name. Of what need isany special place of worship for one who cansay, "For to me to live is [for] Christ [tolive]?"— Phil. 1:21.FM330Revelation 21:23.And the City had no need of the sun, neitherof the moon, to shine [in] ON it.— "The sunsignifies the light of this Gospel Age; the moonsignifies the typically reflected light of theGospel in the Law and the Prophets of theprevious Dispensation. The glorified Church willhave no need of the light which in the presenttime she so much enjoys through the Word andthe Spirit, and the Law and the Prophets. Shewill have, instead of these, a much more

excellent glory, being, herself, a part of the Sunof Righteousness." (Z.'01-201.) "‘Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sunin the Kingdom of their Father'— our LordJesus, the Head of the Church, of course beingincluded. The Prophet mentions the same Sun ofRighteousness, saying, ‘The Sun ofRighteousness shall arise with healing in Hisbeams.'— Malachi 4:2."— Z.'16-393.For the glory of God did lighten it, and theLamb is the light thereof.— "We are not to losesight of the fact that Christ is the Head or theChurch, even as the Father is the head of ChristJesus. (1 Cor. 11:3.)Hence the Lord God Almighty and the Lambwill always be an inner Temple in this greatTemple which God has provided for the world'sblessing during Restitution Times."— Z.'16-393;Isa. 24:23; 60:19, 20; Rev. 21:11; 22:5.Revelation 21:24.And the nations [of them which are saved]shall walk [in] BY the light [of it]THEREOF.— "The word ‘nations' heresignifies peoples, and is intended to show that allpeoples, not merely the Israelites, will be thusfavored under God's Kingdom. The world willnot be divided into nationalities as at present."—Z.'16-394; Isa. 60:3, 5.And the kings of the earth do bring theirglory [and honor] into it.— "When mankindreaches perfection at the close of the MillennialAge, as already shown, they will be admittedinto membership in the Kingdom of God andgiven the entire control of earth as at firstdesigned— each man a sovereign, a king."(A296.)"That Kingdom, in which all will be kings, willbe one grand, universal Republic, whose stabilityand blessed influence will be assured by theperfection of its every citizen, a result now muchdesired, but an impossibility because of sin."(Z.'10-39.)

"During the Millennial Age the kings will be theAncient Worthies; but subsequently a NewDispensation will open, under new conditions, inwhich mankind (perfected) will be granted theprivilege of ruling themselves in harmony withthe Divine Law." (Z.'97-304.) In this verse theAncient Worthies are directly referred to; whilein verse 26 the rest of mankind are referred to.Notice the tenses of the verbs "do bring" and"shall bring"— present and future— in theMillennium and after.FM331Revelation 21:25.And the gates of it shall not be shut at all byday.— Throughout the long Millennial Day of athousand years all who will may seek and findsalvation through the broad gates of the City ofGod that will then be wide open. (Isa. 60:11.)Now, "Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it."— Matt. 7:14.For there shall be no night there.— "Theperiod in which sin is permitted has been a darkNight to humanity, never to be forgotten; but theglorious Day of righteousness and Divine favor,to be ushered in by Messiah, who, as the Sun ofRighteousness, shall arise and shine fully andclearly into and upon all, bringing healing andblessing, will more than counterbalance thedreadful night of weeping, sighing, pain,sickness and death, in which the groaningcreation has been so long. ‘Weeping may endurefor a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'—Psa. 30:5." (A9.)The Psalmist explains how the smile of theFather was turned away from mankind. Hedescribes mankind as "Such as sit in darknessand in the shadow of death, being bound inaffliction and iron; because they rebelled againstthe words of God [by disobedience of Hisexpress command] and contemned [set atnaught] the counsels of the Most High. ThereforeHe brought down their heart with labor [each sexwith its own peculiar kind]; they fell down, andthere was none to help." (Psa. 107:10-12.) This

disobedience brought our entire race into theValley of the Shadow of Death (Psa. 23:4); butthe Prophets encouraged us to hope for awatchman who would tell us of the coming ofthe Day. (Isa. 21:12.) In the Apostle's time hedeclared the night was far spent, being then morethan two-thirds gone. (Rom. 13:12.) The eventthat is to bring in the Day is the rising of the[Sun of Righteousness. (Mal. 4:2.) When here atthe First Advent Christ was the light of the world(John 8:12); and the people in His immediateneighborhood saw a great Light, shadowing forthHis coming glory. (Isa. 9:2.) He declared thatwe, too, should be lights in the world. (Matt.5:14.)— "You in your little corner, and I inmine;" and that in the resurrection all these144,000 brightly burning candles should bebrought together and with Him constitute theSun of Righteousness that is to heal and bless theworld. "Then shall the righteous shine forth asthe sun in the Kingdom of their Father."— Matt.13:43.The sun rises quietly, like a thief. (1 Thess, 5:1.)When the Morning comes, the first work isbanishing the works of the night. (Ezek. 7:7-12.)Next comes the opening of the spiritually blindeyes or those that have physical sight. (Amos5:18.) Surely, the best time for a great oculist toFM332open the eyes of the blind is in the day time. (Isa.35:6.) Now matters are more or less obscured (1Cor. 13:12); but the time is coming when theblind shall be shown a way of life they have nothitherto known. (Isa. 42:16.)Will the Lord show wonders in the dark? (Psa.88:10.) He will indeed; and when the nationscome forth from the tomb, they will seek Himthat turneth the shadow of death into themorning. (Amos 5:8; Isa. 42:6, 7.) They willseek Him and will find Him. No wonder, then,that the Psalmist, looking down the stream oftime to that happy Day, exultingly exclaims."Then [after full experience with sin and death]they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and Hesaved them out of their distresses. He brought

them out of darkness and the shadow of death,and brake their bands in sunder. Oh, that menwould praise the Lord for His goodness, and forHis wonderful works to the children of men! ForHe hath broken the gates of brass [that stoodbetween them and perfection], and cut the bars ofiron asunder [that held them in death's prisonhouse]." (Psa. 107:13-16.)"And there shall be no more death, neithersorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain; for the former things are passedaway." (Rev. 21:4.) "For there shall be no nightthere." "Weeping may endure for a night, but joycometh in the Morning."— Psa. 30:5; Zech.14:7.Revelation 21:26.And they shall bring the glory and honor ofthe nations into it.— "This rendering of glory tothe Kingdom will continue throughout the entireMillennial Age; for the princes throughout theearth will make known to the peoples that not intheir own name or authority do they rule andexecute judgment and establish righteousness,but in the name of the glorified Christ, Head andBody, whose representatives they are."— Z.'16-394.Revelation 21:27.And there shall in no wise enter into itanything [that defileth] COMMON.— No onewho could or would contaminate others byspeech or example, will ever find a place in thatCity.Neither whatsoever worketh abomination.—Nor anything tending in the direction of pride orsectarianism.Or maketh a lie.— Nor anything countenancingthe teaching of error for pleasure or profit.— 1John 2:22.But they which are written in the [Lamb's]Book of THE Life Of HEAVEN.— "TheLamb's Book of Life we must understand toinclude only those who attain to the position ofjoint-heirship with Christ, those whose names

are written in Heaven during this Gospel Ageand who are faithful to their Covenant. (Psa.50:5.)"— Z.'16-394; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3;5, 13:8.FM333REVELATION 22THE RIVER OF GRACE AND TRUTHRevelation 22:1.And he showed me a [pure] River of Water ofLife, clear me crystal.— "One would think that,even with no knowledge of the symbols ofRevelation, no thinking Christian should haveany difficulty in realizing that the book portraystrouble for the Church throughout this GospelAge and the triumphant Millennial Reign at itsclose."— Z.'05-170; Ezek. 47:1-12; Joel 3:18;Zech. 14:8; Psa. 46:4.Proceeding out of the Throne of God and ofthe Lamb.— "The Scriptures nowhere speak ofthe River of the Water of Life now. There isnone, and can be none until the Heavenly Citydescends, for the river must flow from the midstof it, from the Throne. Describing the conditionof the Lord's saints at the present time verydifferently, the Lord declares that those who areHis have in them a well of water springing upinto life eternal."— Z.'05-172; Ezek. 47:1; Zech.14:8.Revelation 22:2.In the midst of the street of it.— In the midstof the Highway of Holiness.— Rev. 21:21.And on either side of the River.— Nourishedand blessed by the life-giving Waters of Truth.—Ezek. 47:12.Was there the Tree of Life.— The Christ, Headand Body.Which bare twelve manner of fruits, andyielded her [fruit] FRUITS every month.—Twelve kinds

of fruit, twelve times a year, for a thousandyears— a total fruitage of 144,000.And the leaves of the [tree] TREES were forthe healing of the nations.— "The symbolicpicture suggests nourishment and healing for thesin-sick, starving world, which then may partakefreely of all the blessings and privileges thussymbolized."— Z.'05-171; Rev. 21:24; Ezek.47:12.22:3. And there shall be no [more] curse.—"Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtletree: and it [the removal of the curse] shall be tothe Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign thatshall not be cut off." (Isa. 55:13.)"Upon no subject is the testimony of theScriptures more positive, consistent andconclusive than on this subject of the curse, itseffects upon man, the redemption from it, and itsultimate removal."— E421, 405.FM334But the Throne of God and of the Lamb shallbe in it.— "A spiritual police force will havehumanity under absolute control. Every misdeedwill be punished as soon as it is determined uponand before it shall have been put into effect.Likewise, every good act, good word and goodthought will bring a blessing of restitution,health, strength— mental, moral, physical."—Z.'15-267.And His servants shall serve Him.— Beautifulinheritance of the Great Company class.— Rev.7:15.Revelation 22:4.And they shall see His face.— This will beworth all they will be called upon to endure.—Matt. 5:8.And His name shall be [in] ON theirforeheads.— At present many of this class donot have clear perceptions of the Father'scharacter. All misunderstandings will be clearedup shortly. They only await the departure of thelast of the Elijah class, in the spring of 1918.

Revelation 22:5.And there shall be no MORE night [there].—Doubtless, at first, the Great Company'smemories of her dark night will be very keen.—Rev. 7:14; 21:23, 25.And they need [no] NOT THE LIGHT OF Acandle.— Light from the Church in the flesh.[Neither] AND light of the sun.— The Gospel,through the Word.For the Lord God [giveth] WILL GIVE themlight.— "Blessed are they which are called untothe Marriage Supper of the Lamb."— Rev. 19:9;7:16-17; Psa. 84:11.And they shall reign for ever and ever.—They— Christ and His Bride, in whose blestHeavenly courts the Beloved Bridesmaids willalways find their happy station.— Dan. 7:27; 2Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:21.Revelation 22:6.And he.— The same angel mentioned in Rev.1:1; 19:9, 10; representing Pastor Russell,beyond the veil.Said unto me.— The John class, in the flesh.These sayings are faithful and true.— "Therehath not failed one word of all His goodpromise."— 1 Kings 8:56.And the Lord God of the [holy] SPIRITS OFTHE Prophets.— It is still possible to have thesame spirit as filled the Prophets of old, eventhough the prophecies themselves have ceased tobe miraculously uttered or interpreted.— 1 Cor.13:8.Sent ME His angel to shew unto His servantsthe things which must shortly be done.—Especially the events of the immediate future.—Rev. 1:1.Revelation 22:7.AND behold I come quickly.— See Rev. 16:15;22:10, 12, 20. Jesus is the speaker.

Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of theprophecy of this book.— The Elijah class, whosee its clear import and accept theresponsibilities implied.— Rev. 1:3; 3:14.FM335Revelation 22:8.And I John saw these things, and heardthem.— "Understood them.— Rev. 1:3.And when I had heard and seen, I fell downbefore the feet of the angel which shewed methese things.— "This may signify that in the endof this Gospel Age as the whole Church, theJohn class, comes to see the unfolding of theDivine Plan, there might be a spirit or dispositionamongst them to do too much honor to the oneused of the Lord in communicating to them theDivine light now due."— Z.'05-173; Judges13:17, 18.Revelation 22:9.Then saith he unto me, see thou do it not:[for] I am thy fellow-servant.— "The angel'srefusal to accept homage should be a lesson to allministers (servants— messengers) of God."—Z.'96-305; Rev. 19:10.And of thy brethren the Prophets.— Prophets,in the New Testament use of the word, refer toChristian speakers.And of them which keep the sayings of thisbook: worship God.— "God alone should beworshiped: He is the Author of the great Planand will be the Finisher of it. It is brought to ourattention now by Him because it is now ‘duetime' for His people to come to an appreciationof His plans."— Z.'05-173.Revelation 22:10.And he saith unto me, Seal not [the] THESEsayings of the prophecy of this book: for thetime is at hand.— "Make no secret," he added,"of the meaning of the predictions contained inthis book; for the time for their fulfillment isnow close at hand."— Weym. 22:11.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.— "Atthe time that the features of this symbolicalRevelation shall come to be understood andappreciated by the Lord's people, they may knowthat the time of the completion is near at hand.We are not to expect that the telling of thisMessage will have the effect of converting theworld. It was not intended to do this and will notdo it."— Z.'05-173; Dan. 12:10.And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.—"Present Truth, although full of comfort andencouragement to the Church in respect to theirdear friends who are out of Christ, has no effectwhatever upon those who love sin, who arefilthy, who are unrighteous. The unrighteous andthe filthy simply ignore this message and are notmoved specially by it."— Z.'05-173.And he that is righteous, let him [berighteous] WORK RIGHTEOUSNESS still.—"To lovers of righteousness, of truth, therevelations of the Divine Plan now unfoldingcommend themselves, and intensify their lovefor righteousness and appreciation of fullconsecration to the Lord."— Z.'05-173.FM336And he that is holy, let him be holy still.—"The word seems to denote development andcrystallization of character, immediatelypreceding the coming of the great Judge of all."(Weym.)"Love is patient and kind. Love knows neitherenvy nor jealosy. Love is not forward and selfassertive,nor boastful and conceited. She doesnot behave unbecomingly, nor seek toaggrandize herself, nor blaze out passionateanger, nor brood over wrongs. She finds nopleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfullysides with the truth. She knows how to be silent.She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patientendurance."-1 Cor. 13:4-7.— Weym.Revelation 22:12.

[And] behold, I come quickly.— See Rev.16:15; 22:7, 10, 20. The Lord Himself becomesthe speaker.And My reward is with Me, to [give] BEGIVEN every man.— Every man in Christ.According as his work [shall be] IS.— TheChurch's work is practically finished. The rewardis given on the basis of the work already done, incharacter development and in the naturaloutgrowth of that development— works.Revelation 22:13.I am Alpha and Omega, THE FIRST ANDTHE LAST, the Beginning and the End, [theFirst and the Last].— "Our Lord tells us overand over again (See Rev. 1:8, 11, 17; 2:8; 3:14;21:6), that He is the Beginning and the Ending,the First and the Last, of the creation of God."—Z.'93-115.Revelation 22:14.Blessed are they that [do His commandments]WASH THEIR ROBES.-- The Great Companyclass.— Rev. 7:14.That they may have right to the Tree ofLife.— Rev. 22:2.And may enter through the gates into theCity.— "Whose Builder and Maker is God."(Heb. 11:10.) To these dear brethren we wouldsay, The object of your trials is to remove thedross (Ex. 30:7; Mal. 3:2) that you may be fitcompanions of the Christ. (Ex. 12:8; Heb. 2:17;Rom. 5:3; Col. 1:11.) Do not think it strange.(James 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:12; 5:10.) When youget the right viewpoint, you will rejoice in yoursufferings. (Deut. 13:3; Psa. 23:4; 119:67.) Thetrials will not last forever (Psa. 39:1); and inthem all you may hear the songs of deliverance.(Psa. 32:6, 7.) There is nothing to turn back to(Heb. 10:38); but there is joy untold to lookforward to, and it is nigh.— Rev. 19:9; Psa.45:14, 15.Revelation 22:15.

[For] without are dogs.— There will be noclergy class, as such, in the Kingdom.— Isa.56:10; Phil. 3:2; 2 Tim. 3:8, 9.And sorcerers, and whoremongers, andmurderers, and idolators.— See Rev. 21:8.FM337And whosoever [loveth and] maketh ANDLOVETH a lie.— The old lies will die hard; andsome may try to carry them far into the Time ofTrouble, on the well-known principle that if apigeon's brains are removed, and the woundallowed to heal, the bird will no longer seek itsfood, though it can still swing on a perch andruffle its feathers and show fight. Ere long,however, the Truth will be so manifest that allmust give way before it.Revelation 22:16.I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify untoyou these things in the churches.— All downthe Age the Church has had this Message; alldown the Age holy men of God have sought tounderstand its mysteries; all down the Age it hasremained a closed book. But now the Mystery ofGod is finished; and the object of keeping thebook closed is accomplished. God wished theworld to know when the time for the completeremoval or error and for the establishment of HisKingdom would come; and so He enables thelast members of His Church to give the Message.I am the Root and the Offspring of David.—"According to the flesh, our Lord Jesus was,through His mother, the Son, the Branch, theOffshoot or Offspring of David. It was by virtueof His sacrifice of His undefiled life that Hebecame the ‘Root,' origin, source of life, anddevelopment of David."— E150, 135; Rev. 5:5.And the bright and morning Star.— "And Iwill give him the Morning Star." (Rev. 2:28.)Christ's gift of Himself to the Bride is thegreatest of all gifts.— Job. 38:7; Psa. 118:22-25.22:17.And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come .—"The Gospel Age makes ready the chaste Virgin,

the faithful Church, for the coming Bridegroom.And in the end of the Age, when she is made‘ready' (Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9), the Bridegroomcomes; and they that are ready go in with Him tothe Marriage. The Second Adam and the SecondEve become one, and then the glorious work ofRestitution begins. In the next Dispensation, theNew Heaven and the new earth, the Church willbe no longer the espoused Virgin, but theBride."— A98.And let him that heareth say, Come. And lethim that is athirst come.— "Blessed are theythat do hunger and thirst after righteousness forthey shall be filled."— Matt. 5:6; Isa. 55:6, 7.[And] whosoever will, let him take of theWater of Life freely.— "Now the prospectivemembers of the Bride class have the Lord's Spiritin them, ‘a well or water springing up untoeverlasting life.' (John 4:14.) By and by thesewell-springs brought together in glory with theLord shallFM338constitute the source of the great River of Lifewhich shall bless and heal all nations. By and bythe prophecy will be fulfilled: ‘He that believethin Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of livingwater.'"— Z.'04-269.Revelation 22:18.[For] I testify unto every man that heareth thewords of the prophecy of this book.— To allwho ever understand it.If any man shall add unto these things.— Aswas done in many instances during the DarkAges, even in this very verse.— Deut. 4:2;12:32; Prov. 30:5, 6.God shall add unto him the plagues that arewritten in this book.— His penalty will be,when he comes forth from the tomb in the Timesof Restitution, that he will have to read the SevenVolumes of SCRIPTURE STUDIES, and get thematter straightened out in his own mind.Revelation 22:19.

And If any man shall take away from thewords of the book of this prophecy.— Shallseek to nullify or minimize its teachings, nowthat the time has come for it to be understood.God shall take away his part [out of the Book]FROM THE TREE of Life.— He will not be apart of the life-giving Tree described in Rev.22:2; not a part of the Little Flock.And [out of] the Holy City, [and from thethings] which are written in this book.— Hewill not be one of the Lord's jewels, countedworthy of a place in the New Jerusalem.Revelation 22:20.He which testifieth these things TO BE saith,surely I come quickly.— The apokalupsis is athand! See Rev. 16:15.[Amen. Even so] come, Lord Jesus.— Theunion with the Bridegroom draweth nigh.Revelation 22:21.The grace of [our] THE Lord Jesus Christ bewith [you all] THE SAINTS, Amen.— Thefirst of the saints to whom will be extended theunmerited favor of a raising up out of death toperfection will be the Little Flock; the next classof saints to be reached will be the GreatCompany; next in order will come forth theAncient Worthies; and finally the millions andbillions of mankind, until at last Adam, himself,shall come forth from the prison-house in whichhe has lain so long, and may, if he will, receiveagain by the will of God, as a favor or grace atthe hands of Christ, the unspeakable boon ofeternal life.The sweet persuasion of His voiceRespects thy sanctity of will,He giveth day; thou hast thy choiceTo walk in darkness still.— Whittier.

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FM339THE SONG OFSOLOMONTHE BRIDAL ANTHEMCanticles 1:1.The song of songs— The harmony ofharmonies— the assembling in one beautifulpicture of many of the most beautiful figures ofthe Divine Word.Which is Solomon's— Type of Christ in glory,as David was a type of Christ in the flesh.Canticles 1:2.Let him kiss me— A form of salutationsignifying closest fellowship. "Greet all thebrethren with an holy kiss." "Betrayest thou theSon of man with a kiss?"With the kisses— The oft repeatedendearments.Of His Mouth— Of His Word, the Scriptures.For Thy love— Thy caresses, the repeatedassurances of guidance, protection,companionship, love and care.Is better than wine— Wine is a symbol ofdoctrine. "They also have erred through wine.""They are drunken," but not with wine." "Allnations have drunk of the wine." "I will nothenceforth drink of this fruit of the vine." "Benot drunk with wine." Although a sound faith isessential, yet of faith, hope and love, the greatestis love; therefore, love is better than wine. TheLord's assurances of love are even more preciousto the Bride than the precious doctrines so vitalto her happiness.1:3. Because of the Savior— The sweetperfume.Of Thy good ointments— The Holy Spirit, theholy anointing oil of the priesthood.Thy name— Christ, which means "Anointed."

Is as ointment— The holy anointing oil, theHoly Spirit.Poured forth— At His baptism upon the Head,at Pentecost on the Body.Therefore— Because of their admiration andappreciation of Christ's Holy Spirit.Do the virgins— The pure in heart.Love Thee— Seek fellowship with Thee, aspireto learn or Thee, to cultivate Thy graces, to benear Thee.Canticles 1:4.Draw me— "No man can come to Me exceptthe Father draw him." "All Thine are Mine."We will run— Not sit in the seat of the scornful,nor stand in the way of sinners, nor walk in thecounsel of the ungodly, but run with patience therace set before us.After Thee— The Forerunner. The First-bornfrom the dead. The first to pass over the narrowwar. The Head,FM340that in all things He might have the preeminence.Not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.The King— The Lord Jesus, typified bySolomon. "So shall the King greatly desire thybeauty."Hath brought me— Even in the present life.Into His chambers— Into the "Holy," the spiritbegottencondition, the first heavenly condition;made us to sit down in heavenly places in Christ.We will be glad— "Be glad in the Lord, andrejoice, ye righteous."And rejoice in Thee— "And again I say,Rejoice."We will remember— Will meditate upon thinkof.Thy love— Thy caresses, assurances ofguidance, protection, companionship, love andcare.

More than wine.— More even than thedoctrines.The upright— Those without deceit, guileless,honest.Love Thee— Seek fellowship with Thee, aspireto learn of Thee, to cultivate Thy graces, to benear Thee.Canticles 1:5.I am black— The bride of Moses, Zipporah,type of the Bride of Christ, was an Ethiopianwoman— a Gentile.But comely— "The Kings Daughter is allglorious within"; her intentions are pure, spotlessin God's sight.O ye daughters— Professed children.Of Jerusalem— Of the Kingdom of God. Thetrue Church instinctively recognizes that herdetractors are to be found among God'sprofessed people.As the tents of Kedar— Kedar was one of thechildren of Ishmael, and the name thus stands forthe Ishmaelites, or Bedouins. Their tents are theirhomes; and though made of black goat's hair andoutwardly stained they are often luxurious in theinterior, being hung with costly tapestries.As the curtains— Between the Holy and theMost Holy.Of Solomon— Of Solomon's Temple. Thesecurtains, or rather a similar curtain which hung inHerod's temple, and which was rent in twain onthe day of our Lord's death, was most wonderful,being some thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide andfive inches thick.Canticles 1:6.Look not upon me— Look not so upon me(Leeser); the Bride kindly expostulates with hercritics.Because I am black— Because I am somewhatblack (Leeser); the Bride does not deny herimperfections, but is not disposed to admit thatshe is altogether worthless.

Because the Sun— The searching light of thetrue Gospel which exposes every defect.Hath looked upon me— Judgment must beginat the House of God. The Bride's sins are openbeforehand, known to all men. God's Wordexposes the weaknesses or almost every noblecharacter whose life is there recorded.FM341My mother's children— Sitting and speakingagainst their brother, their own mother's son.Were angry with me— "Your brethren thathated you, that cast you out for My name's sake,etc." "The brother shall betray the brother todeath."They made me— Elected me, appointed me.The keeper— Class-leader, Sunday-schoolteacher, etc.Of the vineyards— Sunday-schools, ChristianEndeavor societies, Epworth Leagues, YoungPeople's unions.But mine own vineyard— The cultivation ofthe fruits of the Spirit.Have I not kept— I have been too busy with"church work," to look after my own bestspiritual interests.Canticles 1:7.Tell me— The Bride continues.O Thou— Christ.Whom my soul loveth— Whom having notseen, we love.Where Thou feedest— "Wheresoever thecarcase is there will the eagles be gatheredtogether."Where Thou— The Good Shepherd.Makest Thy flock— The Flock of God.To rest— My people have forgotten theirresting-place.At noon— Where the grass is long and sweet,and where there are opportunities to draw

specially near to the Shepherd. "He maketh meto lie down in green pastures."For why should I be— Why should I longerappear to others to be.As one that turneth aside— As one that goethastray.By the flocks— Not in them: for I never was inany other intentionally. I thought these otherflocks were yours.Of Thy companions— Other great teachers:heads of other churches; Antichrist systems.Canticles 1:8If thou know not— The Heavenly One replies.O thou fairest— The Lord does not taunt herwith her self-confessed stains.Among women— Churches, true and false.Go thy way forth— There is something for youto do.By the footsteps— He goeth before them, andthe sheep follow Him.Of the flock— Look about you; and when yousee those whose lives indicate that they are truesheep, and when they urge you "Come and see,"follow Nathaniel's example.And feed thy kids— Inquiring ones, newlyinterested, especially if they manifest any goatliketendencies.Beside the shepherds' tents— Take them to theelders' or deacons' homes for further instructionin the right ways of the Lord; or, apply the sameprinciple by bringing the Scripture Studies totheir attention, thus introducing them to theteacher who has answered all our hard questions.FM342Canticles 1:9.I have compared thee— The Lord continues.O My Love— "Love one another as I have lovedyou."To a company— 144,000.

Of horses— Fond of their Master, quick to doHis bidding, easily guided, quiet, faithful,temperate, long-suffering.In Pharaoh's chariots— The best in the world.Canticles 1:10.Thy cheeks are comely— The Lord continuesto shower compliments upon His Espoused.With rows of jewels— Jewels of Divine Truth;the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit.Thy neck— The yoke-bearing member; take Myyoke upon you; a yoke is built for two— Jesusand one other.With chains of gold.— The Divine nature. Eachact of loyal burden-bearing becomes a link in thegolden chain.Canticles 1:11.We— My Father and I.Will make thee borders— "A House not madewith hands eternal in the Heavens."Of gold— The Divine nature.With studs of silver— The House will be trulyyours; that which is your own.Canticles 1:12While the King— The Bride thus speaks of herLord.Sitteth at His table— Breaking the Bread ofLife to His Household.My spikenard— Devotion, as illustrated byMary's alabaster box.Sendeth forth the smell thereof — "Did not ourhearts burn within us while He talked with us bythe way, and while He opened to us theScriptures?" At such times the fires of Heavenlylove burn fiercest.Canticles 1:13.A bundle of myrrh— Wisdom. "In Him are hidall the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge."Is my well-beloved— Christ.

Unto me— "Who of God is made unto usWisdom." "We have the mind of Christ."He shall lie all night— During this dark timewhile evil is permitted.Betwixt my breasts— I will take the Lord intomy bosom, "More dear, more intimately nighthan e'en the sweetest earthly tie."Canticles 1:14.My Beloved— Christ, on the other side of theveil.Is unto me— The Bride, still toiling on this sideof the veil.As a cluster of camphire— A cooling, fragrant,shade, a refuge from the fierce heat; "as theshadow of a great rock in a weary land."In the vineyards of Engedi— Located on theshore of the Dead Sea, in one of the hottest ofclimates.FM3431:15. Behold thou Art fair.— The Bridegroomspeaks again.My love— My Bride to be.Behold thou art fair— Beautiful of heart.Thou hast dove's eyes— Heavenly wisdom—the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.1:16. Behold Thou art fair— "Fairer than thechildren of men." The Bride returns thecompliment.My Beloved— "Greater love hath no man thanthis that a man lay down his life for his friends."Yea pleasant— The disciplines are as nothingcompared to the joy of your fellowship.Also, our bed— The place of our rest; "let thesaints be joyful in glory, let them sing aloudupon their beds."Is green— Our rest will be everlasting. "Theyrest from their labors."Canticles 1:17.

The beams of our house— The covering overus; "the Head of Christ is God."Are cedar— Immortal.And our rafters— Wainscoting; theenvironment on all sides.Of fir— Everlasting. Where changes nevercome.Canticles 2:1.I am the rose— Glorious, beautiful, without apeer.Of Sharon— (The Plain). Not seekingexaltation.The lily— Pure, fragrant, exquisite..Of the valleys— Meek and lowly of heart.Canticles 2:2.As the lily— Pure, humble, defenseless; so theHeavenly One responds.Among thorns— Which scratch, tear andwound.So is My love— "Continue ye in my love."Among the daughters— Nominal churchorganizations.Canticles 2:3.As the apple tree— The Bride thus refers toChrist.Among the trees— With a fruitage greater invariety, color, flavor, quantity and lastingquality.Of the wood— Which run largely to leaves,professions.So is my Beloved— We love Him because hefirst loved us.Among the sons— The other sons of God withwhom we are acquainted.I sat down— "Come ye yourselves apart, andrest awhile."

Under His shadow— His protecting love andcare.And His fruit— His perfect fruitage of love.Was sweet to my taste.— "Oh, taste and seethat the Lord is good!"Canticles 2:4.He brought me— Guided me by His Word andprovidences.To the banqueting house— To sup with Himand He with me.FM344And His banner— The banner under which Hefought the good fight of faith.Over me— And under which I also am enlisted.Was love— Love of the highest order.Canticles 2:5.Stay me— Nerve me for the war.With flagons— The pure doctrines of theKingdom.Comfort me— Strengthen me for the conflict.With apples— Spiritual food; bread fromHeaven.For I am sick of love— Am lovesick, oversentimental,dreamy, not sufficiently awake tothe fact that true love includes service andsacrifice.Canticles 2:6.His left hand— His power as illustrated in theguidance of His people into all necessary Truth.Is under my head— Directing my mentalfaculties.And His right hand— His power as illustratedin overruling all things that would harm me.Doth embrace me— "Secure in His tenderembrace, I've nothing to doubt or to fear."Canticles 2:7.I charge you— I must give you this message.

O ye daughters— Professed children; nominalSpiritual Israel.Of Jerusalem— The Kingdom of God.By the roes— Which you regard as the loveliestthings of earth, as illustrated by the statuary onyour estates.And by the hinds— The things which youregard as most full of grace; therefore typical ofyour churches, colleges, hospitals, libraries andcharitable institutions.Of the field— The world, the present order ofthings.That ye stir not up— Seek not to arouse.Nor awake my love— To take charge of earth'saffairs.Till He please.— For when He does stand up toassume control, " there will be a Time ofTrouble, such as never was," in which all thesebeautiful things upon which you have set yourheart will be obliterated.Canticles 2:8.The voice of my Beloved— The Churchsuddenly recognizes the joyful sound,betokening the Second Presence of her Lord.Behold He cometh— At midnight there was acry raised, Behold, He cometh!Leaping upon— Dismembering or changing theform of.The mountains— The autocratic governmentsof Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Russia, Turkey,Persia and China.Skipping upon— Shattering old customs andold political parties, and placing the people morein the ascendancy.The hills— The less autocratic governments ofthe United States, Mexico, Great Britain, France,etc. "The hills melt like wax at the presence ofthe Lord."Canticles 2:9.

My Beloved is like— In swiftness ofmovement.FM345A roe or a young hart— Swiftly leaping frommountain to mountain; preparing the world forHis coming Reign.Behold He standeth— "There standeth Oneamong you whom ye know not."Behind our wail.— The wall of our earthlyhouse, unseen by the eye of flesh.He looketh forth— He looketh in. At thewindows— The windows of the soul, the eyes ofthe understanding.Showing Himself— Revealing the fact of HisSecond Presence.Through the lattice— Parallels and crossreferences of Holy Writ.Canticles 2:10.My Beloved spake— "Thine ears shall hear avoice behind thee."And said unto me— Through the words of theProphets and the Apostles.Rise up, My love— "Awake, awake! put on thystrength."My fair one— "Put on thy beautiful garments."And come away— From earthly to Heavenlyconditions.Canticles 2:11.For lo, the winter— The time of the burning ofthe tares; "pray ye that your flight be not in thewinter."Is past— Will shortly be past.The rain— The deluge of Truth.Is over and gone.— The Harvest work is allaccomplished: will have been finished at thetime here indicated.Canticles 2:12.The flowers— Promise of a new fruitage.

Appear on the earth— Among the restitutionclass.The time of the singing —The harmoniousmating.Of birds is come— Of Heaven-sent propheciesand their fulfilments. "Search ye out and see; notone of these shall want her mate"; i. e., everyword of every prophecy will be fulfilled.The voice of the turtle— The turtle-dove; "thecongregation of Thy poor" is thus described bythe Psalmist.Is heard in our land— The poor begin to takehope; the harbingers of the New Era are about uson every hand.Canticles 2:13The fig tree— The Jewish nation.Putteth forth— "Behold the fig tree, and all thetrees; when they now shoot forth . . . . know yethat the Kingdom of God is nigh."Her green figs— Plans for re-establishment inPalestine.And the vines— Of the Father's right handplanting.With the tender grape— Bearing the preciousfruitage of love, joy, peace, long-suffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, selfcontrol.Give a good smell— Yield a sweet perfume tothe husbandman. "My Father is theHusbandman."FM346Arise My Love— "Awake, thou that sleepest,and arise from the dead."My fair one— The queen in gold of Ophir,Daughter of the Great King.And come away.— "Forget also thine ownpeople and thy father's house."Canticles 2:14.

O my Dove— The Bride addresses her unseenLord.That art in— Directly in, fully in, guiding,controlling.The clefts— The apparent fractures or injuries.Of the rock— The Kingdom; the Stone cut outwithout hands.In the secret places— The dark corners of life'sexperiences, where we halt trembling and afraid.Of the stairs— The stepping stone by which weascend to the Heavenly City.Let me see Thy countenance— "I shall besatisfied when I awake in Thy likeness."Let me hear Thy voice— The sheep followHim; for they know His voice.For sweet is Thy voice— "Grace is poured intoThy lips."And Thy countenance is comely— "I will thatthey may be with Me where I am, that they maybeheld My glory."2:15. Take us the foxes— Take away from usthe sly faults, originating in the deceitful mind ofthe flesh.The little foxes— Secret beginnings of sin in themind.That spoil the vines— That prevent us fromyielding the fruitage of love so precious in Thysight.For our vines— "I am the Vine; ye are thebranches."Have tender grapes— Have begun a fruitage,which is ripening beautifully in the Father'ssight.Canticles 2:16.My Beloved is mine— "The Head can not say tothe feet, I have no need of you."And I am His— "If the foot shall say, because Iam not the hand, I am not of the body, is it not ofthe body?"

He feedeth— Bestows His spiritual favors upon.The lilies— "The meek will He guide injudgement; the meek will He teach His way."Canticles 2:17.Until the day break— Until the MessianicMorning has fully dawned.And the shadows— Of the reign of sin anddeath.Flee away— Depart forever.Turn my Beloved— Continue to hide Thyselffrom earthly eyes.And be Thou like— In Thy swiftness ofmovement.A roe or a young hart— Leaping frommountain to mountain— kingdom to kingdom.Upon the mountains— Gentile dominions.FM347Of Bether— Of divisions, which separate usfrom Thee and separate Thee from Thy longpromisedReign.Canticles 3:1.By night— While I was still in the dark inregard to God's great Plan.On my bed— My creed bed, the one from whichI have now been taken, but in which many othersare still left.I sought Him— Sought intimate fellowship withHim.Whom my soul loveth— "He that loveth fatheror mother . . . son or daughter more than Me isnot worthy of Me."I sought Him— Christ, the HeavenlyBridegroom.But I found Him not— Certainly not; howabsurd of me to expect to greet the Bridegroomwhen I was in bed, sound asleep!Canticles 3:2.

I will rise now— This creed bed isuncomfortable; it is "shorter than that a man canstretch himself on it."And go about the city— Interest myself in theactivities of Christendom.In the streets— Enter into the affairs of itsgovernments.And in the broad ways— Plunge into itspleasures— "gay white ways," etc.I will seek Him— Try to find the place of rest.Whom my soul loveth— For which my soullongs. "We who have believed do enter intorest."I sought Him— Sought rest of heart in all theseways.But I found Him not— "All that my soul hastried left but an aching void."Canticles 3:3.The watchmen— Of nominal Zion; the clergy.That go about the city— Christendom,Babylon.Found me— Drew me under their influence.To whom I said— Having become deeplyinterested in the subject of the Lord's promisedReturn.Saw ye Him— Have you discerned the fact ofthe Bridegroom's Presence?Whom my soul loveth— There was no reply,for the reason that "His watchmen are blind:they are all ignorant: they are all dumb dogs;they cannot bark."Canticles 3:4.It was but a little— "He is not far from us."That I passed from them— Became unbound,unfettered.But I found Him— Was made acquainted withthe proofs of the Parousia.

Whom my soul loveth— We ought to live forHim who died for us.I held Him— "Hold that fast which thou hast,that no man take thy crown."And would not let Him go— "I will not letThee go, except Thou bless me."Till I had brought Him— Till I hadaccompanied Him.Into my mother's house— The antitypicalSarah tent.FM348And into the chamber— Heaven itself.Of her that conceived me— The SarahCovenant; the Oath-bound Covenant.Canticles 3:5.I charge you— I must give you this message.O ye daughters— Professed children.Of Jerusalem— The Kingdom of God.By the roes— Which you regard as the loveliestthings of earth, as illustrated by the statuary onyour estates.And by the hinds— The things which youregard as most full of grace; therefore typical ofyour churches, colleges, hospitals, libraries andcharitable institutions.Of the field— The world, the present order ofthings.That ye stir not up— Seek not to arouse.Nor awake my Love— To take charge of earth'saffairs.Till He please— For when He does stand up toassume control, "there will be a Time of Troublesuch as never was," in which all these beautifulthings upon which you have set your heart willbe obliterated.Canticles 3:6.

Who is this that cometh — The Lord'sprofessed people thus speak of the evidences ofthe Lord's Second Presence.Out of the wilderness— The Time of Troublehaving come, they recognize that the longpromisedSecond Coming of the Lord is anaccomplished fact.Like pillars of smoke— Terrible in majesty,definite, personal, intangible. "I will showwonders in the heavens and in the earth, bloodand fire and pillars of smoke."Perfumed with myrrh— Anointed withWisdom.And frankincense— Praise to Jehovah.With all powders— All ingredients of the holyanointing oil, type of the Holy Spirit.Of the merchant— The apothecary; theHeavenly Father. "God gave not the Spirit bymeasure unto Him."Canticles 3:7.Behold His bed— The place of His ultimaterest, and ours.Which is Solomon's— Christ's, in glory.Threescore valiant men— The sixty centuriesduring which evil has been permitted.Are about it— Standing between the people ofGod and the rest which He has promised.Of the valiant— Invincible, immovable.Of Israel— Of the people of God. All thecenturies belong to God; they are His servants,working out His sovereign will.Canticles 3:8.They all hold swords— Since the slaughter ofAbel, all the centuries have been filled withbloodshed.Being expert in war— War has prevailedthroughout the earth during all that time.FM349

Every man hath his sword— Every century has itsimplements of war.Upon his thigh— Ready for use upon the slightestprovocation.Because of fear— The present world-war is due tomutual fear and distrust.In the night— The time of the permission of evil;the time for dark motives and dark deeds.Canticles 3:9.King Solomon— Christ, in glory.Made Himself a chariot—Appiryon, palanquin; amagnificent vehicle provided for a queen's receptionand her entrance into the royal city, and in which theKing goes forth to meet her; typified by the chariot offire which bore Elijah away from earthly scenes: themagnificent spectacle with which this Age willend.— See page 63.Of the wood of Lebanon— The saints. The typicaltemple was built, in part, of cedar and fir timber cutfrom Mt. Lebanon.Canticles 3:10.He made the pillars thereof— The corner posts,just outside the place of greatest honor.Of silver— The Great Company.The bottom thereof— The canopy overhead; "that inall things He might have the preeminence."Of gold— The Divine nature.The covering thereof— The seat; the Throne of theRoyal Priesthood.Of purple— Royalty."The midst thereof— The heart of it.Being paved with love— Love of the highestorder— love for enemies.For the daughters— The professed children;nominal Spiritual Israel.Of Jerusalem— The Kingdom of God.Canticles 3:11.Go forth— "Come out of her," out of Babylon.O ye daughters of Zion— My people; God's people.

And behold King Solomon— Get clear views ofChrist.With the crown— The Crown of Life; the Divinenature.Wherewith His mother— The Sarah Covenant.Crowned Him— With glory and honor.In the day— Pentecost.Of His espousals— When the antitypical Eliezer wasreceived by the antitypical Rebecca.And in the day— Now at hand, praise the Lord!Of the gladness of His heart— When the marriageof the Lamb takes place. "Blessed is he that is calledto the marriage supper of the Lamb."Canticles 4:1.Behold thou art fair— The Lord addresses HisBride anew.FM350My love— "Greater love hath no man than this,that a man lay down his life for his friend."Behold thou art fair— "So shall the Kinggreatly desire thy beauty."Thou hast dove's eyes— The Heavenlywisdom.Thy hair — Woman's hair was given her for acovering, and it is bar glory. The righteousnessof Christ is the Bride's covering, and it is herglory.Is as a flock of goats— Thick, luxuriant.That appear from Mt. Gilead— The flocks ongoats on Mt. Gilead are or unusual size to thisday.Canticles 4:2.Thy teeth— Masticators, grinders, assimilatorsof spiritual food.Are like a flock— In glistening array.That are even shorn— When the lips areparted.Which come up from the washing— Cleansingby salivation.

Whereof every one bear twins— Wehereofthey come forth in pairs.And none is barren— None is without its mate.Among them— The teeth are perfect in formand number, illustrating the Bride's ability tofeed upon the strong meat which "belongeth tothem that are of full age."Canticles 4:3.Thy lips— "O Lord open Thou my lips!" "Mymouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips."Are like a thread of scarlet— As the scarletthread of redemption runs through the DivineWord, so it is with you, and on your lips— theall-absorbing theme of life.And thy speech is comely— My speech shalldistil as the dew.Thy temples are like— Thy mind, the mind ofthe New Creature, may be properly compared to.A piece of pomegranate— The pomegranatecuriously combines the flavors of all fruits. Itthus well illustrates the New Mind, which, underthe influence of the Holy Spirit, brings toperfection the fruitage of love, the sum of all theChristian graces.Within thy locks— Behind thy veil; concealedby the veil of the flesh.Canticles 4:4.Thy neck— Willingness to bear burdens.Is like the tower of David— David was a typeof the Church militant.Builded for an armory— Designed toaccommodate a great number.Whereon there hang a thousand— "One shallchase a thousand."Bucklers of shields of mighty men— "I can doall things through Christ, which strengthenethme."

FM351Canticles 4:5.Thy two breasts— "The breasts of herconsolations, whereof ye may suck and besatisfied, milk out and be delighted."Are like two young roes— The Scriptures, theWord of God, quick and powerful.That are twins— The Old and New TestamentScriptures are identical in origin, spirit andpurpose.Which feed among the lilies— "The meek willHe guide in judgment; the meek will He teachHis way."Canticles 4:6.Until the Day— The Millennial Day. The Brideis the speaker.Break — Has fully dawned.And the shadows— Of the Valley of theShadow of Death in which I now walk.Flee away— Are gone.I will get me— In spirit.To the mountain of myrrh— The Kingdom ofWisdom.And to the hill of frankincense— Praise, heartadoration.Canticles 4:7.Thou art all fair— Blameless, faultless. TheLord responds.My love— His love is commended to us in that"while we were yet sinners Christ died for theungodly."There is no spot— You have kept yourgarments unspotted from the world.In thee— "If we confess our sins, He is faithfuland just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us."Canticles 4:8.Come with Me— To our Heavenly inheritance.

From Lebanon— From your present unfinishedcondition. The typical temple was built, in part,of cedar and fir timbers from Lebanon; but theyhad to be hewn and finished before they could beused.My spouse— My espoused Bride.With Me from Lebanon— You are butfollowing in the path I trod.Look from the top of Amana— The view fromthis peak is said to be indescribably grand. Lookaway to Heaven.From the top of Shenir— (Peak or pointed.)Look beyond the sharp experiences of thepresent.And Hermon— (Rugged or abrupt.) Lookbeyond the unkind words and deeds you nowencounter.From the lions' dens— You are now in thelions' dens, but look beyond them. Satan goesabout as a roaring lion; but no lion shall be there.From the mountains— Kingdoms of tillsworld. Look beyond them.Of the leopards— Papacy and those of herspirit. "And the beast which I saw was like untoa leopard."Canticles 4:9.Thou hast ravished My heart— Taken it away.FM352My sister, My spouse— The Bride of Christ isHis sister. His Father is their Father. His mother,the Sarah covenant, is their mother. "We,brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of thePromise."With one of thine eyes— With thy singleness ofvision. "If thine eye be single, thy whole bodyshall be light."— Matt. 6:22.With one chain of thy neck— With thy onebond of servitude; consecration to the service ofthe Great King.

Canticles 4:10.How fair is thy love— How various andbeautiful are its forms of expression.My sister, My spouse— My Father's Daughter,My espoused Bride.How much better is thy love— The ways inwhich you show your devotion to me.Than wine— Than thy doctrines, some ofwhich, in the past, have been badly mixed.And the smell— Thee sweet fragrance.Of thine ointments— The anointing oil; theHoly Spirit.Than all spices— Than all other virtues.Canticles 4:11.Thy lips, O My spouse— My beloved Bride tobe.Drop as the honeycomb— Distil a dropping ofpure honey; sweet and helpful words.And the smell— The sweet perfume.Of thy garments— The robe of Christ'srighteousness.Is like the smell— The life-giving odors.Of Lebanon— The cedar and fir trees ofLebanon.Canticles 4:12.A garden enclosed— A heart-garden, shut outof sight of all but its owners.Is My sister, My spouse— My Father'sdaughter, My espoused Bride.A spring shut up— "It shall be in you a well ofwater springing up unto everlasting life."A fountain sealed— Sealed with the King's ownsignet, until the time comes that all the wellsprings are brought together in the firstresurrection, to constitute the fountain fromwhich will flow the River of the Water of Life.

Canticles 4:13.Thy plants are— The plants in your heartgardenare illustrated by.An orchard of pomegranates— Thepomegranate curiously combines the flavors ofall fruits and thus well represents love, the sumof all the Christian graces.With pleasant fruits— Pleasing characteristics.Camphire— Rest, trust, confidence.With spikenard— Fragrant devotion, asillustrated by Mary's alabaster box.Canticles 4:14.Spikenard and saffron— Fragrant devotion andlong-suffering.FM353Calamus and cinnamon— Knowledge andunderstanding.With all trees of frankincense— Praise, heartadoration.Myrrh and aloes— Wisdom and patience.With all chief spices— All the remainingelements of Christian character.Canticles 4:15.A fountain— In the midst.Of gardens— Beautiful, clear, sparkling, lifegiving.A well of living waters— Invigorating thewhole world in the New Age. "The water that Ishall give him shall be in him a well of waterspringing up unto everlasting life."And streams from Lebanon— Pure, refreshing.Canticles 4:16.Awake O North wind— Storms of adversity.The Bride speaks.And come thou South— Balmy breezes. "Somedays are bright and sweet with praise, some withaccepted pain."

Blow upon my garden— My heart-garden, inwhich I seek to develop the fruits most pleasingto my Lord.That the spices thereof— The aroma of gooddeeds, kind words and noble thoughts.May flow out— Manifest itself to the Lord andto others.Let my Beloved— Bridegroom, Christ.Come into His garden— Come into my heart.And eat— Appropriate to His use and pleasure.His pleasant fruits— The fruits of love, whichHe has cultivated within me.Canticles 5:1.I am come— The Lord responds.Into My garden— I have accepted yourinvitation to come in and make My abode withyou.My sister, My spouse— My Father's Daughter,My espoused Bride.I have gathered My mrryh— Wisdom;generally the result of bitter experience. Myrrhmeans bitter.With My spice— The fragrant and sweetingredients of the Holy Spirit.I have eaten— Accepted, appropriated,consumed.My honeycomb— The sacrificers themselves.With My honey— With the sacrifices of praisewhich they offered.I have drunk My wine— Taken note of thedoctrines you teach.With My milk— Noticed also the manner andspirit with which you present the milk of theWord to these not so far advanced.Eat, O friends— The Lord addresses the needyworld.Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved—"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the

waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buyand eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk withoutmoney and without price."FM354Canticles 5:2.I sleep— "While the Bridegroom tarried, theyall slumbered and slept." The Foolish Virginclass is here represented as speaking.But my heart waketh— At heart the FoolishVirgins are loyal to the Lord.It is the voice of my Beloved— She recognizesthe evidences of the Lord's Second Advent.That knocketh— "Behold, I stand at the doorand knock."Saying Open to me— "If any man hear Myvoice and open the door, I will come in to him."My sister, My love— The Foolish Virgins arechildren of the same Father, and are also born ofthe Sarah Covenant, but the Lord does notaddress them as His spouse.My dove, My undefiled— The Great Companyclass are pure in their hearts intentions.For My head— "As one who has vowed a vowof a Nazarite to separate himself unto Jehovah."Is filled with dew— Freshness, vigor. "Thouhast the dew of Thy youth."And My locks— "All the days of his separationthere shall no razor come upon his head. Till thedays be fulfilled in the which he separatethhimself unto Jehovah, be shall be holy, and shalllet the locks of the hair of his head grow."With the drops— Experiences.Of the night— My consecration to Jehovah hasbeen steadfast throughout the world's dark nightof sin.Canticles 5:3.I have put off— Temporarily laid aside. TheFoolish Virgins reply.

My coat— The wedding robe which Youprovided.How shall I— How can I see to.Put it on— I am in the midst of the dark night ofthe Time of Trouble.I have washed my feet— I am a churchmember, in good and regular standing.How shall I defile them— Why should I leavemy creed bed and obey Your call to come out ofBabylon?Canticles 5:4.My Beloved— In His great love and pity forme.Put in His hand— Exerted His mighty power.By the hole of the door— Rattled the time-lock.And my bowels— My heart.Were moved for Him— Was stirred to action,but too late to go in with Him to the wedding.Canticles 5:5.I rose up— Roused myself to activity.To open to my Beloved— Just as the Harvestwas past.And my hands— Holding the keys to the Bible,the Studies.Dropped with myrrh— Wisdom, gleaned fromthe Scripture Studies, till then neglected.FM355With sweet smelling myrrh— A knowledge of allthe precious things of Present Truth.Upon the handles— The lines of propheticalevidence.Of the lock— The time features of the Lord's Plan.Canticles 5:6.I opened to my Beloved— After the Harvest workwas finished.But my Beloved— True to His word.

Had withdrawn Himself— "And they that wereready went in with Him to the marriage."And was gone— And the door was shut.My soul failed when He spake— I lacked the love,faith and hope to obey promptly.I sought Him— "Many shall strive to enter in butshall not be able when once the Master of the Househath risen up andshut to the door."But found Him not— "I am He that shutteth and noman openeth."I called Him— "Not every one that saith unto Me,Lord, Lord, shall enter in."But He gave me no answer— No hope of being HisBride and Joint-heir.Canticles 5:7.The watchmen— Watchmen in nominal Zion, theclergy of the nominal church.That went about the city— Christendom.Found me— Observed my course in acceptingPresent Truth and withdrawing from their systems.They smote me— "With arrows, even bitter words."They wounded me— Wounded my reputation.The keepers— Civil authorities.Of the walls— The Governments, the bulwarks ofChristendom.Took away my veil from me— Were instigated todestroy me, to cause me to pass beyond the veil.Canticles 5:8.I charge you— The Foolish Virgin class continues.O daughters of Jerusalem— O all who profess tolove Him.If ye find my Beloved— If you yourself expect to beof the Bride class.That ye tell Him— In my behalf.That I am sick of love— Hungering for Hiscompanionship, longing to see His face, despite thefact that I did not open to Him promptly.

Canticles 5:9.What is thy Beloved— The Lord's professedpeople, now in nominal Zion, speak.More than another beloved— Why is Christ anymore to you than He is to me?O thou fairest among women— The Lord'sprofessed people in nominal Zion, begin to awake tothe fact that the last of the spiritually-minded ones areleaving them.FM356What is thy Beloved— To you.More than another beloved— To another.That thou dost so charge us— We would like tounderstand the reasons why you are so deeplyconcerned, and why you persist in saying, "TheHarvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are notsaved."Canticles 5:10.My Beloved is white— "Holy, harmless, undefiledand separate from sinners." The Foolish Virgin classresponds to the Lord's professed people in nominalZion.And ruddy— A reference to His pierced side. "Hewas clothed in a vesture dipped in blood."The chiefest— The standard-bearer or chieftain.Among ten thousand— Among ten thousandwarriors.Canticles 5:11.His head— "God gave Him to be the Head over allthings to the Church which is His Body, that in allthings He might have the preeminence."Is as the most fine gold— "Who only hathimmortality."His locks are bushy— His consecration is perfectand complete.And black as a raven— And He remained steadfastin it unto death.Canticles 5:12.His eyes— Wisdom.Are as the eyes of doves— Pure, peaceable, gentle.

By the rivers of waters— By the channels of truth.Washed with milk— Primary elements of the Truth.And fitly set— All in perfect harmony.Canticles 5:13.His cheeks— His countenance towards me.Are as a bed of spices— The personification virtueand every grace.As sweet flowers— Towers of perfumes (margin),flowers trained upon trellises; shedding a beauty andfragrance compelling the attention of all.His lips like lilies— His speech modest, beautifuland sweet. "Never man spake like this Man."Dropping sweet smelling myrrh— DistillingHeavenly wisdom. "My speech shall distil as thedew."Canticles 5:14.His hands— As in rolling or unrolling a scroll orparchment.Are as gold rings— Conform to the shape of the roll."Thou art worthy to take the roll and to open the sealsthereof."Set with the beryl— Love of the Father. See page325.His belly— The word signifies the whole body, fromshoulders to thighs.Is as bright ivory— A beautiful vision.Overlaid with sapphires— Faithfulness. See page325. "And they saw the God of Israel, and there wasunder His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphirestone."FM357Canticles 5:15.His legs— The members that have been carrying onthe work of the Body.Are as pillars of marble— "Him that overcomethwill I make a pillar in the Temple of My God."Set upon sockets— Feet the feet members.Of fine gold— "How beautiful upon the mountainsare the feet of Him!"His countenance— Smile of favor.

Is as Lebanon— Pure, invigorating, refreshing.Excellent as the cedars— Everlasting life.Canticles 5:16.His mouth— His Word. "Man shall not live by breadalone, but by every word that proceedeth out of themouth of God."Is most sweet— "All bare Him witness andwondered at the gracious words that proceeded out ofHis mouth".Yea, He is altogether lovely— It is impossible todescribe all His excellencies; He is the sum of all thatis to be desired.This is my Beloved— This is the One I lovesupremely.And this is my Friend— "I've found a Friend, Osuch a Friend!"O daughters of Jerusalem— O you who arenominally His.Canticles 6:1.Whither is thy Beloved gone— After the door isshut, those who have been nominally Christ's begin togive heed to the message of the Foolish Virgins.O thou fairest among women— O most spirituallymindedamongst us.Whither is thy Beloved turned aside— We realizethat He has entirely withdrawn Himself from us.That we may seek Him with thee— Show us in theWord how He is now to be found. "All that a manhath will he give for his life."Canticles 6:2.My Beloved— The Foolish Virgin class, nowthoroughly aroused to the facts, explain to the Lord'sprofessed children in nominal Zion.Is gone down— His Second Advent is accomplished.Into His garden— He has taken His Bride toHimself.To the beds of spices— To accept from her heartgardenthe fragrant and sweet ingredients of the HolySpirit.

To feed in the gardens— To receive to Himself theprecious fruits love, joy, peace, long-suffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.And to gather lilies— To take the humble sweetones home; to gather the wheat class into theHeavenly garner.Canticles 6:3.I am my Beloved's— The Great Company can notforget that they are precious in the Lord's sight.And my Beloved is mine— "Fade, Fade, eachearthly joy, Jesus is mine."FM358He feedeth among the lilies— "The meek willHe guide in judgment; the meek will He teachHis way."Canticles 6:4Thou art beautiful— At heart. The Lord againaddresses His Bride.O My love— "Love one another as I have lovedyou."As Tirzah— A delight.Comely as Jerusalem— "The City of the GreatKing."Terrible— In the conquest of evil.As an army with banners— To an opposinghost.Canticles 6:5.Turn away thine eyes from Me— Observe theLord's modesty and humility.For they have overcome Me— How the Lorddelights to express His appreciation of thevirtues of Hie Bride, despite the fact that they areall but feeble reflections of His own!Thy hair— Righteousness. Woman's hair wasgiven her for a covering, and it is her glory. Therighteousness of Christ is the Bride's covering,and it is her glory.Is as a flock of goats— Thick, luxuriant.

That appear from Mt. Gilead— The flocks ofgoats on Mt. Gilead are of unusual size to thisday.Canticles 6:6.Thy teeth— Masticators, grinders, assimilatorsof spiritual food.Are as a flock— In glistening array.Which go up from the washing— Cleansing bysalivation.Whereof every one bear twins— They comeforth in pairs.And there is not one barren— None is withoutits mate.Among them— The teeth are perfect in formand number, illustrating the Bride's ability tofeed upon the strong meat which "belongeth tothem that are of full age."Canticles 6:7.As a piece of pomegranate— The pomegranatecuriously combines the flavors of all fruits. Itthus well illustrates the New Mind, which underthe influence of the Holy Spirit, brings toperfection the fruitage of love, the sum of all theChristian graces.Are thy temples— Thy mind, the mind of theNew Creature.Within thy locks— Behind thy veil; concealedby the veil of the flesh.Canticles 6:8.There are threescore queens— Nominal churchorganizations openly joined to earthly heads.And fourscore concubines— Even more aresecretly violating their pledges of spiritualvirginity. Altogether the census shows about 150sects. See page 160, where all the principal sectsare enumerated.And virgins without number— FoolishVirgins, really pure at heart.

FM359Canticles 6:9.My dove, My undefiled— The Virgin Bride ofChrist.Is but one— "That they may be one, as We are."The only one— To share the glory, honor andimmortality of Christ.Of her mother— The Oath-bound Covenant.She is the choice one— The specially favoredone.Of her that bore her— The antitypical Sarah.The daughters— Professed children of God.Saw her— Discerned her, at the time of themanifestation of the Sons of God.And blessed her— Called her blessed.Yea the queens— Those openly affiliated withworldly churches in union with worldlygovernments.And the concubines— Those secretly thusaffiliated.And they praised her— Acknowledged, in theend, that her course was right and her exaltationmerited.Canticles 6:10.Who is she— The Bride.That looketh forth— Beams resplendent.As the morning— The Millennial Morning.Fair— Pure, just, holy, good.As the moon— "The law is fulfilled in us whowalk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."Clear— Glorious, light-giving.As the Sun— Then shall the righteous shineforth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father.""Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."And terrible— In the conquest of evil.

As an army With banners— To an opposinghost.Canticles 6:11.I went down— Following the exaltation of theBride. Christ speaks.Into the garden of nuts— The heart-gardens ofthe Foolish Virgin class. A garden of nuts doesnot as quickly yield its treasures as a garden ofspices, to which the Bride's heart garden islikened.To see the fruits of the valley— Of the elm thathad not risen with the Bride to the Pisgah heightsof faith and hope and love.And to see whether — As a result of theirexperiences in the Time of Trouble.The vine flourished— Their characters hadbeen properly affected.And the pomegranates budded— To seewhether there is promise of the fruits of theSpirit coming to perfection.Canticles 6:12.Or ever I was aware— I knew not how it was.My soul— Filled with love and pity for them.Made me like the chariots — Swiftly speedingto them to bless and help them in their hour ofextremity.Of Amminadib — Of My willing people, theBride.FM360Canticles 6:13.Return, return — "Return, ye backslidingchildren, and I will heal your backslidings."O Shulamite — (Uneven one), you who havebeen uneven in your love, hope and faith.Return, return, that We — My Father and I.May look upon thee — Smile upon thee;bestow blessings. "With gladness and rejoicingshall they be brought: they shall enter into theKing's palace."

What will ye see— You who study the matter.In the Shulamite— The Foolish Virgin class.The answer is that you will see.As it were the company — The GreatCompany.Of two armies — "A great multitude which noman can number."Canticles 7:1.How beautiful are thy feet — "How beautifulupon the mountains are the feet of them thatpreach the Gospel of peace." The Lord againaddresses His Bride.With shoes— "Feet shod with the preparation ofthe Gospel of peace."O Prince's daughter — Daughter of the King,Jehovah.The joints — "The whole Body, fitly joinedtogether and compacted with that which everyjoint supplieth."Of thy thighs — (Softness) gentleness,tenderness.Are like jewels — "They shall be Mine, saith theLord of Hosts, in that day when I make up Myjewels."The work of the hands — "For we are Hisworkmanship."Of a cunning workman — "As for God, Hiswork is perfect."Canticles 7:2.Thy navel — Umbilical cord; by which you arejoined to the Oath-bound Covenant, the SarahCovenant; the cord of faith.Is like a round goblet — Generous in capacity.Which wanteth not liquor — Is full of theDivine promises.Thy belly — Spiritual digestive tract.Is like a heap of wheat — Solid spiritual food.Set about with lilies — Flowers of humility.

Canticles 7:3.Thy two breasts — "The breasts of herconsolations, whereof ye may suck and besatisfied, milk out and be delighted."Are like two young roes — "The Scriptures, theWord or God, quick and powerful."That are twins — The Old and New TestamentScriptures are identical in origin, spirit andpurpose.Canticles 7:4.Thy neck — Willingness to bear burdens.Is as a tower of ivory — Purity and strength.Thine eyes — Wisdom, Heaven-sent.Like the fishpools in Heshbon — Pure, deep.By the gate of Bath-Rabbim — Calm andstrong.FM361Thy nose — Scent for spiritual food.Is as the tower of Lebanon — Lofty, high,noble.Which looketh toward Damascus — "Visionsof beauty rise before us." "He that lacketh thesething is blind and can not see afar off."Canticles 7:5.Thine head upon thee — Thy reasoningfaculties.Is like Carmel — (Crimson.) "Come now andlet us reason together, saith the Lord; thoughyour sins be as scarlet they shall be as white assnow; though they be red like crimson they shallbe as wool."And the hair of thine head — Thyrighteousness. Woman's hair was given for acovering, and her glory. The righteousness ofChrist is the Bride's covering, and her glory.Like purple — Royalty. The robe of Christ'srighteousness, which the Bride now wears, willultimately become the robe of the Queen.

The King is held — Bound, captive.In the galleries — The happy prison-house orthe charms of His Bride.Canticles 7:6.How fair — Beautiful at heart. "The King'sdaughter is all glorious within."And how pleasant — When the New Creature isin full control.Art thou, O beloved — "Who shall separate usfrom the love of Christ?"For delights — For one with whom to enjoy theFather's favors and blessings throughout eternity;heirs together of the grace of life.Canticles 7:7This thy stature — The stature of the fulness ofChrist.Is like a palm tree — Tall, upright.And thy breasts — "The breasts of herconsolations."To clusters of grapes — Suggestive of food andrefreshment for the hungry, when they shall suckand be satisfied, milk out and be delighted.Canticles 7:8.I said — The world, in the Messianic Age, is thespeaker.I will go up to the palm tree — "And manypeople shall come and say, Come and let us goup to the House of the Lord."I will take hold — Lay hold of eternal life.Of the boughs thereof — The members bendingover to lift me out of the miry clay and thehorrible pit.Now also thy breasts — Feeding and helpingthe famishing world in the New Age.Shall be as clusters of the vine — Giving lifeand health.

And the smell of thy nose — Thy scent forspiritual things and the blessed results thatfollow.FM362Like apples — Food for the hungry.Canticles 7:9.And the roof of thy mouth — Where the praises ofJehovah reverberate.Like the best wine — The new wine of the KingdomFor my Beloved — Christ will then be the world'sBeloved, also.That goeth down sweetly — "I will not henceforthdrink this fruit of the vine till I drink it new with youin the Kingdom."Causing the lips — "Awake and sing, ye that dwellin the dust."Of those that are asleep — In death.To speak — Shall the dead arise and praise thee?Canticles 7:10.I am my Beloved's — The Bride speaks again.And His desire is towards me — "So shall the Kinggreatly desire thy beauty."Canticles 7:11.Come My beloved — The Lord addresses His Brideafter the Time of Trouble.Let us go forth — On our great mission of love andmercy.Into the field — Into the world, which needs us somuch.Let us lodge — Take up our temporary dwellingplace.In the villages — "Have thou authority over teacities!" "The Tabernacle of God is with men."Canticles 7:12Let us get up early — In the dawn of the New Age.To the vineyards — The hearts of mankind ingeneral.Let us see if the vine flourish — If men arebeginning draw nigh to God.

The tender grape appear — If there is promise ofan ultimate fruitage pleasing to the Father.And the pomegranates appear — If there areevidences that love, joy, peace, long-suffering,gentleness, goodness, meekness, are going to abound.There — When you see with what infinite patienceand Wisdom and love I cultivate the heart-gardens ofmen.Will I give thee — Cause thee to appreciate fully.My loves — The love with which I have loved thee.Canticles 7:13.The mandrakes give a smell — The regeneration ofthe world is nigh.And at our gates — The Ancient Worthies are thegates by which the restitution classes will come to theMediator.Are all manner of pleasant — Agreeable, attractive,pleasing.Fruits new and old — The virtues which the Bridecultivated and others especially appropriate to thechanged conditions of the New Age.Which I have laid up — As a part of the muchdiversifiedPlan of the Ages.FM363For thee, O My beloved — For thy enjoyment.Canticles 8:1.O that Thou — My Lord and Head. The Brideaddresses her Lord.Wert as my brother — Not so immeasurablyabove me in character and station.That sucked the breasts of my mother — Sothat we would be on an equality with each other.When I should find Thee without — Beyondthe house of flesh.I would kiss Thee — Would feel free to expressin Thy presence the great love I feel.Yea I should not — Under such circumstances.Be despised — By the critics who now blameme for presuming to so high a station as to beThy Bride.

Canticles 8:2.I would lead thee and bring thee — But now itis Thou alone that are competent to lead.Into my mother's house — The antitypicalSarah tent.Who would instruct me — "They shall be alltaught of God."I would cause Thee to drink — Accept,appropriate, enjoy.Of spiced wine — Doctrines flavored with theHoly Spirit.Of the juice of my pomegranate — Thepomegranate curiously combines the flavors ofall fruits. It thus well illustrates the fruitage oflove, the sum of' all the Christian graces.Canticles 8:3.His left hand — His power as illustrated in theguidance of His people into all necessary truth.Should be under my head — Directing mymental faculties.And his right hand — His power as illustratedin overruling all things that would harm me.Should embrace me — "Secure in His tenderembrace, I'd have nothing to doubt or to fear."Canticles 8:4.I charge you — I must give you this message.O daughters of Jerusalem — Professedchildren of God.That ye stir not up — Seek not to arouse.Nor awake my Love — To take charge ofearth's affairs.Until He please — For when He does stand upto assume control, "there will be a Time ofTrouble such as never was," in which all theearthly organizations upon which you have setyour heart will be obliterated.

Canticles 8:5.Who is this — The Heavenly Father thus speaksof the Bride.That cometh up — That cometh forward intoprominence.From the wilderness — At the end of 1260years of wilderness hiding and papal supremacy.Leaning upon her Beloved — Upon her Lord.I raised thee up — "It is God that justifieth.Who is he that condemneth?"FM364Under the apple tree — Under Christ, theAuthor and Finisher of your salvation.There thy mother — The antitypical Sarah.Brought thee forth — "Shall I bring to the birthand not cause to bring forth?"There she brought thee forth — The OathboundCovenant accomplished its end.That bare thee — From earthly to Heavenlyconditions.Canticles 8:6.Set me as a seal — Indelibly impressed. TheBride beseeches her Lord.Upon Thy heart— Thine infinite love.As a seal upon Thine arm — Thine infinitepower.For love — Such love as I have for Thee.Is strong as death — "Neither death nor lifeshall be able to separates from the love of Godwhich is in Christ Jesus our Lord."Jealousy — The fear that I may not, after all,prove acceptable to You, as Your Bride.Is cruel as the grave — Sheol, oblivion.The coals thereof — The weaknesses of myfallen flesh.Are coals of fire — Burned into my very soul.

Which hath a most vehement flame — Theseburning thoughts of my imperfections will bewith me as long as I am in this tabernacle.Canticles 8:7.Many waters — Nor angels nor principalities.Cannot quench love — The Father reassures theanxious Bride.Neither can the floods — "Nor things presentnor things to come."Drown it — Extinguish it.If a man — The Man whom I have ordained.Would give all the substance of his House —All His own glorious station with me on theThrone of the Universe.For love — In exchange for the love you havemanifested for Him throughout the dark night ofyour earthly career.It would utterly be condemned — Despised bythe courts of Heaven.Canticles 8:8.We — The Lord and His Bride together speak.Have a little sister — The Foolish Virgin class,born of the same Father and the same antitypicalSarah, the Oath-bound Covenant.And she hath no breasts — Is not fullydeveloped.What shall we do — What will be the Divinearrangement?For our sister — The Great Company class.In the day — The close of the Time of Trouble.When she shall be spoken for — Called torender up her account.FM365Canticles 8:9.If she be a wall — Bulwark of truth, on the OneFoundation.

We will build upon her — "Other foundationcan no man lay."A palace of silver — Give her a place with theGreat Company class.And if she be a door — By which men andwomen have found the Lord and the Truth.We will inclose her — Give her anenvironment.With boards of cedar — Everlasting life.Canticles 8:10.I am a wall — The Bride thus refers to herselfas having been a staunch defender of the Truth."Lo, we have left all and followed Thee." Whatthen shall we have?And my breasts — Unlike the Foolish Virgins.Like towers — "Whereof ye may suck and besatisfied, milk out and be delighted."Then — Because I reached the development ofcharacter He desired.Was I in His eyes — The eyes of theBridegroom.As one that found favor — Peace (margin).Canticles 8:11.Solomon — Christ.Had a Vineyard — For growing the fruitage oflove.At Baalhamon — (Lord of the multitude.) Areference to the Messianic Reign, in whichChrist will be Lord of all.He let out the vineyards — Gave the immediatecare.Unto keeper — The Ancient Worthies, "whomThou mayest make princes in all the earth."Every one — Of the keepers.For the fruit thereof — The kind of fruitageexpected.Was to bring — Present, offer.

A thousand pieces of silver — Yield a richreturn of truth and praise from the heartscultivated.Canticles 8:12.My vineyard — The same vineyard.Which is mine — We are made joint-heirs withChrist.Is before me — Will take a thousand years totill.Thou, O Solomon — Christ.Must have a thousand — Tributes of praise.And those that kept the fruit thereof — TheAncient Worthies.Two hundred — A fifth as much, as theirportion.Canticles 8:13.Thou — The restitution classes, address theirLord.That dwellest in the gardens — The heartgardensof the redeemed race.The companions — The Great Company; thecompanions that followed the Bride.Hearken to thy voice — Have entered with joyinto the King's palace.FM366Cause me to hear it — O Lord, I see there ishope for me. I also would be Thine. Show meThy will.Canticles 8:14.Make haste, my Beloved — The restitutionclasses continue.And be Thou like — In thy swiftness ofmovement.To a roe or to a young hart — Leaping frommountain to mountain, kingdom to kingdom.Upon the mountains — The various divisionsof the Kingdom of God during the MessianicReign.

Of spices — Good deeds, kind words and noblethoughts. "And I will make all my mountains away, and my highways shall be exalted." "Thekingdoms of this world are become the Kingdomof our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reignfor ever and ever." Amen.THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOMThat He is mine and I am His. Oh! wondrous thought.I am so poor, so weak, so lowly, can there aughtOf worthiness in me be found, that He should loveAnd seek me for His Bride? I hear His voice,"My Dove, Thou art all fair, My Spouse, there is no spot in thee;Thy speech is comely, better is thy love to MeThan wine! Thine eyes as Heshbon's fish-pools, and like flocksUpon Mount Gilead are thy spiced and flower-decked locks.The winter's past, My Dove, come, come with Me away.Far spent the night, make ready for thy nuptial day!"My heart responds, "Throughout the many-centuried night I'velonged for Thee, I've waited for the dawning light; And I have laidThee like sweet myrrh upon my breast, Thine arm beneath myweary head hath brought me rest. Thou whom my soul doth love,Thy countenance is fairTo see within the secret places of the stair;Thy head is like fine gold, how beautiful Thy feet!Thine eyes as doves' eyes, and Thy lips with honey sweet. I rise,my Lord, I leave my father's house, beholdMy Robe of Righteousness, my raiment of wrought gold! Oh!wealth of love divine, that claims me for Thine own, Oh! miracleof grace, to seat me on Thy Throne.Oh! glorious future hopes, Oh! bliss beyond compare, Throughall eternity Thy love and work to share!"— G. W. S.June 25, 1917.

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FM367THE BOOK OFTHEPROPHETEZEKIELChapter 1GOD'S CHARACTER AND PLANEzekiel 1:1.Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, inthe fourth month, in the fifth day of themonth, as I was among the captives by theriver of Chebar, that the heavens wereopened, and I saw visions of God.— Christpromised that at His Second Advent He wouldraise up a "faithful and wise servant," or"steward," who should watch and give forth indue season meat for the Household of Faith. Thisone should be given charge of all the Storehouse,the Word of God, to bring out of it things newand old. (Matt, 24:44-47; Luke 12:42-44.) TheProphet Ezekiel types this servant. As Ezekielwas among the Lord's people, the Hebrews, incaptivity in literal Babylon, this servant wasamong those in captivity in Mystic Babylon,beside the great river Chebar ("Joining"), thestream of commerce which joins the nations, onwhich Christendom is founded, and from whichshe draws her support, as did in a literal senseBabylon from her great river, Euphrates. In theearly seventies Charles Taze Russell foundhimself engaged in commerce, but earnestlystudying the Word of God, and striving to teachwhat he found therein. In fulfilment of theDivine promise the Heavenly things were openedto him (Matt. 3:16), and he saw the significanceof the visions, prophecies, given in olden timesby the Almighty. He was given a crystal-clearunderstanding of the character of Jehovah.

Ezekiel 1:2, 3.In the fifth day of the month, which was thefifth year of king Jeholachin's captivity, theWord of the Lord came expressly untoEzekiel the priest, the son of Buzl, in the landof the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and thehand of the Lord was there upon him.— Mendo not raise themselves up to become great andhonored agents in God's outworking of theDivine Plan of the Ages (Luke 18:14; Eph.3:11); but now and then throughout the centuriesJehovah Himself (1 Cor. 12:18) has raised upChristian men to carry forward one step oranother of His purposes. God made special useof St. Paul, St. John, Arius, Peter Waldo, JohnWycliffe, Martin Luther and Charles T. Russell.The significance of the word Ezekiel is "God isFM368strong," and epitomizes the faith and the messageof Pastor Russell. He shows the power ofJehovah to save His people now (Acts 15:14),and later to save all the willing and obedient ofmankind. (Acts 15:17.)As Ezekiel was the son of Buzim, "Contemnedof God," Pastor Russell was born the child of anominal religious system which is unfaithful toJehovah. Pastor Russell, by the faithful carryingout of his vow of consecration to Divine service,was accepted as a true priest of the Almighty. Hesacrificed himself and all that he had until, inOctober, 1916, he died penniless, but rich in thethings of God. Chosen expressly by God todeclare the message of Present Truth to the last,or Laodicean age, of the Church, the hand,power, of Jehovah was upon him.Ezekiel 1:4.And I looked and behold, a whirlwind cameout of the north, a great cloud, and a fireinfolding itself, and a brightness was about it,and out of the midst thereof as the color ofamber, out of the midst of the fire.— As ayoung man Charles T. Russell was lookingintently to see what might be discerned in theWord of God. "Watch," said the Master.

Pastor Russell took for his motto, "I will standupon my watch, and set me upon the tower, andwill watch to see what He will say unto me."(Hab. 2:1.)He called his semi-monthly publication, "TheWatch Tower"; and, firm in the belief that theSecond Advent took place in 1874, he includedas a sub-title, "And Herald of Christ's Presence."The north symbolizes the spiritual phase of theKingdom of God. (Isa. 14:13; D653.) PastorRussell beheld coming, permitted by God, agreat Time of Trouble, a whirlwind of warfare,revolution and anarchy. (Jer. 25:32, Psa. 58:9,10; D528.) It was the cloud accompanying theapproach to human affairs of Him for whoseKingdom many have so long prayed."Clouds and darkness are round about Him:righteousness and judgment are the habitation ofHis Throne, a fire goeth before Him and burnethup His enemies round about" (Psa. 97:2.)A conflagration, beginning with world war, isupon the earth, developing into revolution andanarchy. Fire symbolizes the last of thesemisfortunes. (Dan. 7:11.)The situation is complicated, infolding,perplexing. None of the national leadersunderstand the situation. To the poor world, ingross darkness, and lying "in the wicked one,"the cloud is full of darkness (Isa. 60:2), ofgloominess (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15); but to thosewho are taken out of the world and into Christ, itis full of brightness and hope— a white cloud,with a silver lining. In the bright light of thedawning Day of Christ the faces of the Lord'speople light up with joy as they see these thingscoming to pass; for

FM369their "deliverance draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28)—the deliverance, too, of the whole world from thekingdom of Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor.4:4), into the glorious Kingdom of God, the otherside of the trouble. With the understanding ofGod, His work, plan and purpose, there shoneforth the amber, golden glow of the Divinepresence, and of the true character, nature andglory of the Almighty God of Love. The FatherHimself is supervising the troublous commotion,bruising to heal (Hos. 6:1), and "shortening thedays."— Matt. 24:22.1:5.Also out of the midst thereof came thelikeness of four living creatures. And this wastheir appearance; they had the likeness of aman.— Out of the contemplation of the cloud oftrouble, the worldwide commotion, thedestructive anarchy, and of the golden amberglow of God's presence, came a wonderfulunderstanding of something long misunderstoodand misrepresented— the character of God. Asthe vision showed "four living creatures," so theDivine character was seen by the Laodiceansteward to consist of four active principles (Rev.3:14); Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom. Thefour have the likeness of a perfect man.Ezekiel 1:6.And every one had four faces, and every onehad four wings.— Each of the four attributeshas four characteristics or attributes; and eachhas the Word of God (wings— Rev. 12:14), inthe Old and New Testament, in two differentways of operation (two pairs).Ezekiel 1:7.And their feet were straight feet; and the soleof their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot:and they sparkled like the color of burnishedbrass.— The feet members of Christ, embodyingthe Divine attributes on earth, are righteous(straight) in Christ's righteousness, pure,unblemished in God's sight, holy, acceptable,

living sacrifices (the calf is a type ofunblemished sacrifice); and they shine with theimputed perfection of the Man Christ Jesus.Ezekiel 1:8.And they had the hands of a man under theirwings on their four sides: and they four hadtheir faces and their wings.— The hand issymbolic of power and of execution of purpose.Overshadowed by the Word of God is the Divinepower (hand) to execute the thing purposed,operating through human channels, through thepower of men. He shows the qualities of theDivine mind through man. Shielded, protected,sustained by the Word (wings)— (Psa. 61:4), thework of the Almighty goes on through "thefoolishness of preaching." (1 Cor. 1:21.) Menand women are "coworkers with God." (2 Cor.6:1.) The hands (powers) of man are instrumentsfor the operation of infinite Justice, Power, Loveand Wisdom.FM370EZEKIEL'S VISION BY THE RIVER OF CHEBAR

FM371ONE OF THE "LIVING CREATURES"FM372Ezekiel 1:9.Their wings were joined one to another; theyturned not when they went; they wenteveryone straight forward.— The wings (Psa.91:4; Rev. 12:14) are perfectly joined together inunity of purpose and action. Straight on to theend ordained of God goes His Word, upholdingand strengthening.— Isa. 46:10, 11.Ezekiel 1:10.As for the likeness of their faces, they fourhad the face of a man, and the face of a lion,on the right side: and they four had the faceof an ox on the left side; they four also had theface of an eagle.— The character of Jehovahpossesses four fundamental attributes, eachcomposed of all the others. The four faces or

features of the living creatures represent the fourattributes of God, each inseparable from theothers, and in each operate each and all of thefour.Divine Justice operates in the fullness of Power,Love and Wisdom. In the fall of man into sin,unbending Justice enforced death fordisobedience. Love delayed the execution of thesentence upon Adam 930 years (Gen. 5:5), thatWisdom might impress upon the erring humanson an indelible lesson of the exceedingsinfulness of sin (Rom. 7:13) and the extent ofthe penalty, death, that man, by said experience,might "know evil." (Gen. 3:5.) Divine power willraise man from the dead, that he may learn to"know good" and experience the fullness of theFather's Love and Wisdom. All who are willingand obedient, who consecrate fully to God's will,shall enjoy " pleasures forevermore" (Psa. 16:11)in the sunshine of Divine favor. The unwillingand disobedient shall suffer the full penalty ofJustice in the Second Death (Rev. 21:8), "utterdestruction" (2 Thess, 1:9), final and eternalobliteration. (Psa. 37:10.) The face of a mansymbolizes the quality of Love, in the characterimage and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), the Godof love. (1 John 4:8.) The ox represents Power(Rev. 4:7); for no animal is stronger, or morepatient in the exercise of strength. The majesticlion is God's Justice, roaring its message ofdeath, and executing all that oppose its voice.(Psa. 89:14.) No other creature is so far-sighted,nor soars so high as the eagle. The eaglesymbolizes Wisdom, far-seeing, ordering all theaffairs of the Almighty along the lines of Justice,Power and Love.Ezekiel 1:11.Thus were their faces: and their wings werestretched upward; two wings of every onewere joined one to another, and two coveredtheir bodies.— Each pair of wings (Rev. 12:14)symbolizes a separate function of God's Word;one pair to fly with, to carry forward the Plan inthe spirit realm, the powers of the air (Eph. 2:2),

the other to uphold "all things by the Word"(Heb. 1:3) and to cover and protect.— Psa. 91:4.FM373Ezekiel 1:12.And they went every one straight forward:whither the spirit was to go, they went; andthey turned not when they went.— Not withwavering, as darkened minds imagine, proceedsthe Divine Word, but "without variableness orshadow of turning." (Jas. 1:17.) Wheresoever themind, or Spirit, of Jehovah sends forth HisWord, thither straight onward go perfect Justice,Power, Love and Wisdom.Ezekiel 1:13.As for the likeness of the living creatures,their appearance was like burning coals offire, and like the appearance of lamps: itwent up and down among the livingcreatures; and the fire was bright, and out ofthe fire went forth lightning.— God's Justice,Power, Love and Wisdom glow with the light ofwisdom. The understanding of God's attributesmake every quality of the Almighty to glow witha wondrous illumination to anyone given to seethe "visions of God" first perceived clearly bythe Laodicean Servant. "Thy Word is a lamp"(Psa. 119:105), shedding light in the darkness,effecting a personal local illumination. The Wordis a lamp to the "feet" members of Christ. (Eph.1:23.) Up and down, everywhere, throughout allthe Divine qualities, wherever manifested,spreads the illumination now shining through theLamp, the Word.Ezekiel 1:14.And the living creatures ran and returned asthe appearance of a flash of lightning.— In theoperation of Divine Justice, Power, Love andWisdom are sudden gleams of Heavenly wisdomupon great problems, such as now light up thedark clouds of the Time of Trouble.Ezekiel 1:15.Now as I beheld the living creatures, beholdone wheel upon the earth by the living

creatures, with his four faces.— The word"cycle," or "wheel," is familiar in bicycle,motorcycle, and in cycle as applied to epochs.The Divine attributes operate upon humansociety, the symbolic earth, in cycles, or ages(Eph. 3:11), and in the mechanisms of ages bywhich God's Plan is carried forward, Hischaracter, or face, is seen.Ezekiel 1:16.The appearance of the wheels and their workwas like unto the color of a beryl: and theyfour had one likeness; and their appearanceand their work was as it were a wheel in themiddle of a wheel.— Pliny says of the beryl orchrysolithos, "It is a transparent stone with arefulgence like that of gold." Says Smith's BibleDictionary, "The ancient chrysolithos, or moderntopaz, appears to have a better claim than anyother stone to represent the tarshish of theHebrew Bible." Gold is symbolic of thingsDivine. These golden cycles are the Divinelyappointed ages in connection with the fourattributes ofFM374Deity. The Divine operations are not in onesimple age, cycle, or manner of operation, butcycle within cycle, age within age, manyoperations working together "manifold' (Eph.3:10), like a vast and complicated machine.Ezekiel 1:17.When they went, they went upon their foursides: and they turned not when they went.—Divine Justice conflicts not with Divine Love,nor with Wisdom nor Power, but all qualities arein simultaneous operation. They proceed alonglines planned ages ago.— Jas. 1:17.Ezekiel 1:18.As for their rings, they were so high that theywere dreadful; and their rings were full ofeyes round about them four.— "As the heavensare higher than the earth, so are My ways (plans)higher than your ways." (Isa. 55:9.) The Plan ofthe Ages reveals the lengths, breadths, heights

and depths of the purposes of God, and fills thereverent soul with awe. The Plan of God is fullof the infinite Wisdom (eyes— Psa. 32:8) of itsAuthor.— B305.FM1:19.And when the living creatures went, thewheels went by them: and when the livingcreatures were lifted up from the earth, thewheels were lifted up.— Whenever God'sattributes operate they are in accordance with theDivine Plan; sometimes the Divine qualities areexercised towards celestial things and sometimestowards things terrestrial.— 1 Cor. 15:40.Ezekiel 1:20.Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went,thither was their spirit to go; and the wheelswere lifted up over against them: for thespirit of the living creature was in thewheels.— The Spirit, or Power of God, is in allHis attributes and in all their operations.Ezekiel 1:21.When those went, these went; and when thosestood, these stood; and when those were liftedup from the earth, the wheels were lifted upover against them; for the spirit of the livingcreature was in the wheels.— In whateverdirection the Divine Spirit is to act, whether inearthly things or among spirit beings, thither theoperations of the Spirit go in the cooperativeaction of all God's attributes. When an age isfinished and one attribute ceases its action, theyall cease.Ezekiel 1:22.And the likeness of the firmament upon theheads of the living creature was as the color ofthe terrible crystal, stretched forth over theirheads above.— The firmament is the air oratmosphere (Gen. 1:20), and symbolizes thepowers of spiritual control. Above the attributesof God and controlling their operations is theDivine will. The expression of God's will duringthe time indicated by the vision is the Christ,Head and Body. "All power in Heaven and in

earth" (Matt. 28:18) is given unto Christ, andwillFM375be shared by His Bride and Joint-heir. (Rev.20:4.) "The terrible crystal"— literally "thereverential ice"— suggests the reverence due tothe ruling Christ Head and Body, and their ownreverential attitude towards the Father. The coloris that of ice, clear as crystal, pure, unmixed"truth in the inward parts" (Psa. 51:6),characterizing the new ruling powers in thespiritual phase of the Kingdom of God.Ezekiel 1:23.And under the firmament were their wingsstraight, the one toward the other: every onehad two, which covered on this side, and everyone had two, which covered on that side, theirbodies.— Beneath, subject to the direction of theChrist, Head and Church triumphant, are thewings (Word of God— Rev. 12:14). WheneverDivine Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom are inaction, the Word of God points straight up to theFather as the Source of every good thing.Ezekiel 1:24.And when they went, I heard the noise of theirwings, like the noise of great waters, as thevoice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, asthe noise of a host: when they stood, they letdown their wings.— The sound of the Father'sWord is as the voice of great waters (Rev. 1:15),mighty truths, in "the voice of speech," for thebenefit of His children. It is the voice of God,too, when spoken by His people. When DivineJustice, Power, Love and Wisdom operate uponhuman society, then the Word of God is in fullharmony therewith.Ezekiel 1:25.And there was a voice from the firmamentthat was over their heads, when they stood,and had let down their wings.— It is throughthe reigning Christ, Zion, that the voice ofJehovah shall sound forth. "The Lord will roar

from Zion." (Amos 1:2.) "Out of Zion shall goforth the Law." (Isa. 2:3.)Through The Christ sounds forth the Word ofGod bespeaking to the world infinite Justice,Power, Love and Wisdom.Ezekiel 1:26.And above the firmament that was over theirheads was the likeness of a throne, as theappearance of a sapphire stone: and upon thelikeness of the throne was the likeness as theappearance of a Man above upon it.— "THEHEAD OF CHRIST IS GOD." (1 Cor. 11:3.)Above the triumphant Christ, Head and Body, isthe Throne of Almighty God. "The Son [is]subject to Him that put all things under Him." (1Cor. 15:28.) The Throne represents the dominionof God. As the blue sapphire (symbolic offaithfulness) is the rulership of the Almighty."God is faithful." (1 Cor. 1:9.) In thecontemplation of the watchers, the faithfulness,unchangeableness of God, is seen shiningthrough the Christ, the firmament, like theFM376soft blue of the sapphire stone. Man is in theimage and likeness of God. Reigning over all isOne whom men can understand, a Deity whoseperfect Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom elicitcomplete consecration. God is seen to be not aferocious demon, belying His own command oflove, but a just, reasonable, loving God, able tosave all the willing and obedient. Jesus, thefriend of sinners, was and is the perfect image ofthe Father.Ezekiel 1:27.And I saw as the color of amber, as theappearance of fire round about within it, fromthe appearance of His loins even upward, andfrom the appearance of His loins evendownward, I saw as it were the appearance offire, and it had brightness round about.—"God dwelleth in light whereto no man canapproach." (1 Tim. 6:16.) Radiant is theAlmighty with the golden glow of the Divine

nature. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb.12:29); only the perfect can stand in Hispresence; for all dross, not refinable (Mal. 3:2,3), is consumed by Justice. The essence of theDivine Revelation is Love, the golden lightradiating in every direction from Our Father. "Hethat loveth his brother abideth in the light" (1John 2:10), in the Divine love light thatsurrounds the Throne and pervades the entirespirit realm. This love is the light of the world, tolight men unto God.Ezekiel 1:28.As the appearance of the bow that is in thecloud in the day of rain, so was theappearance of the brightness round about.This was the appearance of the likeness of theglory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fellupon my face, and I heard a voice of one thatspake.— The Throne and He that sat thereonwere surrounded by all the colors of the rainbow.(Rev. 4:3.) The love spirit finds fruitage incharacter fruits. So the light of our Father isdivisible into the warm red of love, the glowingblue of faithfulness, the brilliant green ofimmortality, the royal purple of kingship, forthose on any plane who are worthy of that honor,etc.— the manifestation of every good characterfruit and every good purpose for the blessing ofall His creatures. (John 15:8; Gal. 5:22.) Theglory of God is not a display of blinding light toterrify men; but it is to do good, to manifest tothe uttermost His character of love. When thewatchman of the Laodicean age discerned theDivine character and Plan he fell upon his face(Rev. 1:17), in reverential worship and incomplete consecration to do the will of hisFather in Heaven. There sounded forth andthrough him, from the pages of God's Word (Isa.30:21), the voice of the Sublime One who hasbeen speaking to Christendom during this dawnof the Golden Age.

FM377EZEKIEL 2THE REBELLIOUS HOUSEAND THE BOOKEzekiel 2:1.And He said unto me, Son of man, stand uponthy feet, and I will speak unto thee.— It is amark of favor to stand before a king. (Prov.22:29.) Those who stand before rulers receivecommissions, are invested with authority andpower.Ezekiel 2:2."And the spirit entered into me when Hespake unto me, and set me upon my feet, thatI heard Him that spake unto me."— "Thewords which I speak, they are spirit." (John6:63.) When the full import of the Word wasdiscerned, Pastor Russell took a firm stand. Thespirit, power, influence of God entered into him,never to leave. He stood firmly, before God,before his friends, and before all the hostile hostsof Mystic Babylon the Great.Ezekiel 2:3."And He said unto me, Son of man, I sendthee to the children of Israel, to a rebelliousnation that hath rebelled against Me; theyand their fathers have transgressed againstMe, even unto this very day."— PastorRussell's work was largely among professingChristians— not slum work, Christian workamong the professedly non-Christians, or arevivalistic work calling to repentance andconversion. This was not the work appropriate tothe Harvest of the Christian Age. John theBaptist announced the First Presence of Messiah,and began the harvesting of Jewry, and was notsent to the heathen, but to the Lord's people, theJews, to acquaint them with the First Advent,expose those withholding the keys of knowledge(Luke 11:52), and warn of the impendingdestruction of Jerusalem and Judea in A. D. 70and 73. (Matt. 3:7; 24:2.) A like work was to be

accomplished in Spiritual Israel, Christendom,after the Lord's Second Advent in 1874. The manraised up, "set upon his feet," and given wisdom,grace and power for the task, was Pastor Russell.Ezekiel 2:4."For they are impudent children and stiffhearted.I do send thee unto them; and thoushalt say unto them, Thus saith the LordGod."— Few things are more trying than afamily of impudent children. Forwardness inevil-doing and evil-speaking was one of thecharacteristics of the Hebrew people. Theyviolated the Word of God and justified theviolation. (Matt. 15:5.) By impudent— hardfaced—tradition they made void the Word ofGod. TheFM378effrontery or the "Christian" era has beenunsurpassed. Possessing greatest light, they havesinned most grievously. The Word said, "He thatis begotten of God sinneth not" (1 John 3:9); yetJohn Tetzel was, and in some countries RomanCatholic priests still are, selling indulgences tocommit sin. Professing "Christians" keepChristianity out of their affairs with the phrase,"Business is business."FM2:5.And they, whether they will hear, or whetherthey will forbear, (for they are a rebellioushouse,) yet shall know that there hath been aProphet among them.— The work of Ezekielamong the Hebrews in captivity proved athankless task. He was rejected by both those incaptivity and those remaining at Jerusalem underZedekiah. His following was almost nothing. Buthe witnessed faithfully, and no Hebrew could saythat he had not been cautioned of danger andwarned of impending catastrophe. Whether theclergy and people of Christendom wished toheed Pastor Russell, or not, they certainly heardhis words. (Z.'03-436.)His work was peculiarly prospered. Againstdifficulties it grew and extended beyond the

wildest dreams, until it compassed the civilizedworld. In the face of the united opposition ofProtestant and Romanist clergy, the steward ofAlmighty God accomplished the most giganticpreaching work ever done by one man. "I cannotopen the morning paper without Pastor Russellstaring me in the face," said a prominentminister. In the newspapers, in the theatres, onthe bill-boards, in billions of tract pagesdistributed gratis, in millions of home libraries,in the questions of inquiring church members, itwas evident everywhere that a great preacherwas faithfully sounding forth a trumpet message.With a voice of many waters, reverberating likethunder throughout the world, spoke PastorRussell; and ere long "they shall know that therehath been a Prophet [preacher] among them."Ezekiel 2:6, 7."And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them,neither be afraid of their words, though briersand thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwellamong scorpions; be not afraid of their words,nor be dismayed at their looks though they bea rebellious house. And thou shalt speak Mywords, unto them, whether they will hear, orwhether they will forbear; for they are mostrebellious.— Fearlessness characterized Ezekieland Pastor Russell, both outcasts among the"best" people. Pastor Russell was thrust by thechurch people into a wilderness condition, amidthe briers of opposition and reproach. Thoughthe thorns of persecution crowned his head, hewas never afraid of word nor of angry looks.(Jer. 1:8-10.) "I would rather see him stoned todeath," said a Wilkes-Barre, Pa.,FM379preacher, in answer to a kindly invitation tocome and hear Pastor Russell preach. "He oughtto be skinned alive, and his hide stretched on adoor," remarked a Chicago "divine" to another"divine," coming out from one of PastorRussell's addresses. A scorpion has a greatswelling, formidable looking head, but it stingswith its tail. (Rev. 9:5, 10.) Ecclesiasticism ismade up of organizations whose heads utter

oastful, swelling words, but which do injurythrough their followers. The sting of ascorpion— of the followers of synods andpopes— is through poisoned words. Every greatreformer has had some turn on him who werevery close to him. Not from outside did PastorRussell suffer most. A few from among life ownhousehold, whom he had befriended, helped,pushed, advanced, struck at him to ruin him anddestroy his influence and his work. It ischaracteristic of the scorpion to sting and poisonin the dark corners of a man's own home. "Be notafraid, though thou dost dwell among scorpions."Ezekiel 2:8.But thou, son of man, hear what I say untothee; Be not thou rebellious like thatrebellious house; open thy mouth, and eat thatI give thee.— The attitude of the rebelliousChristian was not that of God's chosen servant.Never did he rebel against the Divine leading,nor seek to pervert the Word of God. "My fleshis meat (food) indeed." (John 6:55.) "Man shallnot live by bread alone, but by every word thatproceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt.4:4.) Whatever the word or message that camefrom the Father's lips through the inspired pagesof the Bible, the Laodicean steward was toappropriate, assimilate.—Rev. 10:9.Ezekiel 2:9.And when I looked, behold, a hand was sentunto me; and lo, a roll of a book wastherein.— The Divine hand sent from God is theDivine power, support, upholding and advancingthe interests of whatever is in the hand. "Thebook therein" is the Divine Plan of the Ages,Present Truth, especially as relating to theimpending downfall, of Christendom in the endof this Age. Ancient books were written on acontinuous sheet, rolled up. The sheet was oftenwritten on both sides. The writing outside couldbe plainly read until covered by the rolling, butthat inside was entirely hidden from view.Present Truth, the Divine Plan of the Ages,contains features which are plain to any one wholooks at them; such as those relating to the

earthly features of God's Plan— the evil in theearth, the clashing interests of rich and poor, andvarious other elements of the present order ofthings, the great war, and the approach of a betterorder of things afterFM380the present troubles are over. Present Truth, "theroll of the book," also contains hidden, deeptruths, discernible only to those who have theHoly Spirit. It possesses features impossible for,natural men, not anointed with the Spirit, toperceive. "The natural man perceiveth not thethings of the Spirit, neither can he know them;for they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14.)Many thousands of consecrated Christians areupheld, comforted and rejoiced by the deepthings of God, made clear for the first time incenturies by the "roll of the book."Ezekiel 2:10.And He spread it before me; and it waswritten within and without; and there waswritten therein lamentations, and mourning,and woe.— What an honor to be the personbefore whom the Almighty would clearly spreadout His purposes,— the honor which came toPastor Russell, and with it a witness work of vastextent and responsibility! The purpose of PresentTruth is to inform the Lord's people and thepeople of the world, as far as they may listen,concerning the significance of the times. Allclasses profit more or less from the warning ofPastor Russell, as the message goes broadcastthroughout the world. It comes with a differentsignificance to Church and to world. To theChurch it is a trumpet call of truth (Rev. 10:2-7),to get ready quickly for deliverance, resurrectionglory, honor and immortality. To the world, theworldly-minded, the Present Truth is somethingto be dreaded. (Isa. 28:19.) This world, age, stateof affairs, is in process of destruction. Thedestroying agencies, as portrayed in theScriptures (1 Kings 19:11, 12; Z.'04-249; Z.'98-207, 208) are world-wide war, then revolutionson an unprecedented scale, and finally universalanarchy— savagery.

The significance of anarchy is appreciated by butfew. It means an utter absence of government,first the paralysis, and ultimately the ceasing, ofthe governmental functions which now affordprotection, peace and safety to property and life.As matters progress to the climax, as disasterafter disaster overtake human endeavor, anddisintegration descends into the dissolution oflaw and order, the whole earth will be "filledwith violence" (Gen. 6:11; Micah 6:12); andmen's hearts will utterly fail. (Luke 21:26.)Picture the worst revolutions ever known; thistrouble will outdo them all. Paint the darkestpicture, and none will be as black as the sablepall of this dreadful night, this reign of terroralready settling down upon mankind. Truly,"mourning, lamentation and woe" were theburden of God's Prophet Ezekiel, as he foresawthe destruction of his beloved city, Jerusalem—and of Pastor Russell, as he foreknew thedesolation of a world!FM381EZEKIEL 3PASTOR RUSSELL'SDIVINE ORDINATIONEzekiel 3:1.Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eatthat thou findest; eat this roll, and go speakunto the house of Israel.— The Prophet was tofind something. As Ezekiel ate the book in thehand of God, so the "faithful and wise servant"of this day absorbed, assimilated, the Plan of theAges which was in the power (hand) of theAlmighty. Pastor Russell searched diligently tofind all that he could of the purposes of God. Ashe understood, he was to go speak to "the Houseof Sons" (Heb. 3:6), all the children, sons ofGod— to nominal Spiritual Israelites.Ezekiel 3:2.So I opened my mouth, and He caused me toeat that roll.— "I never knew any one so willingto do the will of God," said the private secretary

and traveling companion of Pastor Russell. Hewas eager to learn all he could about theHeavenly Father's will. It was not of himself thathe learned and taught the Divine Plan; but GodHimself caused him to learn, believe and teach.Ezekiel 3:3.And He said unto me, Son of man, cause thybelly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this rollthat I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was inmy mouth as honey for sweetness.— No merecasual scanning of Present Truth would suffice.The man of God was to be filled with the greatMessage. (Rev. 10:9, 10.) "The sweetest storyever told" (Psa. 19:10; 119:103) broughtinexpressible peace. It sweetened the experiencesof a life of sacrifice. Whoever eats, assimilatesPresent Truth, finds every heart questionanswered, every doubt silenced. He learns "thepeace of God that passeth understanding" (Phil.4:7), and a sweetness as of honey in thepromises, plans, and purposes of the Father ofLove.Ezekiel 3:4.And He said unto me, Son of man, go, getthee unto the house of Israel, and speak withMy words unto them.— From apostolic days totoday all to whom the Spirit gives utterancebegin to speak (Acts 2:1-18) because constrainedto do so, because they "love to tell the story." ToEzekiel, and to the greatest preacher of moderntimes, came a readiness of speech, when JehovahHimself gave them His Spirit, and commandedto "get thee unto the house of Israel, and speakwith My words unto them."FM382Ezekiel 3.5.For thou art not sent to a people of a strangespeech and of a hard language, but to thehouse of Israel.— Present Truth was not to go tothe heathen, the drunkards, unbelievers, but tothe Christian people of the world, the spiritualHouse of Israel.

Ezekiel 3:6.Not to many people of a strange speech and ofhard language, whose words thou canst notunderstand. Surely, had I sent thee to them,they would have hearkened unto thee.— If theMessage of Present Truth had been sent to theheathen with its glad tidings for all, they wouldhave turned from devil worship, to worship thetrue God. (Matt. 11:21, 23.) On two occasionsthe trumpet sound was heard by "people of astrange speech and of a hard language." PastorRussell passed through Japan and India on around-the-world tour. In Japan the peoplerequested that he stay. It was the message theyhad longed for. In India the natives heard himgladly. In eastern and southern Africa a believerin Present Truth found his way from Nyassa tothe Cape, and many thousands of nativesembraced the Truth and were baptized.Ezekiel 3:7.But the house of Israel will not hearken untothee; for they will not hearken unto me; forall the house of Israel are impudent andhardhearted.— Christendom has neverhearkened unto God. They hear and do not. (Jas.1:22.) They are forgetful hearers of the Word.(Jas. 1:25.) They know their Master's will and doit not. (Luke 12:47.) Because they hear not God,they heed not the Word of God when brought tothem by His servants.Ezekiel 3:8.Behold, I have made thy face strong againsttheir faces, and thy forehead strong againsttheir foreheads.— Whatever situation PastorRussell faced, God made him more than equal toit. This last and most illustrious of the reformersnever asked for money; yet he had enoughentrusted to him to carry on the work.Champions of Christendom met him on thedebating platform; each encounter widened andstrengthened the witness for Present Truth. Hefaced the modern enemies of Reformation withbooks by tens of millions, and they were unableto combat their power. "To read the Studies in

the Scriptures," admonished a Southern preacherto his flock, "is to believe them." No argumentcould be devised to stem the flood of Truth, onlya ban on the reading of the books. Ininnumerable places priestcraft caused the publicburning of the books.Practically every home in America, England,Germany, Sweden, Australia, and otherProtestant countries was reached by a deluge offree tracts. Such a tracting of the world withbillions of pages, was never known. The enemiesof Truth were wholly unable toFM383check the spread of knowledge. A furthersituation faced was the production of the freePhoto-Drama of Creation, seen and heard bytwelve millions. No answer could be put forth byclerical foes of truth, but baseless, cruel libels onthe private life of one of God's noblemen.Audiences by the thousands listened to Biblelectures by Pastor Russell and by hundreds ofpublic speakers, and their voice is still heard allover the world. Stinging assaults of slander wereignored by a man of destiny, who had too muchof God's work to do to pay attention to theyelpings of little men— of the D. D.'s ofChristendom (Isa. 56:10), who love slumber, butwho snarl and bite when disturbed in theirdreams of "peace, peace" (Jer. 6:14), social andcivic gospels, church unity, and evangelisticraids on the pockets of the masses. Not asituation or a person but was facedvictoriously.— Isa. 54:57.Ezekiel 3:9.As an adamant harder than flint have l madethy forehead; fear them not, neither bedismayed at their looks, though they be arebellious house.— The forehead is symbolic ofwisdom. A man of high forehead, as was PastorRussell, is of a high type of intellect. PastorRussell's mind was made strong againstopponents of the Reform, which is ushering inthe everlasting Kingdom of Messiah. It isimpossible for error to withstand truth. (Luke

21:15.) As in apostolic days, believers in PresentTruth call themselves "in the Truth" (2 Pet.1:12), the teachings of the Word of God aretermed "the Truth" (1 John 3:19), and those whobelieve them are known as "Truth people." (3John 4.) The mind of Pastor Russell was filledwith Truth. Crystal clear, with hard, irresistiblelogic, the Present Truth, which constituted hiswisdom and understanding, was the hardestproposition ecclesiasticism ever encountered.(Isa. 50:7.) The mind of God's steward was asadamant. Adamant is literally, in Hebrew, "adiamond point." With diamond hardness (Rev.4:3), the Present Truth cuts its way through allopposition, though the opposing thought be hardas flint. The diamond is the most crystal clear ofstones, and represents the truth in irresistibleform. It is futile to oppose the mind of anyPresent Truth believer, for truth is irrefutable. Tothose who have it, it imparts the mind of anintellectual giant— the mind of Christ, of God.(1 Cor. 2:16.) Their foreheads are made asdiamond. In the light of the sun the diamondsparkles with indescribable beauty. It breaks thesunlight up into its component parts and reflectsand refracts in prismatic flashes of rainbowcolors. The sun is the Gospel of Divine Love,and its embodiment, Jesus Christ. Thecomponent parts of Christian love are theFM384character fruits. "The fruit of the spirit is love,joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,faith, meekness, temperance." (Galatians 5:22-3.)The minds, wisdom, characters of God's truepeople are full of manifestations of the shiningupon them of the glorious Gospel of the Sun ofRighteousness— full of the beauty ofrighteousness. The minds of God's saints aremade as the diamond in its excelling hardnessand sunlit radiance.Ezekiel 3:10.Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, allMy words that I shall speak unto thee receivein thine heart, and hear with thine ears.—

Like Ezekiel, Pastor Russell was to hold back,nor pervert, nor wrest nothing.Ezekiel 3:11.And go, get thee to them of the captivity, untothe children of thy people, and speak untothem, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God;whether they will hear, or whether they willforbear.— It was to be a message for the Lord'speople in captivity to the king of this world,Satan, bound in Mystic Babylon the Great, thegovernmental-ecclesiastical-commercial systemof Christendom.Ezekiel 3:12.Then the Spirit took me up, and I heardbehind me a voice of a great rushing, saying,Blessed be the glory of the Lord from Hisplace.— Through the begetting of the HolySpirit we are raised up to walk in newness of life(Rom. 6:4), to sit with Christ in heavenly places(Eph. 2:6), in the Spirit-begotten condition. TheSpirit raised Pastor Russell up to anunderstanding and appreciation of Heavenlythings. (Matt. 3:16.) At Pentecost the placewhere the Apostles were sitting was filled with arushing sound as of a mighty wind, and theyreceived the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2.) The mightyrushing sound represented Pastor Russell'sreceiving a rich endowment of the Spirit of God,to whose leadings he was fully consecrated andto whose influence and guidance he whollydevoted his life. The words of Christ and of Godare contained in the Bible, written thousands ofyears ago, behind in the stream of time. It was inthe Word of God, behind him in time (Isa.30:21), that Pastor Russell perceived the rushingsound, the utterances of the Holy Spirit. Themessage of the Bible has been perverted byCatholic and Protestant misunderstandings intoanything but a glorious and blessed Gospel. It isa thing to be dreaded, if the glory of God is toeternally torment the vast majority of humans.But the Message of Truth sounded forth byPastor Russell declares the grace of the Gospelwhich is to reach every man, woman and child (1Tim. 2:6) with its blessed influence; power,

wisdom and love, so that all creation in due timemay join in a mighty paeon of praise. "Blessedbe the glory of Jehovah from His place."— Psa.106:48.FM385Ezekiel 3:13.I heard also the noise of the wings of the livingcreatures that touched one another, and thenoise of the wheels over against them, and anoise of a great rushing.— Many Christianministers have had glimpses of the Word of God,knowledge of some details of the Plan, somemeasure or the Holy Spirit; but to Pastor Russell,God's messenger to the last stage of the Church,was given a superabundance of gifts, to set thethings of God in order (Isa. 44:7), to proclaim anharmonious understanding of all the Divinepurposes for mankind and of some for theangels. (Eph. 3:10.) He heard the full harmony of"the song of Moses and the Lamb." (Rev. 15:3.)To him the wings (Rev. 12:4), the Word of God,Old Testament and New, sounded their GladTidings, a message whose parts "touched oneanother," were in complete touch, full harmony.He heard for the first time since Apostolic daysthe Plan of God, "the noise of the wheels [cycles,ages]." He heard the manifestations of theoperation of the Holy Spirit, the "noise of a greatrushing," and was filled with the Spirit in ameasure beyond the portion of most Christianmen. His patience with the stupid and erring wasgodlike and his love-lit face was an inspiration.Ezekiel 3:14.So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away;and I went in bitterness, in the heat of myspirit; but the hand of the Lord was strongupon me.— "God hath taken you out of theworld" (John 17:16); raised "to sit with Christ inHeavenly places." (Eph. 2:6.) The Spirit tookPastor Russell away from earthly aims and raisedhim up to the plane of sacrificing priesthood. Heturned from commercial pursuits to devote hislife to the Heavenly Message. He tasted the hitterherbs of persecution, of suffering with Christ;

and amid ostracism and persecution he lived thelife of Christian service. He carried on his workin fervency of spirit; for the power of God wasupon him, strengthening him with might in theinner man (Eph. 3:16), and with wisdom todeliver, in the face of the determined oppositionof priestcraft, the trumpet message announcingthe Presence of Christ— the sound of theSeventh Trumpet, the trump of God.— Rev.10:7.Ezekiel 3:15.Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib,that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and Isat where they sat, and remained thereastonished among them seven days.— Futurehistorians will record, as most remarkable, themental, moral and spiritual bondage in whichprofessing Christians were held during theGospel Age, through the machinations ofpriestcraft, under the king of the age, Satanhimself. Pastor Russell came with his message,in a day of supposed enlightenment, to a peopleFM386bound hand and foot. Tel-abib in Hebrew is "Hillof Grass" (from "Tel," hill, and " Abib,"sprouting, budding).Abib was another name for Nisan, the firstmonth of the Hebrew sacred year, correspondingto April. In type or symbol a place represents acondition, or a stage in historic development.The "hill of budding," the beginning of thesacred year, symbolizes the dawn of the Times ofRestitution, the "Millennial Dawn." TheMillennium (Rev. 20:8, 4, 7) began in 1874, withthe Return of Christ. It was at about that timethat Pastor Russell came to his fellow-Christianswith the beginning of a better understanding ofthe Bible, "the vision of God." It was, as it were,the budding-time of the good promises of Godfor the blessing of all peoples. The Christianpeople lived on and by the stream of commercial,social and economic intercourse that feeds andsupports Christendom, Babylon.

Ezekiel 3:16.And it came to pass at the end of seven days,that the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying.— In a time prophecy a day in theprophecy usually signifies a year infulfillment. For seven years after Christ'sReturn in 1874— until 1881— Pastor Russell,although he knew much of God's Plan, was insome degree in the same condition as otherChristians in imperfect understanding of God'sWord. In 1881 a former associate, Mr. Barbour,of Rochester, N. Y., who had been a faithfulfellow-watcher, developed into the "Evilservant" of Matt. 24:48-51 and Zechariah 11:17,and produced a work on the Hebrew Tabernacletypes in opposition to the fundamentals of trueChristianity. Pastor Russell desired the truth onthe subject. He gave himself up to prayer andstudy of this matter alone. For days he struggledwith the problem and wrestled with God insupplication. At length the matter cleared up. Hethen wrote "Tabernacle Shadows of the BetterSacrifices." of which 1,500,000 copies havesince aided Christians to understand the deeperthings of the Word and to make completeconsecration unto death. This was in 1881, atwhich time he also published "Food for ThinkingChristians," a work embodying much afterwardsexpanded into the six volumes of "Studies in theScriptures." The same year 1881, is propheticallymarked as the time for the final withdrawal offavor from the churches, a favor which hadbegun to be withdrawn in 1878— the year inwhich the clergy were cast off as representativesof the Divine Word, and when Pastor Russellbegan his work by the publication of 50,000copies of "Object and Manner of the Lord'sReturn." In 1878 the stewardship of the things ofGod, the teaching of Bible truths, was taken fromthe clergy, unfaithful to their age-FM387long stewardship, and given to Pastor Russell. Inthe interim, until 1881, the new steward wassetting the things in order, getting the truths ofthe Bible in logical and Scriptural form for

presentation, until the last great item of theHebrew Tabernacle types, was ready. Then, in1881, be became God's watchman for allChristendom, and began his gigantic work ofwitness.Ezekiel 3:17.Son of man, I have made thee a watchmanunto the house of Israel; therefore hear theword at My mouth, and give them warningfrom Me.— The function of watchmanship wasnot given until 1881. (Jer. 6:17; Isa. 21:6-12.)Faithfulness in individual watching during a trialperiod of seven years was rewarded by thebestowal of the office of the greatest servantwhich the Church of God has had since theApostle Paul. "Whosoever will be chief among you let him beyour servant." (Matt. 20:27.) Pastor Russell at alltimes served the Church in great things andsmall. No request was too insignificant to get hiscareful attention. Rich and poor alike werefaithfully served in every possible way. Thiswork prior to 1881 was a great work for anyordinary man, but insignificant compared withwhat was to follow. By 1884 the watchman'swork had grown to such proportions as to causethe founding of The Watch Tower Bible andTract Society. This is the agency through whichGod's appointed watchman has delivered hismessage to Christendom. Pastor Russell paid noattention to the words or opinions of man,however learned or pious, whether men ofmodern days or the "early fathers" of postapostolictimes. He listened to the word directfrom the mouth of God, spoken by holy men ofold as moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21.)Ezekiel was raised up shortly before thedestruction of Jerusalem to warn the Hebrews ofthe impending calamity. Pastor Russell's warningto Christendom, coming direct from God, hasbeen of the imminent collapse of the present"Christian" civilization in a welter of war,revolution and anarchy, to be succeeded by theearly establishment of the Kingdom of God. Inall his warnings he claimed no originality. He

said that he could never have written his bookshimself. It all came from God, through theenlightenment of the Holy Spirit.Ezekiel 3:18.When I say unto the wicked, Thou shaltsurely die; and thou givest him not warning,nor speakest to warn the wicked from hiswicked way, to save his life; the same wickedman shall die in his iniquity; but his blood willI require at thine hand.— Pastor Russell sawand revived the teaching of the Word of God thatdeath is death. "All have sinned." (Rom. 3:23.)"Death passed upon all."FM388(Romans 5:12.) "The wages of sin is death."(Rom. 6:13.) "There is none righteous." (Rom.3:10.) "The dead sleep in the dust." (Isa. 26:19.)"Their thoughts perish." (Psa. 146:4.) He taughtclearly the Word of God first enunciated toAdam, "Thou shall surely die." (Gen. 2:17.) Manis not inherently immortal. At death he is dead,unconscious, asleep until the resurrection, not"more alive than ever," as taught by a blindedand apostate priestcraft. Man, soul and body, isnot a being whom God cannot destroy. "FearHim who is able to destroy both soul and body."(Matt. 10:28.) To all erring mankind PastorRussell was directed by God to reiterate theDivine penalty for sin, as death, and not eternaltorment. This was a fundamental part of themessage both of Ezekiel and of Pastor Russell.Ezekiel 3:19.Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn notfrom his wickedness, nor from his wickedway, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hastdelivered thy soul.— Pastor Russell faithfullywarned the wicked. He published a completeexposition of the Bible statements regarding theAdamic death—3,000,000 copies of a pamphlet,"What Say the Scriptures About Hell," quotingall Bible passages mentioning Sheol and Hades,the death state. He scarcely ever spoke in publicwithout dwelling on this cardinal tenet, that thedead are dead. To the very best of his ability he

taught Christendom the truth. By faithfultestimony he delivered himself from liability.Ezekiel 3:20, 21.Again, When a righteous man doth turn fromhis righteousness, and commit iniquity, and Ilay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die:because thou hast not given him warning, heshall die in his sin, and his righteousnesswhich he hath done shall not be remembered;but his blood will I require at thine hand.Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man,that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin,he shall surely live, because he is warned; alsothou hast delivered thy soul.— Anothercardinal teaching of God's Word, clearly taughtby Pastor Russell, is the nature of the eternalpunishment to be visited upon the incorrigiblebackslider.Clergy, bishops and popes have taught forcenturies on this subject an irrationalcombination of extreme symbolism with grossliteralism, as suited their ambition to exerciseworldly power and hold the muses insubjection— minds, bodies and pocketbooks.They have interpreted one symbolismsymbolically and the next literally. They havesaid that the "Lake of Fire" and the "torment" areliteral, but that the "beast" and the "falseprophet" are symbolic (Rev. 19:20), even thoughit involved the absurdity of a symbolic beastgoing into a literal lake of fire! Blind and deaf toFM389those who have pointed out the unreasonablenessof such foolishness, they have turned savagelyupon those that have the Truth. In eighteencenturies they have killed fifty million adherentsof Christ, and persecuted innumerable others. Itis impossible to compute the number that theywill do to death in this, the close of the Gospel-Age Harvest, when governmental protectionshall be withdrawn from lovers of truth, exceptthat, this time, they will get all such!An important feature of Pastor Russell's teachingis that the Scriptural punishment of the

incorrigibly wicked is not life in torment butoblivion, annihilation, the "second death" (Rev.21:8); that every one is, either in this life or afterthe resurrection, to be brought to a fullknowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:4), receivessome measure of the Holy Spirit; that those whoincur the extreme penalty for sin will be onlythose who backslide beyond recovery. In fullconformity with Ezekiel's prophecy PastorRussell taught that "when a righteous man dothcommit iniquity, he shall die"— the SecondDeath.Ezekiel 3:22.And the hand of the Lord was there upon me;and He said unto me, Arise, go forth into theplain, and I will there talk with thee.— Ezekielwas impelled by the Holy Spirit to depart fromthe river Chebar with its teeming activities.Pastor Russell's consecration led him to separatehimself from commercial activities and to givehis life to the service of God. The hand of theLord was upon him to do this.The Lord's people, the Hebrews, mingled withthe Chaldeans, living in the plain— literally"vale" or "valley." Pastor Russell turned fromordinary avocations to all the people dwelling inthe Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psa. 23:4);and in that condition God communed with Histrue Watchman. Pastor Russell has been knownto pass entire nights in prayer, and go about hiswork the next day as though nothing unusual hadtaken place.—Rev. 3:14.Ezekiel 3:23.Then I arose, and went forth into the plain;and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there,as the glory which I saw by the river ofChebar: and I fell on my face.— Continuallythe vision was before Pastor Russell of thecharacter, p]an and work of the Almighty. Dailyhe renewed his covenant of consecration anddaily sought to carry it out.

Ezekiel 3:24.Then the Spirit entered into me, and set meupon my feet, and spake with me, and saidunto me, Go, shut thyself within thinehouse.— A thought possesses propulsive power,and must result in action unless hindered by anopposing thought. The Spirit, thoughts, words ofFM390God were continually entering, from the Bible,into Pastor Russell's mind and setting him intoaction. All who have set themselves apart to dothe will of God and have received the HolySpirit, are members of Christ, in the House ofSons (Heb. 3:6), the Royal Priesthood. In theconsecration of the typical priesthood, the priestshut himself in the Tabernacle for seven days.(Lev. 8:33.) (Seven symbolizes completeness.)So Christ and those in Him abide continually inthe antitypical Holy, the spirit-begottencondition. Pastor Russell lived in the Spirit fromhis consecration to his death.Ezekiel 3:25.But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall putbands upon thee, and shall bind thee withthem, and thou shalt not go out amongthem.— Each forward step in any branch ofknowledge renders institutions based on pastpartial knowledge functionless; and consequentlythe adherents and beneficiaries of suchinstitutions oppose the march of events. Theclergy, trying to stem the tide of Truth, to upholdan effete ecclesiasticism tottering to its fall, putevery restraint upon the influence of PastorRussell; but the bands upon him served also tobind the tares more tightly into the organizationbundles. (Matt. 13:30.) In fulfillment of theprophetic parable the bundles are to be destroyedin the anarchy about to ensue. Church membershave been urged to get rid of every scrap ofpaper bearing the Message of Present Truth; theTruth has been preached against in practicallyevery church in the English, German andSwedish speaking world; people have beenwarned against reading the Truth; Truth people

have been discharged or refused employment; inEurope they have been imprisoned at hard, labor;some have been done to death by firing squads;they have been forbidden to hold meetings.Neither Pastor Russell nor his fellow-believerswere permitted to utter the Bible Truth before thecongregations of ecclesiasticism. It was not to goout among "them," and his greatest work was thedeepening of the spirit of consecration amongthose of the "House of Sons."Ezekiel 3:26.And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roofof thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, andshalt not be to them a reprover; for they are arebellious house.— It is impossible to witnessspiritual things to the carnally-minded (1 Cor.3:1; John 16:12). But Pastor Russell neverrefrained from speaking or publishing the Wordof God. The Bible teaches that the service ofGod must be of a willing heart. It is a privilegewhich may be accepted or rejected, as the hearerdesires. Yet to the worldly, Pastor Russell was as"dumb", for they would not hear.FM391Ezekiel 4:1.EZEKIEL 4THE PAPAL ANDPROTESTANT SIEGESThou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and layit before thee, and portray upon it the city,even Jerusalem.— In Ezekiel's days, inChaldea, a book was a collection of inscribedtiles. The Laodicean servant was to be a writer ofbooks. In many articles and chapters on thekingdoms of this world and their judgment andfall, and that of their ecclesiastical, political andbusiness systems, Pastor Russell portraysChristendom, typically spoken of as Jerusalem. Itbore the Lord's name, but was defiled by the evilpractices of its inhabitants. (C295.) As a type,Jerusalem represents particularly theecclesiastical phase of Christendom.

Ezekiel 4:2.And lay siege against it, and build a fortagainst it, and cast a mount against it, set thecamp also against it, and set battering ramsagainst it round about.— Ecclesiasticism wasto experience prolonged siege by a classsymbolized by Ezekiel. The siege was to beconducted by Truth, encompassing thestronghold of the nominal city of God.Beleaguered ecclesiasticism was to go throughexperiences like that of a besieged city shut offfrom its province, shorn of its actual dominion,while nominally retaining it, cut off from thesupplies that had flowed from the tributarypeoples. In addition to the slow weakening of aclose besiegement, it was to withstandoccasional assaults, make sorties and go througha period of warfare, with only one possible end,the utter destruction of the city. The besiegedcity was surrounded on every side with a line ofmilitary works, trenches, palisades and forts,collectively called a fort; from which, especiallyfrom the principal center of offense, it wascontinually harassed by wearing-down activitiesand assaulted by surprise attacks. Soecclesiasticism was to be surrounded and placedon the defensive, by strongly entrenched andfortified enemies. "God is our fortress." (2 Sam.22:2.) It was to be done by a class of progressiveand liberty-loving Christians in revolt againstand attack upon the intolerance, superstition, andtyranny of priestcraft.Ancient cities were surrounded by high walls,with frequent towers for watchmen, spearmen,bowmen and slingmen. The walls, inemergencies, were lined with suchFM392fighters and with throwers of boulders andfirebrands. The attack was made upon a weakpoint in the wall; and an earthen mound ormounds was cast up to furnish an elevation fromwhich to equalize for the besiegers theadvantages of the defenders. The walls ofecclesiasticism are its defense of creeds and offormalism and, not least of all, of the civil

powers and the men who stand as a bulwarkagainst attack. A "mount" symbolizes agovernment. (Dan. 2:44, 45.) The nation (mount)was organized, militant Protestantism. The campis the temporary abiding place of those who arefighting on the Lord's side. (Heb. 13:14.)A battering ram was a device for battering downthe wall of a city to make a breach for the attackof the soldiery. Ecclesiasticism has surroundeditself with walls of living stones, soldiers, policeand other officers of the civil powers who protectthe churches and church people (Isa. 59:10),educators to build up belief in ecclesiasticism,writers to write articles and books, and a host ofother adherents and supporters. In the siege ofecclesiasticism the Lord's yeomen have attackedaggressively with books, newspapers,missionaries, lectures and education; seeking toloosen and dislodge some of the living stonessurrounding organized error.— Jer. 6:6.Ezekiel 4:3.Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan,and set it for a wall of iron between thee andthe city; and set thy face against it, and it shallbe besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it.This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.—An iron pan, literally a "thin plate," was betweenbesieging Protestantism and beleagueredecclesiasticism. "They were holpen with a littlehelp" (Dan. 11:34).The civil powers were to stand as a wall of ironprotecting the Lord's people from the persecutingpower of ruling priestcraft. No breaches could bemade in the wall. It was a "wall of iron." "Noevil shall befall thee."(Psa. 91:10.) "Greater is He that is for thee thanall these that be against thee." (2 Kings 6:16.)Iron, as in the iron claws and teeth of the beast ofDaniel, symbolizes the agencies of an irresistiblepower. Turning the face toward or againstanything was a mark of favor or of disfavor.(Psa. 104:29.) The Lord's people were resolutelyto disfavor established ecclesiasticism and tobesiege it from the Reformation to the close of

the Harvest. When Ezekiel sees another doingsomething it usually signifies another than PastorRussell doing it, but may signify Pastor Russellseeing himself, or the Ezekiel class. The Ezekielprophecy types and symbolizes Pastor Russell orthe Reformer class seeing Pastor Russell or theReformer class or some member of that classdoing the thing typed orFM393symbolized. Here, the Protestant class from theProtestant Reformation down through theHarvest period, is seen systematically andeffectually besieging established ecclesiasticism.The house of Israel ordinarily meant the Hebrewnation, the nominal fleshly house of Israel. TheHebrews were divided into the ten tribes (Israel),thoroughly infected with Pagan beliefs andpractices, and the two tribes (Judah), holdingmore closely to Jehovah. In antitype, when bothIsrael and Judah are mentioned, and theprophecy is intended for an antitypicalfulfillment, Israel signifies the Papacy and Judahsignifies established Protestantism. Here the signwas to be the whole nominal house of Israel—all professing Christians, Catholics andProtestants.— Z.'05-179.Ezekiel 4:4.Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay theiniquity of the house of Israel upon it:according to the number of the days that thoushalt lie upon it thou shalt bear theiriniquity.—In verses 4 to 6 Israel and Judah areincluded in the same picture, and signify Papacyand established, corrupted Protestantism. Theleft side was a sign of less favor. Romanism kepton in sin and kept adding, multiplying evil deeds,until iniquity should come to the full (Gen.15:16). A day in prophecy signifies a year infulfillment. (Num. 14:34.)Ezekiel here represents the reformer class whichhad to endure the iniquities of Papacy, both bypersecution and by the shame of seeing professedChristians believing grossest error. The iniquityof Papacy, the house of Israel, lay in the fact that

the Reformers had shown them insistent proofsof their wrong course, and yet they continued intheir own way, heedless of the Divine warnings.Hence less favor has been felt by Jehovah towardthem than toward Protestantism.Ezekiel 4:5.For I Have laid upon thee the years of theiriniquity, according to the number of the days,three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thoubear the iniquity of the house of Israel.—Upon the reform element was laid the burden ofseeing the dupes of Papal priestcraft continuallylearning and living error. This was a burdenupon conscience, and was repugnant to theenlightened mind of the reform element, knownfor centuries, in name at least, as Protestant.Priestcraft of the larger division of Christendomwas to be under attack for 390 years, duringwhich time the besieging element, the reformers,were to be protected from Papacy by the "ironwall" of the civil powers. This began in 1528 andends in 1918. The year 1528 is one of the turningpoints of history. Protestantism in England andin Germany was in the balance. The sudden riseof Charles V of Germany to great power hadFM394emboldened Pope Clement to side with Charles.He induced the Emperor to support a measuredesigned to limit the spread of Protestantism, tobe followed by its utter destruction. Under theproposed law no Protestant was to convert aRomanist to the reformed faith, nor would it beallowable for Protestantism to spread to othercountries. It meant for all Protestants an end suchas the Huguenots came to in France, thesuppression of the Renaissance with its "increaseof knowledge" (Dan. 12:4), and the end of theprosperous and comparatively enlightenedcivilization of modern times. The future of thewhole world, and of the Divine Plan, was atstake! A general war was barely avoided todestroy Lutheranism. Philip Landgrave ofSaxony discovered the plot, took arms, and in1528 forced indemnity from a Catholic bishop.Other princes of Germany stood with Philip.

To quote from Dr. Peter Bayne, LL. D., thehistorian ("Martin Luther"), page 486: "These(the princes of the reformed faith) wereinflexibly determined that the decree of themajority should not be assented to. Philip ofHesse, John of Saxony, Markgraf George thePious of Brandenburg-Anspach, the Dukes ofLunenburg and Brunswick, the Prince of Anhalt,and the representatives of Strasburg, Nurnbergand twelve other free cities, entered a solemnprotest against the prospective revolution. Theywere called Protestants!All, to this hour, who claim that Truth shall beunveiled, and that no Pope, or Kaiser, shallcongeal the ever-advancing stream of progressand improvement, may take an honorable pridein tracing their spiritual descent to the intrepidPhilip and the magnanimous and simple-heartedJohn." (p. 481): "How thoroughly is the wholepageant of that war, 1528, erased from thememory of the present generation! And yet theeffect of those events is not yet exhausted; norwould it be possible for any one without formingsome comprehension of them, to understand howlink added itself to link in the evolutionary chainof modern history."Thus Germany set up the iron wall of civicdefense between the besieging Protestants andbeleaguered Papacy.In England, too, the other great empire which hasstood as an iron wall between the reform elementand Papacy, the break with Rome began to takeform in 1528. This was the year when PopeClement appointed his legates, Correggio andWolsey, to conduct the divorce trial of QueenKatherine of Aragon, at the behest of HenryVIII. (Rev. 8:8, 9.) As God raised up a willful,stubborn Pharaoh when He purposed to deliverthe Hebrews from Egypt, so He raised up thelustful Henry VIII as the agentFM395through whom the break should come betweenEngland and Rome. "The natural result" [ofHenry's divorce proceedings], says A. F. Pollard,

the historian, in his "Henry VIII," "was theseparation of England from Rome."Thus did Divine wisdom use "the wrath of manto praise Him" and cause the "iron wall" of thecivil, military and naval powers of the BritishEmpire, Germany, and of the United States, tostand an impregnable barrier against thepersecuting power of Great Babylon. Safe behindthe iron wall, the reform element was able to liveand grow in its camp and to keep up its siege ofRoman Catholic priestcraft.Ezekiel 4:6.And when thou hast accomplished them, lieagain on thy right side, and thou shalt bearthe iniquity of the house of Judah forty days:I have appointed thee each day for a year.—The right side signifies less disfavor than toPapacy. The house of Judah representsProtestantism, the Protestant churches. Until1878, when cast off by the returned and presentMessiah, Protestantism enjoyed Divine favor,just as the two tribes, collectively called Judah,did as compared with the idolatrous ten tribes ofIsrael. After 1874 the Present Truth took theform of a general overhauling of creeds and theannouncement of Christ's Second Presence. Thiswas unanimously rejected by the Protestantchurches; and organized Protestantecclesiasticism from 1878 on for forty yearsbecame the Judah of this type, besieged on everyside by the reform element, under the leadershipof the steward of Divine Truth, Pastor Russell.Until 1918, Hebrew reckoning, beginning in thefall of 1917, the civil powers continue as a "wallof iron," protecting the Lord's people in theirwitness against error.— Rev. 3:14; B66-91.Ezekiel 4:7.Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward thesiege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall beuncovered, and thou shalt prophesy againstit.— The Ezekiel class, the true Protestantreform class, during the 390 and the 40 years setthemselves to the attack upon priestcraft. PastorRussell seldom spoke without some words of

objection to or warning about ecclesiasticism.The arm symbolizes power (E50, 47) and theuncovering of the arm is as when a man takes offhis coat in attacking a task. The siege was to becarried on with energy. The reform element wasto preach continually, not condoning or excusingpriestcraft, but directly and pointedly attackingit.Ezekiel 4:8.And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, andthou shalt not turn thee from one side toanother, till thou hast ended the days of thysiege.— God bound His true people to this work.The reform element were not to change theirattitude, but continually to keep at the attackuponFM396ecclesiastical corruption until the siege shouldend in 1918. The Hebrew year 1918, begins inOctober, 1917.Ezekiel 4:9.Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley,and beans, and lentiles, and millet, andfitches, and put them in one vessel, and makethee bread thereof, according to the numberof the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side;three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eatthereof.— These grains represent differentgrades of spiritual food, each kind of food to beeaten by the kind of Christian represented by thefood. Wheat represents the true Gospel of theKingdom, as in the parable of the sower (Matt.13:1-30), and is the food of the Little Flock.Barley among the Hebrews was little esteemed,for it was the price of an adulteress. (Hos. 3:2.)It signifies the spiritual food of a class guilty ofspiritual adultery, unhallowed alliance with theworld in the bringing forth of "strange" children.(Hos. 5:7.) Beans, lentiles, millet and fitchesrepresent grades of food inferior to wheat (whichcontains every element to support life) andinferior even to barley. Their continued use asfoods, causes physical deficiencies, weaknesses

and disease. Lentiles are usually cultivated forfodder. Millet is still inferior. Symbolically itrepresents Christians who "have no depth ofearth." (Matt. 13:5.) Vetches, sometimes called"tares" or "prickly spelt," are a very poor food.Their prickly nature suggests a type of hard-toget-along-withChristians, and the kind ofmental, moral and spiritual food that producesthem. In with some of the true wheat, inestablished churchianity, as shown by verse 16,were to be gathered Christians of various degreesof development, each eating the kind of foodcorresponding to his Christian development, thewheat class assimilating the best of the DivineWord, and so on down to those who absorbed thepoorest grade of spiritual provender, some of itfood usually regarded as fit only for animals.This was the food the various classes shouldsubsist on, each according to his capacity, from1528 to 1918, and from 1878 to 1918.Ezekiel 4:10, 11.And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be byweight, twenty shekels a day: from time totime shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink alsowater by measure, the sixth part of a hin:from time to time shalt thou drink.— A shekelwas half an ounce; twenty shekels were tenounces. A hin was a gallon and a half. The sixthpart of a hin was one quart. This was the dailyration, a starvation allowance. They were not tofeed on it continuously, but on Sundays, or twoor three times a week— "from time to time."The people would, as a class, have a scantyspiritual subsistence during the siege period.FM397Ezekiel 4:12.And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thoushalt bake it with dung that cometh out ofman, in their sight.— Cakes, made of thismixture, were used by the very poor in times ofscarcity, depicting the scarcity of spiritual foodamong the followers of ecclesiasticism. Thepoor, not having stones or ovens, baked theirbread or cakes on heated stones or in the fire, or

oasted them by placing them between layers ofdung, which burns slowly. Only the dung ofanimals was used ordinarily. No insult ordefilement was greater than to turn a man's houseinto a receptacle for human excrement. (Deut.23:12-14.) Our Lord associated human dungwith "that which defileth a man." (Matt. 15:11.)Luther spoke of the "dunghill of Romandecretals." The human dung signifies humantraditions, clerical additions to the Word of God.Ezekiel 4:13.And the Lord said, Even thus shall thechildren of Israel eat their defiled breadamong the Gentiles, whither I will drivethem.— The spiritual food, poor as the mixturewas, was to be thoroughly defiled.FM4:14.Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soulhath not been polluted: for from my youth upeven till now have I not eaten of that whichdieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neithercame there abominable flesh into mymouth.— This typifies the heart desire of thereformer class to keep clear of defiling errors.Ezekiel 4:15.Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given theecow's dung for man's dung, and thou shaltprepare they bread therewith.— The spiritualfood would be unsavory enough.Ezekiel 4:16.Moreover he said unto me, Son of man,behold, I will break the staff of bread inJerusalem; and they shall eat bread byweight, and with care; and they shall drinkwater by measure; and with astonishment.—The type enacted by Ezekiel was intended todepict spiritual conditions in ecclesiasticism,Romish after 1528 A. D. and Protestant after1878 A. D., in Jerusalem (churchianity), thebesieged city, where there would be a famine ofthe Word of God. As prophecies often have aliteral as well as a symbolic fulfillment, thisrefers also to the straitness of the siege of literal

Jerusalem and to the literal scarcity of food in theTime of Trouble upon Christendom, with its highcost of living, food dictators and food tickets.—Lev. 26:26.Ezekiel 4:17.That they may want bread and water, and beastonied one with another, and consume awayfor their iniquity.— Like as people on poorfood in starvation quantities weaken and die, soChristians weaken and die spiritually on the dietprovided by priests and clergy.FM398EZEKIEL 5THE SEVERED HAIR CALAMITIESEzekiel 5:1.And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife,take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to passupon thine head and upon thy beard: thentake thee balances to weigh, and divide thehair.— This is located "after the days of thesiege" of Jerusalem, or in antitype afterRomanism's and Protestantism's siege is ended in1918. It had a literal fulfillment in 606 B. C. andis to have a literal and a symbolic fulfillment inand after 1918. It depicts the several kinds oftroubles upon Christendom, and the causesprovoking them. The shaving of the headrepresents the affliction of Christendom. (Isa.3:17, 20; 15:12; Jer. 7:29.) The shaving of thebeard was part of the ceremonial treatment of aleper (Lev. 14:8, 9), and signifies that after 1918Christendom will be treated by outraged Justiceas a moral leper, unclean with incurable iniquity,the perverseness, which, in the face of continualpreaching of the Gospel, led up to the recentwars.Ezek. 5:2, 12, 16, 17, relate to features of thedestruction of literal Jerusalem in 606 B. C. and70-73 A. D. and of Christendom in 1914 to 1918A. D. Since in verse 12 a third part of thepersons were to suffer death or affliction, the hairin verses 1, 2 and 3 signify the people in

Jerusalem— Christendom. In Samson's case thehair represented his strength; and here the haircut off signifies that the people who are thestrength of Christendom shall be cut off in thebrief but terribly eventful period beginning in1918 A. D. A third part are "burned with fire inthe midst of the city." Fire symbolizesdestruction. One large part of the adherents ofecclesiasticism will die from pestilence andfamine. (Deut. 32:24.)In 5:16, 17 the shafts of hunger are representedas the evil arrows of famine. The staff is thatupon which one leans; the staff of bread is thefood supply of Christendom. In 1916 there wasalready a 25 per cent. crop shortage throughoutthe world, presaging worse conditions to come.In verse 18 the evil beasts sent uponChristendom are the savage "Christian"governments of the world (Deut. 32:24), which,by unheard-of barbarity in war, are bereaving thepeople by millions and causing bloodshedunparalleled in history.FM399Ezekiel 5:2.Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in themidst of the city, when the days of the siegeare fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part,and smite about it with a knife: and a thirdpart thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I willdraw out a sword after them.— A third part ofthe hair was to be smitten with a knife. See 5:12.This represents people not definitely in or underecclesiasticism, but associated with it, favoringit, and benefiting from it. These are to be smittenwith the sword drawn for destruction of life inthe Time of Trouble. A considerable portion ofthe people will be separated by the winds ofwarfare and commotion from all connection withchurchianity. These have been connected with,sympathizers with, or beneficiaries fromchurchianity. This class also will be involved inthe bloodshed of the "great tribulation."— Matt.24:21; Rev. 7:14.

Ezekiel 5:3, 4.Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number,and bind them in thy skirts. Then take ofthem again, and cast them into the midst ofthe fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereofshall a fire come forth into all the house ofIsrael.— To bind in the skirts is a symbol ofclose affiliation. A few adherents of churchianitywill affiliate themselves with those believingPresent Truth, but so searching will be thecircumstances of the trouble period that none notat heart "in Present Truth" (2 Pet. 1:12) will beable to remain in the protection overshadowingthe Lord's people. These few will be separated,and finally become involved in the destructionupon all supporters of, sympathizers with andbeneficiaries of churchianity. Not one shallescape; it will be upon "all the house of Israel."Babylon's conflagration will be hastened by theadherents here described. After 1918 the peoplesupporting churchianity will cease to be itssupporters, be destroyed as adherents, by thespiritual pestilence of errors abroad, and by thefamine of the Word of God among them. TheSword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), which is theWord of God, will be wielded in the hands of "Present Truth" believers in such a manner as tocause, conscientious supporters ofecclesiasticism to cease to be supporters.Ezekiel 5:5.Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem:I have set it in the midst of the nations andcountries that are round about her.— God,through the increase of knowledge, theRenaissance, and the dynamic power of belief inthe Word of God, has set up Christendom on apinnacle of power in the midst of the heathennations of the world.Ezekiel 5:6.And she hath changed my judgments intowickedness more than the nations, and mystatutes more than the countries that areround about her: for they have

FM400refused my judgments and my statutes, theyhave not walked in them.— God taughtChristendom the principles of Justice and gaveher His law of Divine, self-sacrificing love— "Anew law, that ye love one another." (John 13:34.)Relatively to the light of Christendom andheathendom, Christendom is far the morewicked; for, having the instructions, exhortationsand examples of the Bible, she has both refusedthem and not walked in them.Ezekiel 5:7.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becauseye multiplied more than the nations that areround about you, and have not walked in Mystatutes, neither have kept My judgments,neither have done according to the judgmentsof the nations that are round about you—Christendom under the blessing of God hasmultiplied in material things and in knowledgemore than heathendom, and yet has not only notwalked in God's Law of Love, but has not livedup to the standards of righteousness and justiceof the heathen. Chinese are more reliable inbusiness engagements than are Christians. Sometribes in Africa are more moral sexually than arewhites, and explorers have noted the naturalkindness of the negroes of Nyassa and Soudan.Ezekiel 5:8.Therefore thus saith the Lord God: behold, I,even I, am against thee, and will executejudgments in the midst of thee in the sight ofthe nations.— Because of Christendom'swickedness against light, God is against thissystem calling itself by Christ's holy name, andwill execute upon it judgment of suchunprecedented awfulness as to constitute alasting lesson to "uncivilized" peoples.Ezekiel 5:9.And I will do in thee that which I have notdone, and whereunto I will not do any morethe like, because of all thine abominations.—The punishments come because of churchianity's

illicit union of church and state, termed spiritual"fornication" (Rev. 17:2); her licensing of liquor,vice and crime; her doctrines of devils (1 Tim.4:1), such as eternal torment, inherentimmortality and Trinity; her desolatingabomination in the Romish mass (Matt. 24:15);and her Phariseeism in the face of wilfulbutchery of millions.Ezekiel 5:10, 11.Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in themidst of thee, and the sons shall eat theirfathers; and I will execute judgments in thee,and the whole remnant of thee will I scatterinto all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saiththe Lord God; Surely, because thou hastdefiled My Sanctuary with all thy detestablethings, and with all thine abominations,therefore will I also diminish thee; neithershall Mine eye spare, neither will I have anypity.— The Hebrew sanctuary or temple typedthe Christian Sanctuary class, the Church ofliving stones (1 Pet. 2:5),FM401the Temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 3:16, 17.)True Christianity, pure in apostolic days, wasdefiled (2 Chr. 36:14) with practices anddoctrines detestable and abominable to God,until now it is termed "the great whore" (apostatechurch of Romanism) and the daughter "harlots"(Protestant churches). (Rev. 17:2.) Divine Justicewill not spare nor pity, until upon Christendomhas been visited all the righteous blood ofhundreds of millions of victims of her longcenturies of unchristian wars and persecutions.Ezekiel 5:12, 13.A third part of thee shall die with thepestilence, and with famine shall they beconsumed in the midst of thee: and a thirdpart shall fall by the sword round about thee;and I will scatter a third part into all thewinds, and I will draw out a sword after them.Thus shall Mine anger be accomplished, and Iwill cause My fury to rest upon them, and Iwill be comforted: and they shall know that I

the Lord have spoken it in My zeal, when Ihave accomplished My fury in them.— Jobhoped for the time when God's wrath should bepast. (Job 14:13.)The wrath of God will be over forever when thistrouble time is past. (Isa. 10:25.) Divine Justicewill be comforted, will rest, havingaccomplished its sentence of death, with theaccompaniments of sickness, sorrow, tears anddegradation, mental, moral and physical, uponthe human race.Ezekiel 5:14-17.Moreover I will make thee waste, and areproach among the nations that are roundabout thee, in the sight of all that pass by. Soit shall be a reproach and a taunt, aninstruction and an astonishment unto thenations that are round about thee, when Ishall execute judgments in thee in anger andin fury and in furious rebukes. I the Lordhave spoken it. When I shall send upon themthe evil arrows of famine, which shall be fortheir destruction, and which I will send todestroy you: and I will increase the famineupon you, and will break your staff of bread:So will I send upon you famine and evilbeasts, and they shall bereave thee; andpestilence and blood shall pass through thee;and I will bring the sword upon thee. I theLord have spoken it.— Christendom is to belaid waste by war, revolution, anarchy, famine(Luke 21:26), and pestilence, from end to end.Her vaunted and envied eminence will pass,through self-destruction, due to false ideals ofhonor, into a desolation causing the taunts andreproaches of the heathen, and being to theheathen nations a cause of astonishment andsource of instruction. The fury of God's angeragainst her appears in the expression "in angerand in fury and in furious rebukes."

FM402EZEKIEL 6SWORD— FAMINE— PESTILENCEEzekiel 6:1-4.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, set thy face toward themountains of Israel, and prophesy againstthem, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hearthe word of the Lord God; Thus saith theLord God to the mountains and to the hills, tothe rivers and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I,will bring a sword upon you, and I willdestroy your high places. And your altarsshall be desolate, and your images shall bebroken: and I will cast down your slain menbefore your idols.— This chapter relates to theDivine wrath, after 1918 A. D., upon thegovernments, symbolically called "mountainsand hills," and the rivers, the denominations.Ezekiel 6:5-7.And I will lay the dead carcasses of thechildren of Israel before their idols; and I willscatter your bones round about your altars. Inall your dwelling places the cities shall be laidwaste, and the high places shall be desolate;that your altars may be laid waste and madedesolate, and your idols may be broken andcease, and your images may be cut down, andyour works may be abolished. And the slainshall fall in the midst of you, and ye shallknow that I am the Lord.— All state churchesare to be destroyed, literally by the sword, and bythe truth about them in the Word of God, theSword of the Spirit. (2 Kings 23:13-22.) At thetops of the hills and mountains, the governments,are the altars, the centers of the nation's worship.Great sacrifices are made by the masses tomaintain these altars.

SAMPLES OF"CHRISTIANS" PRESERVEDEzekiel 6:8.Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may havesome that shall escape the sword among thenations, when ye shall be scattered throughthe countries.— Heathendom will be the safestplace on earth in the time of Zion's travail! (Jer.44:28.)Ezekiel 6:9.And they that escape of you shall rememberMe among the nations whither they shall becarried captives, because I am broken withtheir whorish heart, which hath departedfrom me, and with their eyes, which go awhoring after their idols: and they shallloathe themselves for theFM403evils which they have committed in all theirabominations.— God has completely brokenrelations with the churches, which with heart andeye have "departed from Me."Ezekiel 6:10.And they shall know that I am the Lord, andthat I have not said in vain that I would dothis evil unto them.— After the trouble is over,the survivors will have a thousand years in whichto recognize the hand of God.Ezekiel 6:11.Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thinehand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alasfor all the evil abominations of the house ofIsrael: for they shall fall by the sword, by thefamine, and by the pestilence.— The attitude ofthe Lord's true people, "the mourners in Zion"(Isa. 61:3), is that of righteous indignationagainst the abominations of Christendom.Ezekiel 6:12.He that is far off shall die of the pestilence;and he that is near shall fall by the sword; andhe that remaineth and is besieged shall die by

the famine: thus will I accomplish My furyupon them.— In spite of the manifest judgmentsof God, the devotees of Mystic Babylon,"Christians," will not turn to God but, whiledoing reverence and rendering service to theiraltars and idols, will be overtaken by literalsword, famine and pestilence (Jer. 15:2) and bythe spiritual Sword of the Spirit, by starvationfrom the lack of God's Word, and by pestilentialdoctrines.— Psa. 91:6, 7.Ezekiel 6:13.Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, whentheir slain men shall be among their idolsround about their altars, upon every high hill,in all the tops of the mountains, and underevery green tree, and under every thick oak,the place where they did offer sweet savour toall their idols.— In the Roman and Greekchurches the idols, images and ikons are literal.There are other idols in all the churches—power, prestige, social position, clerical honor,gold, worldly education, etc. As in theTabernacle types, zealous, obedient sacrificecaused a "sweet savor" to rise to God, so thesame service raises a sweet savor to the idols ofChristendom. The "green trees" and "thick oaks"were favorite objects of idolatry (Jer. 2:20; Hos.4:13), and typed the worship of prominentpreachers and other men.— Psalm 37:35.Ezekiel 6:14.So will I stretch out My hand upon them, andmake the land desolate, yea, more desolatethan the wilderness toward Diblath, in alltheir habitations; and they shall know that Iam the Lord.— Christendom is to be mademore desolate than the wilderness surroundingPalestine, wiped off the face of the earth, tomake way for the New Order of things, "theworld to come" (Heb. 2:5), "wherein dwellethrighteousness."— 2 Pet. 3:13.FM404

EZEKIEL 7DAWN OF THE EVIL DAYEzekiel 7:1-6.Moreover the word of the Lord came untome, saying, Also, thou son of man, thus saiththe Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end,the end is come upon the four corners of theland. Now is the end come upon thee, and Iwill will send Mine anger upon thee, and willjudge thee according to thy ways, and willrecompense upon thee all thine abominations.And Mine eye shall not spare thee, neitherwill I have pity; but I will recompense thyways upon thee, and thine abominations shallbe in the midst of thee; and ye shall know thatI am the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God; Anevil, an only evil, behold, is come. An end iscome, the end is come; it watcheth for thee;behold, it is come.— Chapter 7 includes whatEzekiel saw in type and what the Ezekiel classnow sees in antitype— the destruction of thesymbolic earth (the social order), and the causestherefor; the escape of the remnant who will passalive through the trouble into the better order ofthings; the defilement and destruction of God's"ornament,"Christendom; and the binding and destruction ofthe rule of wicked might. Pastor Russell'smission, in large part, was to advise Christendomof its impending end, in the time of world-widetrouble. It is the Divine judgment upon thenations. They reap as they have sown. In timespast God winked at the iniquity of men (Acts17:30); but now evil shall receive its justrecompense in the wrath of long-insulted Justice.It will be a period of unmixed evil uponChristendom, the purpose of which will be todemonstrate to men's certain knowledge that "thyGod reigneth." (Isa. 52:7.) There will be nochance of escaping from destruction, though thenations— as in cases of Germany, the Allies andthe United States—earnestly seek in vain forsome way of securing peace. The trouble is dueto the dawning of the Day of Christ, the

Millennium. It is the Day of Vengeance, whichbegan in the world war of 1914 and which willbreak like a furious morning storm in 1918.—Lam. 4:18.Ezekiel 7:7-9.The morning is come unto thee, O thou thatdwellest in the land: the time is come, the dayof trouble is near, and not the sounding againof the mountains.FM405Now will I shortly pour out My fury uponthee, and accomplish Mine anger upon thee;and I will judge thee according to thy ways,and will recompense thee for all thineabominations. And Mine eye shall not spare,neither will I have pity; I will recompense theeaccording to thy ways and thine abominationsthat are in the midst of thee; and ye shallknow that I am the Lord that smiteth.— Thechiefest sufferers will be those setting affectionson earthly things, earth dwellers and earth lovers.Steep mountain valleys are full of echoingsounds, falling trees, dislodged rocks,avalanches, landslides, waterfalls, or thethunders of local storms. Earth's nations havebeen resounding for centuries with local wars,seditions, revolutions, famine and pestilence.(A318.) These passed away; but the presentcommotion and impending revolution andanarchy will not cease, but will spread andincrease until this order of things is destroyed.Ezekiel 7:10.Behold the Day, behold it is come: theMorning is gone forth; the rod hathblossomed, pride hath budded.— "Pride goethbefore destruction." (Prov. 16:18.) Human pride[among kaisers, clergy, labor leaders, andcapitalists], has budded, blossomed forth intoacts that will bring destruction. The rod is asymbol of authority. Organized authority isperverted from its Divinely appointed function ofrestraint and punishment of crime into a ruthlessrule or might and bloodshed.

Ezekiel 7:11.Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness;none of them shall remain, nor of theirmultitude, nor of any of theirs; neither shallthere be walling for them.— Those who rule byviolence shall be utterly rooted out of the earth inthe Time of Trouble, unhonored and unwept (Jer.16:4-6), accursed for the evil they have wrought.The clergy, for whom many would even havedied in the past, but who have preached thepeople into this war and into the world's ruin,will become objects of popular hatred.Ezekiel 7:12.The time is come, the Day draweth near; letnot the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn;for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.—The year 1918, with its fearful revolutions, andsucceeding anarchy, is at the door.7:13. EzekielFor the seller shall not return to that which issold, although they were yet alive: for thevision is touching the whole multitude thereof,which shall not return; neither shall anystrengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.—This indicates the languishing and eventualdecline and cessation of business. (Isa. 33:8.)Symbolically, it represents the ceasing of theclergy from "selling" religion and the peoplefrom buying. "Success consists in knowing howto be discreetly dishonest," is now a commonFM406rule of practice; but the time is at hand wheniniquitous practices and precepts will no longerprofit any.Ezekiel 7:14.They have blown the trumpet, even to makeall ready; but none goeth to the Battle; for Mywrath is upon all the multitude thereof.—There are other trumpets than the trumpet ofTruth.Established error has its trumpet message.Ecclesiasticism, capitalism, and governments

together have blown the trumpet of the Divineright of kings, magnates, and clergy, of the civicbettermentgospel and of "preparedness."Labor leaders have rallied the people to fight fortheir unions. Trumpet messages will summon thepeople of the world to yet other strife. But sofurious and heart-breaking will be the troublethat none will have the spirit to respond. There isa hint here that conscription will meet withopposition.Ezekiel 7:15.The sword is without, and the pestilence andthe famine within: he that is in the field shalldie with the sword; and he that is in the city,famine and pestilence shall devour him.—Worldly people in Christendom, not professorsof Christianity, will be pressed into the activefighting of the Time of Trouble and will perish.(Deut. 32:25; Jer. 14:18.) Those in the city referto the professors of Christianity— churchmembers.Ezekiel 7:16.But they that escape of them shall escape, andshall be on the mountains like doves of thevalleys, all of them mourning, every one forhis iniquity.— There will be survivors of theTime of Trouble who will live on into theMillennium proper. Those of dove-like characterwill be most likely to survive. The dove has amournful note. This class will appreciate theiriniquity, repent of it and pray for forgiveness anddeliverance.— E 231, 212.Ezekiel 7:17.All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shallbe weak as water.— The hands symbolizepower. The people of Christendom will realizetheir helplessness. The extremity of the situationwill weaken the strongest.— Zeph. 1:14; A315.Ezekiel 7:18.They shall also gird themselves withsackcloth, and horror shall cover them; andshame shall be upon all faces, and baldnessupon all their heads.— In mourning for their

dead, men's minds and hearts will revolt at thehorrors of the calamity. All will realize withshame that by drunkenness with Babylon's mixedteachings (Rev. 17:2) they have brought thetrouble on themselves. In grief the Hebrewsshaved the head.— Isa. 3:24.Ezekiel 7:19.They shall cast their silver in the streets, andtheir gold shall be removed; their silver andtheir gold shall not be able to deliver them inthe day of the wrath of the Lord; they shallnot satisfy their souls, neither fillFM407their bowels; because it is the stumbling-blockof their iniquity.— With the demonetization ofsilver, gold has become as a thing unclean (islosing its purchasing power). All forms ofmoney, bonds, stocks and valuables will beworthless when governments are gone and wholenations are starving. (D45.) There was a literalfulfillment of this Scripture in 1898 when inItaly, a miller who had publicly thanked theVirgin for dear bread, literally threw gold andsilver to a crowd in the streets in a vain endeavorto pacify them. They demanded his life and tookit.— Z.'98-331.Ezekiel 7:20.As for the beauty of His ornament, He set it inmajesty; but they made the images of theirabominations and of their detestable thingstherein; therefore have I set it far fromthem.—"Jerusalem is a crown of glory and aroyal diadem". (Isa. 62:3.) Christianity, theembryonic Kingdom of God, was originally "Hisornament," in the apostolic age of the Church.Literal images were set up by the Hebrews insecret places, and to this day are worshipped byRomanists literally. Romanists and Protestantsalike worship the images of world-power,wealth, state-church affiliation, clergy lordship,eternal torment, immortal souls and the trinity,all alike detestable to a jealous God. The actualornament of God, His jewel, His diadem, is thetrue Church, composed mostly of the poor, rich

in faith (Jas. 2:5)— of the reform element whosince 1878 have been withdrawing fromecclesiasticism and close to God.Ezekiel 7:21.And I will give it into the hands of thestrangers for a prey, and to the wicked of theearth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.—The nominal jewel, churchianity, has become theprey of clerical and social anarchists.— D550.Ezekiel 7:22.My face will I turn also from them, and theyshall pollute My secret place; for the robbersshall enter into it, and defile it.— The secretplace is the condition of consecration, which anapostate clergy pollute by misrepresentations,such as that bravery in battle, suffering in thetrenches, devotion to a falling order of things(Heb. 2:13), win a place in Heaven— won onlyby loyal devotion to God's Word, and by thespirit-begotten alone. "I am the Door. He thatentereth in by another way is a robber."— John10:1.Ezekiel 7:23.Make a chain: for the land is full of bloodycrimes, and the city is full of violence.— Bind,unite them together, let the Divinely (!)appointed clergy and the governments for whichthey stand sponsor, make common cause.(D550.) Christendom is full of the beastly crimesof the most barbarous warfare ever known. Acity symbolizes a government.FM408God loves all His creatures; His tender mercies7:24.Wherefore I will bring the worst of theheathen, and they shall possess their houses: Iwill also make the pomp of the strong tocease; and their holy places shall be defiled.—Macaulay, the English historian, spoke ofAmerica as destined to be destroyed by its ownHuns and Vandals, the unassimilated, uncivilizedelements, especially of the cities. The anarchistic

masses will literally live in the houses of theerstwhile rulers and prominent people. Thedisplay of power and magnificence of the strongone, Satan, the alleged eternal-torment God, andthe devil-worshipers of Christendom, shall cease.Literally, the churches, Y. M. C. A.'s,monasteries and convents, supposedly holy, willbe defiled by the impious.Ezekiel 7:25.Destruction cometh; and they shall seekpeace, and there shall be none.— There shallbe no peace with God, or peace among theconflicting elements of society.Ezekiel 7:26.Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumorshall be upon rumor; then shall they seek avision of the prophet; but the law shall perishfrom the priest, and counsel from theancients.— Literally "accident upon accident"will befall the affairs of Christendom. (Jer. 4:20.)The people, wild with perplexity, will seek to theclergy for an understanding of the worldholocaust;but the true Law, the Word of Cod,has departed from a clergy more learned inchurch politics and money-raising schemes thanin the Bible. The ancients, the "reverends,"college professors and savants do not know whatcounsel to give to meet the crisis.— Isa. 29:9-14.Ezekiel 7:27.The king shall mourn, and the prince shall beclothed with desolation, and the hands of thepeople of the land shall be troubled: I will dounto them after their way, and according totheir deserts will I judge them; and they shallknow that I am the Lord.— Satan shall mournthe downfall of his power, as will the heads ofthe savage, beastly governments under hiscontrol. (Matt. 4:8, 9.)"The exalted one" or prince, Satan's chiefrepresentative among men, is the pope; and he,with his princes, cardinals, archbishops, bishops,priests and clergy, shall see the desolation due totheir work.

FM409O thou of little faith, who dost thou fear?The tempest hath no power when I am near;Will not the angry waves be still at Mycommand?Step out, I'll hold thy hand,Then, wherefore dost thou fear?EZEKIEL 8MOLECH, THE TORMENT DEITYEzekiel 8:1.And it came to pass in the sixth year, in thesixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as Isat in mine house, and the elders of Judah satbefore me, that the hand of the Lord God fellthere upon me.— Chapters 8 to 24 continue therecital of the sins of Jerusalem, Christendom,and the Divine punishment to be inflicted on her.Chapter 8 refers literally to the temple, and itsdefilement by the seating of an idol of Baal at thedoor near the Brazen Altar, by the desecration ofits interior with symbols of Egyptian heathenism,and by the practicing of heathen worship withinthe temple.This types the condition of the spiritual Templeof God, "which Temple ye are", the Church ofGod, originally pure and holy, but defiled by theclergy with pagan practices. The type refers backto 2 Chronicles 33:1-9, where King Manassehestablished heathen worship throughoutPalestine, set up a carved image in Solomon'stemple and "made Judah and the inhabitants ofJerusalem to err and to do worse than theheathens whom the Lord had destroyed beforethe children of Israel."This resulted in Manasseh's overthrow at thehands of the Assyrians. The name Manassehmeans "causing forgetfulness." He typed Satan,the god of this world, who, by his lyingdeceptions has made professing Christians forgetGod. Satan's chief "angel of light" is the pope ofRome, ably seconded in keeping the people inthe dark by the cardinals, bishops, priests, monksand sisters of apostate Rome and by the bishops

and ministers of an apostate Protestantism. Thesekeep "their people" from real Bible study, andencourage them in their forgetfulness of God andtheir individual obligations to God, the Word ofGod, to fellow-Christians and to the world. Thehouse is the House of the Sons of God, theconsecrated. The elders, chosen by the people,represented all the people. The Protestant clergycontinually sat before the Lord's steward, couldnot pick up a paper that they did not see hissermons in it; but they would not hear his words,and they rejected him and the truths which he soplainly and so kindly stated.FM410Ezekiel 8:2, 3.Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as theappearance of fire: from the appearance ofhis loins even downward, fire; and from hisloins even upward, as the appearance ofbrightness, as the color of amber. And He putforth the form of a hand, and took me by alock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me upbetween the earth and the heaven, andbrought me in the visions of God toJerusalem, to the door of the inner gate thatlooketh toward the north; where was the seatof the image of jealousy, which provoketh tojealousy.— Through the illumination of theHoly Spirit, the Ezekiel class is now taken upmentally into the powers of spiritual control, todiscern the significance of the evil done by Satanand the clergy. They are brought to Jerusalem theanti-typical, to consider established priestcraft.They are brought to the door of the inner gate,the gate of the altar between the people's courtand priest's court— (the same as the Tabernaclecourt.) They are brought to the antitypicalTemple, to the Church of God, to the Lord'speople— "Ye are the Temple of God". (1 Cor.3:16.) "I am the Door" (John 10:9.) The Doorrepresents Christ, through whom all that entermust come. The North symbolizes the seat ofDivine government, the spiritual phase of theKingdom. (Isa. 14:13.) The Door, Christ, lookstoward, tends toward spiritual things. Those that

enter through Christ are expected to look forwardfrom the condition of belief to that of fullconsecration, the spirit-begotten condition. In theDoor, in the very place of Christ, Manasseh, typeof the devil, and an apostate clergy set up anidol, an image of the Devil himself. Those whothereafter entered the court had to worship theimage, typing that under clergy rule, all enteringthe church, the condition of belief, had to dohonor to Satan, whose seat of chief power is atRome, and whose influence spreads wherever theclergy class is found.The word "Baal" means "Lord." The clergy haveset themselves as lords over God's heritage (1Pet. 5:3), the Church. By perversion of the plainmeaning of literal Bible statements, they have setup in the place of God the deity of the Devil.This God of Romanism and Protestantism is notone, but three; he inflicts tortures eternal; hisfavor can be bought for money; he dwells inearthly buildings (Acts 7:48), which areconsecrated to him; he teaches the directopposite of the Word of God— that the dead arealive; he favors spiritual adultery— the union ofthe church with the governments of this world;he fosters lordship of the clergy class. Theclergy's God is plainly not Jehovah, but theancient deity, hoary with the iniquities of ages—Baal— the Devil himself. God pity the clergy,who have soFM411long deceived themselves and the people withtheir "carved image, the work of their ownhands!" "I am jealous for Zion with a greatjealousy." (Zech. 1:14.) "I, Jehovah, thy God, ama jealous God." (Ex. 20:5.) There is little wonderthat the literal typical Baal of the Jews and theanti-typical eternal-torment God of the clergyshould provoke Jehovah to jealousy.Ezekiel 8:4.And, behold, the glory of the God of Israelwas there, according to the vision that I saw inthe plain.— The usual place of the ShekinahLight was in the most holy between the cherubim

above the golden Mercy Seat. It was from thisglory that fire came out at times like lightning toconsume and destroy iniquitous offenders. (Lev.10:2.) It bodes ill for the devotees of the eternaltormentgod that the glory of Jehovah has comeout against them.Ezekiel 8:5, 6.Then said He unto me, Son of man, lift upthine eyes now the way toward the North. SoI lifted up mine eyes the way toward theNorth, and behold northward at the gate ofthe altar this image of jealousy in the entry.He said furthermore unto me, Son of man,seest thou what they do? even the greatabominations that the house of Israelcommitteth here, that I should go far off fromMy sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, andthou shalt see greater abominations.— It isneedless to look for abominations far off whensuch an abomination has been set up by"impudent children" at the very door of theChurch.Ezekiel 8:7.And He brought me to the door of the court;and when I looked, behold a hole in thewall.— In Solomon's temple the court of thepriests was surrounded not by a simple wall, butby a row of rooms or chambers where the priestsand Levites stayed. The hole in the wall was anopening or window intoone of the chambers.Ezekiel 8:8.Then said He unto me, Son of man, dig now inthe wall, and when I had digged in the wall,behold a door.— The wall was the wall ofsecrecy, misrepresentation and deception, byreason of which the pagan practices and beliefsof various classes of professed Christians havehidden from publicity and consequent popularjudgment. A little was known about them,represented by the little hole in the wall. It is thework of the Ezekiel class to dig through the walland throw the light on these hidden things. The

time has come for judgment, and for everythingthat is done in a chamber, to be proclaimed fromthe housetops. (Luke 12:3.) Once the wall ofsecrecy is dug through, the door is open to seewhatever transpires.Ezekiel 8:9.And He said unto me, Go in, and behold thewicked abominations that they do here.— Thecourt typifies the condition of faith— tentativejustification. The chambersFM412surrounded the court. They symbolize thecondition of those who profess faith andjustification, but whose lives and beliefscontradict their professions.Ezekiel 8:10.So I went in and saw; and behold every formof creeping things, and abominable beasts,and all the idols of the house of Israel,portrayed upon the wall round about.— Tothe Egyptians, artistic portrayals of creatures hada religious significance. All kinds of livingcreatures were worshipped. Chief of these wasthe bull Apis, which symbolized life andespecially the power of procreation. Thedevotees of the antitype are never so happy aswhen giving life to new spiritual offspring. Thechildren thus begotten are mostly tares. But fewof them have the life that comes fromconsecration to the Word of God. The revivalistand the clergy care little for any begotten of theWord of God and do little to help them grow upin Christ. They grow, if at all, like starved,neglected children. As the service of this worshipcould be conducted only by the regular priests ofEgypt, so the antitypical work can be done onlyby the man-made clergy class of the world(Egypt) and those "ordained" by them. Amongthe creeping things, objects of worship, was thefly— the evangelist. (Rev. 16:2.) The prince ofthe flies was Beelzebub. Flies breed in and feedupon the "dung hill of Popish decretals" andother "traditions of men." They never get farabove earthly things, but circulate in the lower

strata of the air— ecclesiasticism. They bite andannoy both worldly people and the Lord'speople, as did the plague of flies in Egypt, andare specially persistent in the humid condition ofa rain— a downpour of Truth.These, like all clergy-approved workers, arelooked up to, worshipped by the people ofChristendom. Other creeping things that flysignify degrading or forbidden beliefs andpractices, attractive, garbed in the cloak ofreligion, under church auspices, as typed by theirflying in the air, ecclesiastical powers; but theyare displeasing to God and tending toward death.Ezekiel 8:11.And there stood before them seventy men ofthe ancients of the house of Israel, and in themidst of them stood Jaazaniah the son ofShaphan, with every man his censer in hishand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.—Worshipping the pictured images were theelders, or ancients, appointed by andrepresenting all the people of Jerusalem.Jaazaniah was a Levite, typical of a believer inChrist. The word Shaphan means "sly", andsuggests the slyness of the adherents of wrongbeliefs. Jaazaniah means "God is listening," andsignifies the fact that whatever "Christian"sinners may say, God is actually payingattention. The censer was used to carry the fire inwhichFM413incense was burned. (Rev. 8:3.) It types thebearing of the fiery trials signified by the fire.The devotees of error suffer in its behalf, asTruth people suffer for the Truth. Incense typesthe heart's best endeavors, here wrongly directedby many professing Christians in the service ofSatan, as were Saul's in persecuting Christians.(Acts 22:3, 4.) Tares are often more devoted totheir errors than are the Lord's people to theTruth. "The children of this world are wiser intheir generation than the children of light." (Luke16:8.) It was unlawful for a Hebrew to burnincense, except as in the regular temple service.

It is an abomination for a professing Christian toput forth his heart's best endeavors except in theservice of God.Ezekiel 8:12.Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thouseen what the ancients of the house of Israeldo in the dark, every man in the chambers ofhis imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth usnot; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.—These departures from True Christian belief arecarried on "in the dark." (John 3:19.) Every tare,imitation Christian, has his own peculiar beliefsand practices in "the chamber of his imagery,"his mind. Because God knows how to deferretribution until the Day of Judgment (2 Pet.2:9), these unwise ones delude themselves thatthe All-Seeing One does not see. Those notfamiliar with the Divine Plan of the Ages, seeingthe conditions of savage war trending into worsethings, apparently have the delusion that theLord has forsaken the earth.Ezekiel 8:13, 14.He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again,and thou shalt see greater abominations thatthey do. Then He brought me to the door ofthe gate of the Lord's house which was towardthe north; and, behold, there sat womenweeping for Tammuz.— Tammuz means"perfect (tam) by burning" (muz). He was aheathen god whose death was lamented annuallyby women idolaters. He was the god of fireworship, the same as Molech, to whom childrenwere burned alive. He types the eternal-tormentpurgatoryGod, who perfects (supposedly) by thefires of purgatory. The women weeping for himtypify the once-virgin churches, who honor thealleged hell-fire god and lament the ones in thefire. There is a unity of heathen religions withapostate "Christianity" which stamps them all aspagan. The original heathen god was Nimrod,"the mighty hunter" of Gen. 10:8-14, where isrelated the origin of Babylon and Ninevah.Nimrod led men and women from the truereligion of devout Noah into gross sensuality andneglect of the worship of Jehovah. He was

eloved by fallen women. For his iniquitousinfluence, Nimrod was condemned to death bythe council of judges; and his dead body wasFM414cut into pieces, which were sent to all parts of theinhabited world, with the threat of death to anywho practiced his evil ways. Nimrod married hisown mother, Semiramis, so that, in a sense, hewas his own father and his own son. Here wasthe origin of the Trinity doctrine.NATION FATHER-HUSBAND SON THE WOMANAsia Decius CybeleAssyriaWinged bullBabylonia Lord of HeavenBabylonia Ninus Tammuz Queen of HeavenChaldea Bal IshtarChaldea Cahna-Bel (Cannibal) The SeedChaldea Molech AshtarothChaldea Zoroaster The Seed of the FireChina Child MadonnaEgypt Apis bull Cow of AthorEgypt Horus IsisEnglishThe DevilGreece Bacchus RheaGreece Capricornus AstarteGreece Kissos Mother of godsGreece Kronos AphroditeGreece Orion Babe CeresGreece Saturn VenusGreece Plutus IreneIndia Vishnu ChristinaIndia Tsi EswaraItaly Pope Virgin MaryJapan Child MadonnaNineveh Nimrod Nimrod SemiramisPalestineBaalPersia Sun MoonPersiaSun GodPersia Child MadonnaPhilistiaDagonRome Jupiter Jupiter Puer FortunaScandinavia Woden Thor FriedaThibet Child Madonna

FM415The practices of Nimrod were continued in secretby Semiramis; and as every caution had to betaken, the things done were veiled in mystery.Each act and person was represented only insymbols known to the initiated. Here originatedthe various secret societies, with their bloodcurdlingoaths of secrecy— Masonry,Oddfellowship, Jesuitism, Knights of Malta, andso on. These are lineal descendants of the"mysteries" of pagan sensuality, all of themabominations to God. Semiramis, to further herschemes, pretended that Nimrod, the father-son,had been raised from the dead in the form of thesun, which thus became an object of worship.She represented herself as the moon, which wasalso adored. This was the original Trinity—Nimrod the father, Nimrod, or Tammuz, the son,and Semiramis the mother, the power, or spirit,back of all. As the people multiplied andscattered they took with them this heathenTrinity which appears in various nations in thepartial list shown on the preceding page.These under inspiration of the Devil, put thefalse seed of the woman— Nimrod, Tammuz,etc.,— in the stead of the true Seed pushedJehovah aside, then into the background, andthen out altogether. The Devil, through the Popeof Rome, substituted forms of paganism for thesimplicity of true Christianity. "Such things are,"says Cardinal Newman, "the very instrumentsand appendages of demon worship," but"sanctified by adoption into the church." RomanCatholicism is a heathen religion. Protestantismalso worships Molech, the fire god, Tammuz, thedeity of torture, whom popes, cardinals, bishops,priests, clergy, ministers, and laymen unite inhonoring and worshipping under the delusionthat they are worshipping Jehovah, God ofAbraham, the true God of the Bible. However,ignorantly, "they worship devils."— 1 Cor.10:20.Ezekiel 8:15, 16.Then said He unto me, Hast thou seen this, OSon of man? turn thee yet again, and thou

shalt see greater abominations than these.And He brought me into the inner court of theLord's house, and behold, at the door of thetemple of the Lord, between the porch and thealtar, were about five and twenty men, withtheir backs toward the temple of the Lord,and their faces toward the east; and theyworshipped the sun toward the east.— In thecourt itself, (1 Kings 6:36), in the very presenceof the blood-bought sacrifice, these men weregathered. Only priests and Levites might be inthis court. They typified the believers and spiritbegottenones of the Christian Church. Theywere divided into about twenty-five courses orsections and served in rotation. These typed thedivisions of Christians into about twenty-fiveprincipal denominations.FM416In the United States these are Adventists,Baptists, Brethren (Dunkards), Catholics(Greek), Christian, Churches of Christ Scientist,Churches of God, Congregationalists, Disciplesof Christ, Evangelical, Friends, GermanEvangelical Protestant, German EvangelicalSynod, Latter Day Saints, Lutherans,Scandinavian Evangelical, Menonites,Moravians, Methodists, Pentecostals,Presbyterians, Protestant Episcopals, Reformed,Salvation Army, and United Brethren. With theirbacks toward the Temple of the Lord (Jer. 2:27),these treat with contempt and scorn the littlecompany of God's true saints, rich in faith, "theTemple." To turn the back is a gross insult. Theirfaces are toward the east. (Jer. 8:2.) All thesedenominations worship the fire-god, the sun, theheathen god whose identity with paganismappears foregoing.Ezekiel 8:17.Then He said unto me, Hast thou seen this, OSon of man? Is it a light thing to the house ofJudah that they commit the abominationswhich they commit here? for they have filledthe land with violence, and have returned to

provoke Me to anger; and, lo, they put thebranch to their nose.— So lightly do modernBabylonians, apostate religionists, regard theirabominable beliefs, that they will not even giveconsideration to the presentation of the truthabout Jehovah and His Divine Plan of the Ages.It is the church— clergy and members— whobrought on the barbarous world-war. They couldhave stood like a rock for peace; but the clergy,with devilish exhortations, urged their fellowsavagesto bloodshed. The Divine judgment hasgone against them and soon will swallow themup in the earthquake (revolution) and fire(anarchy) of the Time of Trouble. The last clauseshould read. "They send a stench to My nostrils."FM8:18.Therefore will I also deal in fury; Mine eyesshall not spare, neither will I have pity: andthough they cry in Mine ears with a loudvoice, yet will I not hear them.— The fury of"Christians" in this savage war will be visitedupon them in the succeeding revolution andanarchy. When the real Time of Trouble is on,after the war, Christendom will realize theterrible truth that it is the punishment of DivineJustice— and will pray mightily to God. Theirprayers cannot be favorably answered (Prov.1:28) until "the great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14) hasfinished its work of "bruising to heal."— Hos.6:1.FM417In the world despised, neglected,Deemed its refuge and its dross.She whose Lord the earth rejectedShares His sorrow, bears His Loss.EZEKIEL 9THE MAN WITH THE INKHORNEzekiel 9:1.He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice,saying, Cause them that have charge over thecity to draw near, even every man with hisdestroying weapon in his hand.— Chapter 9

depicts the slaughter of the idolaters ofJerusalem. It types the literal slaughter of thespiritual idolaters of Christendom in the Time ofTrouble, and also their destruction as tares (Matt.13:40) by the Word of Truth, which willmanifest their true condition and cause them tocease the pretense of being Christians. Thepicture corresponds to the harvesting of wheatand tares by the sickle of Truth (Rev. 14:15), andthe burning of the tares. There is a two-foldsignificance here— those having material chargeof Christendom, and those having spiritualcharge (D527.) The first class comprises therulers of the great nations; the second class, thefeet members of the Little Flock (Luke 12:32)—"All things are yours." (1 Cor. 3:21); "Inheritorsof the Kingdom" (Gal. 5:21); "Given charge ofall His goods" (Luke 12:44), the Bible truths.The first class has as weapons the armies andnavies. The second has the Sword of the Spirit,the Word of God.Ezekiel 9:2.And, behold, six men came from the way ofthe higher gate, which lieth toward the North,and every man a slaughter weapon in hishand; and one man among them was clothedwith linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side:and they went in, and stood beside the brazenaltar.— The six with earthly weapons are therulers of the six great nations— "Russia,Germany, Austria, France England and Italy. Thesix with the Sword of the Spirit symbolize all theElijah class, the six, with one other, making upthe seven, the complete number. These have theircommission from "the north," from the seat ofDivine Dominion, from God Himself. Practicallyall Bible translators and commentators agree thatthe one with a writer's inkhorn by his side wasnot one of the six, but a seventh, garbed as apriest, or as a clerk or officer in an army of theEast. The linen signifies the imputedrighteousness of Christ, (Rev. 19:8.)The writer's inkhorn symbolizes that the seventhman's function was to write. God identified himthus: When The Watch Tower Bible And Tract

Society was at Allegheny, Pa., an open Biblewas to beFM418painted on one of the large front windows of theoffice. A sign painter, not in the Truth, paintedthe open Bible; and without instruction from anyone, of his own volition, he painted the Bible asopen at Ezekiel, Chapter 9. The man of linen wasthe Laodicean servant, the Lord's faithful andwise steward, Pastor Russell. When PastorRussell saw this, he turned pale. Ezekiel seeingthe man in linen, types Pastor Russell thereafterseeing himself to be the antitype of that man—one of the most prolific writers of the Age, andthe only one to write and publish widely the gladtidings of the actual Second Presence of Christ.The seven men stood beside the brazen altar—there, in connection with God's Plan, based uponthe Ransom sacrifice to receive their Divinelyappointed commission.Ezekiel 9:3.And the glory of the God of Israel was goneup from the cherub, whereupon He was, tothe threshold of the house. And He called tothe man clothed with linen, which had thewriter's inkhorn by his side.— One of the fourliving creatures is here designated a "cherub."This one was Justice, about to operate upon theiniquities of ecclesiasticism. The threshold of thehouse refers to the door of the Holy, thecondition of the spirit-begotten. "The spirit ofglory and of God is upon thee." (1 Pet. 4:14.)The message was to sound forth from the Lord'sconsecrated people during the Harvest of theGospel Age, from 1878 to 1918.Ezekiel 9:4.And the Lord said unto him, Go through themidst of the city, through the midst ofJerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheadsof the men that sigh and that cry for all theabominations that be done in the midstthereof.— The center of Christendom is thenations of the United States, Canada, GreatBritain, France, Germany, Russia and

Scandinavia. Hither and thither, traveling andpreaching for nearly forty years Pastor Russellobeyed this command; and through the printedpage of books, tracts and newspapers he wentinto every corner of the world. "Set a mark",literally "set a ‘tav' upon the foreheads." The"Tav" was the twenty-second letter of theHebrew alphabet, and in its earlier form had theshape of a cross (+)." The forehead signifies theintellect (Rev. 7:3; 14:1). Pastor Russell's greatwork was to imprint indelibly in the minds ofcertain ones the truth about the Cross, thesacrifice of the Christ, Head and Body, and thepart of the Church therein. It was the duty of theclerk or officer of an oriental army to mark thepeople, either for slaughter or to be leftuntouched. The "mourners in Zion" (Isa. 61:3)are those faithful ones in Christendom thatappreciate that conditions are evil inchurchianity, perhaps withoutFM419understanding just how. All these are to bemarked in their minds with the knowledge of thePresent Truth.FM9:5.And to the others He said in mine hearing, Goye after him through the city, and smite: letnot your eye spare, neither have ye pity.—After Pastor Russell's writings have reached anindividual, the other members of the Elijah class,the "Truth people," approach him with the Swordof the Spirit, the Word of God. This is to eachindividual a "savor of life to life, or of death todeath." (2 Cor. 2:14-16.) Those not believingPresent Truth will become only the moreconfirmed in error. (2 Thess, 2:11.) They will besmitten by the Sword of the Spirit, which in themwill operate at this time to destroy any pretenseof being Christians, and cause them to take theirproper stand as worldings— to be destroyed astares. In this, God's "strange work" (Isa. 28:21),the Word of God will operate seemingly withoutpity, to separate the people into two classes, inPresent Truth or out of it. In a literal sense therulers of this evil Age will pitilessly carry the

Sword throughout the lengths and breadths ofChristendom.Ezekiel 9:6.Slay utterly old and young, both maids andlittle children, and women: but come not nearany man upon whom is the mark; and beginat My Sanctuary. Then they began at theancient men which were before the house.—Here are depicted the savagery of the revolutionsand the anarchy succeeding the great war.Though they are to be literally martyred, theconsecrated in Present Truth cannot be hurt ofeither slaughter weapon; their hopes and theirtreasures are in Heaven (Matt. 6:20), and noearthly calamity can in any wise work them ill.Symbolically the Sword of the Spirit will do noharm to mature Christians— "men,"— but manyyoung or undeveloped believers, not having theHoly Spirit, regardless of sex, will fall as tares.as will all of the idol worshipers of Christendom.The literal trouble will begin with arevolutionary outburst of anarchy against thechurches and the clergy (1 Pet. 4:17), asresponsible for the trouble because of havingpreached the people into the war, in the face ofinnumerable Scriptures against fighting withcarnal weapons (Matt 5:39, 44; John 18:11; 2Cor. 10:4) and of those teaching Christians tolove one another and to forgive trespasses (Luke6:27-38), personal or national. (Rom. 12:17-21.)The Sword of the Spirit will begin its work withthe sanctuary class, the professing Christians (1Pet. 4:17). It will begin with " the ancient men,"the representatives of the people— the clergy,doctors of divinity, priests, bishops and otherecclesiastics.FM420Ezekiel 9:7.And He said unto them, Defile the house, andfill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. Andthey went forth, and slew in the city.—Typically the house of God was defiled by adead body. The Temple, the Body of Christ, thetrue Church, is defiled by the presence in it of

any one who has become spiritually dead. Thepriests and Levites alone might enter the priests'court; and this types that many professing to beconsecrated Christians will lose all claim tobeing followers of Christ— be slain religiously.So many will thus lose belief that Christendomwill be filled with them. Literally the sanctuariesand the streets of Christendom will be filled withthe slain of the Time of Trouble.Ezekiel 9:8.And it came to pass, while they were slayingthem, and I was left, that I fell upon my face,and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt Thoudestroy all the residue of Israel in Thypouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem?— Itwill almost seem that none in Christendom willescape alive; and,indeed, "Except those days be shortened, noflesh should be saved."— Matt. 24:22.Ezekiel 9:9, 10.Then said He unto me, The iniquity of thehouse of Israel and Judah is exceeding great,and the land is full of blood, and the city fullof perverseness: for they say, The Lord hathforsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.And as for Me also, Mine eyes shall not spare,neither will I have any pity, but I willrecompense their way upon their head.— Onaccount of the light of the Gospel of Love theypossess, both Romanism and Protestantism areguilty to an extraordinary degree before God.Christendom, through its savage wars, isdrenched with blood. Churchianity is full ofwilful sin. God will seem to have left the socialorder to its own destruction.Ezekiel 9:11.And, behold, the man clothed with linen,which had the inkhorn by His side, reportedthe matter, saying, I have done as Thou hastcommanded me.— Pastor Russell was faithfulto his great task of writing and publishing theTruth and imprinting the "tav" of Present Truthin the minds of the spirit-begotten. In October,

1916, he died, and beyond the veil has, ere this,undoubtedly, reported in the presence of Christthat he has done the work he was given to do.FM421Faithful when with tears thine eyes were dim,Faithful when joys' cup o'erflowed its brim;Faithful when God seemed to veil His face,Faithful when He crowned thy work with grace,Faithful till was fled life's fleeting breath,Eager hands were folded still in death.EZEKIEL 10SCATTERING COALS OF FIREEzekiel 10:1.Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmamentthat was above the head of the cherubim thereappeared over them as it were a sapphirestone, as the appearance of the likeness of athrone.— Verses 1, 8-11, 12, 24-22 areexplained in Chapter 1. The repetition of thesymbols of the Justice, Wisdom, Love andPower of God, of the wings (Word of God), ofthe wheels, and the wondrous light, areassurances that in the anarchous destruction ofChristendom, our Father is acting wisely, justly,lovingly and in accordance with His Word andPlan for the good of mankind.— T125.Ezekiel 10:2.And He spake unto the man clothed withlinen, and said, Go in between the wheels,even under the cherub, and fill thine handwith coals of fire from between the cherubim,and scatter them over the city. And he went inin my sight.— Ezekiel, typing Pastor Russell,sees himself as acting in the manner heredescribed. He was to go in between the wheels,to do his work in accordance with the DivinePlan, to act under the dictates of the DivineJustice, "the cherub." The coals of fire aresymbolic of the fiery trials, distress, "greattribulation," with which Christendom will beoverwhelmed in the last period of the Time ofTrouble, and the prophecies of these events.(Rev. 8:5.) These Divinely permitted troubles

have the approval of Divine Wisdom, Justice,Love and Power, as necessary from everyviewpoint, and the inevitable retribution of along-forbearing God. Pastor Russell was to dothis work,— "fill his hand," with all his might, todevote himself wholly to this task. Over thewhole world was scattered the warning ofimpending trouble.— D57.Ezekiel 10:3.Now the cherubim stood on the right side ofthe house, when the man went in; and thecloud filled the inner court.— The cherubimstood by the nominal Temple class— to inquireand visit the offences of Christendom. The housewas on their left, the place of disfavor. When nopriests were in the Holy, it was filled with acloud. In 1 Kings 8:10 and in 2 Chron. 5:11-14the cloud filled the Holy, and the priests wereunable to serve there becauseFM422of it. When the cloud filled the Court, no onecould see to serve in it. This types that in theHarvest period, from 1878 to 1918, while PastorRussell was dispensing as part of the "food indue season" the impending downfall ofChristendom, those who had been serving in thebelieving Court, condition— clergy and otherchurch workers— were no longer permitted to doso. It corresponds to the passing of thestewardship from the clergy to Pastor Russell in1878. This applies also to verse 4, where thepresence of the cloud also types the presence ofJehovah to visit punishment for wickedness.—B138.Ezekiel 10:4.Then the glory of the Lord went up from thecherub, and stood over the threshold of thehouse; and the house was filled with the cloud,and the court was full of the brightness of theLord's glory.— Pastor Russell saw more clearlythan any one in this end of the Age the gloriousGospel of God in the Ransom for all (Court andaltar.)

Ezekiel 10:5.And the sound of the cherubim's wings washeard even to the outer court, as the voice ofthe Almighty God when he speaketh.— Hereis indicated the sounding forth of the Word ofGod through Pastor Russell's proclamation ofPresent Truth. The inner Court typed thecondition of faith and justification, and the outerCourt typed the condition of those not fullybelieving, nor directly serving God. Thepreaching and writings of Pastor Russell wereheard by all classes of believers and unbelievers.It was the voice of Jehovah, represented asalmighty to save, that was heard throughout theworld.Ezekiel 10:6.And it came to pass that when He hadcommanded the man clothed with linen,saying, Take fire from between the wheels,from between the cherubim; then he went in,and stood beside the wheels.— In the DivinePlan of the Ages Pastor Russell was to findclearly indicated the great tribulation then closeat hand.Ezekiel 10:7.And one cherub stretched forth his hand frombetween the cherubim unto the fife that wasbetween the cherubim, and took thereof andput it into the hands of him clothed withlinen; who took it, and went out.— Justicegave to Pastor Russell the knowledge ofimpending troubles, to go out and publish toChristendom.Ezekiel 10:8.And there appeared in the cherubim the formof a man's hand under their wings.— Thework of witness here depicted is carried out byhuman beings, under the power and protection ofthe Word of God.Ezekiel 10:9-11.And when I looked, behold the four wheels bythe cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, and

another wheel by another cherub: and theappearance of the wheels wasFM423as the color of a beryl stone. And as for theirappearance, they four had one likeness, as if awheel had been in the midst of a wheel. Whenthey went, they went upon their four sides;they turned not as they went, but to the placewhither the head looked they followed it; theyturned not as they went.— See Chapter 1 forexplanation. The leading face in the bead was theman's face, typical of Divine Love. This is thedominating attribute of God's character, directingthe course of the other three.Ezekiel 10:12.And their whole body, and their backs, andtheir hands, and their wings, and the wheels,were full of eyes round about, even the wheelsthey four had.— Every part of the Divinecharacter, as well as every operation of theDivine attributes and of the human beingsthrough which God acts is full of Wisdom.—B305.Ezekiel 10:13.As for the wheels, it was cried unto them inmy hearing, O wheel.— Very emphatic was theDivine directing of the attention toward thewheels— the Divine Plan of the Ages. PastorRussell always directed the Bible student's mindtoward the great Plan.Ezekiel 10:14-22.And every one had four faces; the first facewas the face of a cherub, and the second facewas the face of a man, and the third the faceof a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.And the cherubim were lifted up. This is theliving creature that I saw by the river ofChebar. And when the cherubim went, thewheels went by them: and the cherubim liftedup their wings to mount up from the earth,the same wheels also turned not from besidethem. When they stood, these stood; and whenthey were lifted up, these lifted up themselves

also; for the spirit of the living creature was inthem. Then the glory of the Lord departedfrom off the threshold of the house, and stoodover the cherubim. And the cherubim liftedup their wings, and mounted up from theearth in my sight: when they went out, thewheels also were beside them, and every onestood at the door of the east gate of the Lord'shouse, and the glory of the God of Israel wasover them above. This is the living creaturethat I saw under the God of Israel by the riverof Chebar; and I knew that they were thecherubim. Every one had four faces apiece,and every one had four wings; and thelikeness of the hands of a man was under theirwings. And the likeness of their faces was thesame faces which I saw by the river ofChebar, their appearance and themselves:they went every one straight forward.— Seeexplanation of these verses in Chapter 1. (Hos.9:12) "Yea, woe also to them when I depart fromthem."FM424EZEKIEL 11THE WICKED COUNSELEzekiel 11:1.Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and broughtme unto the east gate of the Lord's house,which looketh eastward: and behold at thedoor of the gate five and twenty men; amongwhom I saw Jaazaniah, the son of Azur, andPelatiah, the son of Benaiah, princes of thepeople.— The east gate types Christ, theentrance to true Christianity. (John 10:9.) At thedoor of the gate were the leading sects.Jaazaniah, the son of Azur (helper) types the ideathat by self-help man can please God. Pelatiah(Jab delivers), the son of Benaiah (Jab isintelligent), types the belief that earthly wisdomwill deliver the world from its difficulties. (1Cor. 1:21.) These were "princes among thepeople"— very popular ideas.

Ezekiel 11:2.Then said He unto me, Son of man, these arethe men that devise mischief, and give wickedcounsel in this city.— These teachings haveactuated many of the erroneous beliefs andwicked acts of nominal Christians.CHRISTENDOM THE CALDRONEzekiel 11:3.Which say, it is not near; let us build houses:this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.—Ecclesiasticism's thought is that the Time ofTrouble is not near, and the destruction ofChristendom is not to be thought of. (1 Thess,5:3.) "Let us build houses" is an expressionimplying confidence in the permanence of thingsas they are. (2 Pet. 3:4.) "This city is the caldron,and we be the flesh" (Jer. 1:13) is a proverb, hereapplied to the iron sides of the caldron keepingaway the fire, or in antitype civil and militarypowers, protecting from actual anarchy (fire),however hot things may become.Ezekiel 11:4, 5.Therefore prophesy against them, prophecy,O son of man. And the Spirit of the Lord fellupon me, and said unto me, Speak: Thussaith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house ofIsrael: for I know the things that come untoyour mind, every one of them.— The falseteachings of the clergy are nothing new. Everyone of them is the old worship of Nimrod andBaal.FM425Ezekiel 11:6.Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, andye have filled the streets thereof with theslain.— There never was a war that a clergy, didnot preach "their people" into it, and multiply theslain. Furthermore, the number is legion of thosewho would have liked to gain spiritual life, butthe clergy have discouraged (John 7:48), and inmillions of cases caused their actual death.

Ezekiel 11:7.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Yourslain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, theyare the flesh, and this city the caldron: but Iwill bring you forth out of the midst of It.—Another sense in which the Jerusalem Jews usedthis proverb was that the Jews taken captive intoBabylon were worthless, and they in Jerusalemwere the valuable flesh remaining. (MI. 3:3.)God here tells that the only ones to remain inChristendom will be the literally dead, or thosewho are dead to the claims of Mystic Babylon.These have the best chance of surviving thetrouble. The walls, defenses, military and police,will be broken down by war and revolution; andnothing can save the adherents of ecclesiasticismfrom their fate.Ezekiel 11:8.Ye have feared the sword; and I wilt bring aSword upon you, saith the Lord.— Thedevotees of established priestcraft fear both theliteral sword and the Sword of the Spirit. Thearmies of the nations will be in open revoltagainst the established powers, religious,political and economic. Also the Sword of theSpirit, the Word of God, will cut through allpretense and bring about the death of religion inall not begotten of the Holy Spirit.Ezekiel 11:9.And I will bring you out of the midst thereof,and deliver you into the hands of strangers,and will execute judgments among you.—Christendom will fall literally into the hands ofrevolutionists and anarchists, Industrial Workersof the World, syndicates and Socialists,unfriendly to established systems, and spirituallyinto the power of the Word of God in the handsof His "strangers." (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:11,) a "justrecompense of reward." (Heb. 2:2.)Ezekiel 11:10, 11.Ye shall fall by the sword; I will Judge you inthe border of Israel, and ye shall know that Iam the Lord. This city shall not be your

caldron, neither shall be the flesh in the midstthereof; but I will judge you in the border ofIsrael.— The Jews taken captive out ofJerusalem were tried and slain at Riblah (a bareplace) outside of Palestine, typifying that thedestroying judgments on Christendom will comeupon her after her institutions have gone topieces, and she is desolated.Ezekiel 11:12.And ye shall know that I am the Lord: for yehave not walked in My statutes, neitherexecuted My judgments, but have done afterthe manner of the heathenFM426that are round about you.— The people ofChristendom will finally appreciate that theirdistress is a punishment from God, because ofnot having followed the plain injunctions of theBible, having mistaught the Word of God, andhaving lived no better than unbelievers.Ezekiel 11:13.And it came to pass, when I prophesied, thatPelatiah, the son of Benaiah, died. Then fell Idown upon my face, and cried with a loudvoice, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt Thoumake a full end of the remnant of Israel?—While Palter Russell's reasonable and Divinelyappointed teachings are doing their good workthroughout Christendom the idea that humanwisdom, Prussian culture, etc., can save the oldorder of things, will be seen lifeless.Ezekiel 11:14.Again the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying.— Verses 14 to 25 are the message ofcomfort and hope to those who are now out ofharmony with ecclesiasticism.Ezekiel 11:15.Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren,the men of thy kindred, and all the house oflsrael wholly, are they unto whom theinhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get youfar from the Lord: unto us is this land given

in possession.— The Jews in captivity weredespised by those remaining in the "holy" city,Jerusalem. They type the people of Christendomwho honestly own themselves to be of the worldand are despised by the "best people," theeducated, religious "holy" Churchianity. "Getyou far from the Lord" is the attitude of the tarestoward those who do not pretend as much, butwho are often much better in God's sight. The"best people" not merely own most of the earthnow, but expect to own Heaven too—with thenow worldly people forever consigned to a devilimaginedhell of eternal torment.Ezekiel 11:16.Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God;Although I have cast them far off among theheathen, and although I have scattered themamong the countries, yet will I be to them as alittle Sanctuary in the countries where theyshall come.— God especially favors the honesthearted,humble-minded, however far they maynow be from Him in outward appearance. Christavoided the Scribes and the Pharisees, but freelyassociated with the publicans and sinners.Ezekiel 11:17.Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I willeven gather you from the people, andassemble you out of the countries where yehave been scattered, and I will give you theland of Israel.— In the coming Kingdom Godwill gather first the outcasts from their conditionof disfavor, even from the dead, and will givethem possession of the earth before the proudmindedecclesiastics are permittedFM427to return from the dead. This is to have also aliteral fulfillment on Fleshly Israel.— Z.'94-76.Ezekiel 11:18.And they shail come thither, and they shalltake away all the detestable things thereof andall the abominations thereof from thence.—The common people, free from the perverseinfluence of priestcraft, in Christ's Millennial

Kingdom will abolish all the clergy-fosteredideas and practices now so abominable to God.Ezekiel 11:19.And I will give them one heart, and I will puta new spirit within you; and I will take thestony heart out of their flesh, and will givethem a Heart of flesh.— They will be singleheartedto serve God and do His will alone. (Jer.32:39.) From having the spirit or mind of naturalmen they will be given the Holy Spirit, whenGod "pours out His Spirit upon all flesh." (A333;Z.'03-171.) From being hard-hearted they willbecome tender-hearted, forgiving one anothereven as God, for Christ's sake will forgivethem.— Eph. 4:32.Ezekiel 11:20.That they may walk in My statutes, and keepMine ordinances, and do them: and they shallbe My people, and I will be their God.— Theywill keep God's Law of Divine love. The "bestpeople," who now regard themselves as God'speople, in the Age to come will learn that Godopposes the proud and favors the humble.Ezekiel 11:21.But am for them whose heart walketh afterthe heart of their detestable things and theirabominations, I will recompense their wayupon their own heads, saith the Lord God.—Those who at heart love establishedecclesiasticism are counted as having the heart,mind or will of the author of priestcraft, theDevil. "Ye generation of serpents (devils), howscarcely shall ye escape the condemnation ofGehenna (Second Death).— Matt. 23:33.Ezekiel 11:22, 23.Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, andthe wheels beside them; and the glory of theGod of Israel was over them above. And theglory of the Lord went up from the midst ofthe city, and stood upon the mountain whichis on the east side of the city.— God, andDivine favor, has ceased to be in or withChristendom (D527), but is upon and with the

true Kingdom (mountain) of God (A318), towardthe east (Zech. 14:4), the antitypical Mount orOlives.— D653.Ezekiel 11:24.25.Afterwards the Spirit took me up, andbrought me in a vision by the Spirit of Godinto Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So thevision that I had seen went up from me. ThenI spake unto them of the captivity all thethings that the Lord had shewed me.— Thesethings seen in the Scriptures are now preachedand published to the captives in Mystic Babylon.FM428EZEKIEL 12CHRISTENDOM'S BLIND FLIGHTEzekiel 12:1, 2.The word of the Lord also came unto me,saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midstof a rebellious house, which have eyes to see,and see not; they have ears to hear, and hearnot; for they are a rebellious house.— InChapter 12:1-16 is depicted the blind flight ofChristendom into revolution and anarchy. PastorRussell and his co-workers once dwelt in themidst of the rebellious nominal house, or church,of God, with eyes blinded and ears made deaf bytheir spiritual defection.— Matt. 13:13.Ezekiel 12:3.Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stufffor removing, and remove by day in theirsight; and thou shalt remove from thy place toanother place in their sight: it may be theywill consider, though they be a rebellioushouse.— He found in the Bible the Truth ofGod, which exhorts to "come out of her, O Mypeople" (Rev. 18:4); and in obedience, he cameout of his church home into a condition ofseparateness, by every means of publicity (intheir sight) drawing the attention to his removal,in the hope that those left behind might turn trulyback to God.

Ezekiel 12:4.Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day intheir sight, as stuff for removing: and thoushalt go forth at even in their sight, as theythat go forth into captivity.— In theirestimation, he did this as one taken by the EvilOne.Ezekiel 12:5.Dig thou through the wall in their sight, andcarry out thereby.— He dug through the creedswalls and thus "came out of her."Ezekiel 12:6.In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thyshoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight:thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not theground: for I have set thee for a sign unto thehouse of Israel.— To them he was one notknowing whither he went, with eyes blinded;whereas his action and his publishing of theTruth was but God's way of beseechingChristendom and warning her of her own fate.Ezekiel 12:7.And I did so as I was commanded: I broughtforth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity,and in the even I digged through the wall withmine hand; I brought it forthFM429in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulderin their sight.— Pastor Russell and the Truthpeople did this with their limited power (hand),and laboriously (upon shoulder) made their warwith their goods, the precious Truths, "out orher."Ezekiel 12:8-9.And in the morning came the word of theLord unto me, saying, Son of man, hath notthe house of Israel, the rebellious house, maidunto thee, What doest thou?— The nominalchurch (home) of Spiritual Israel have ofteninquired of Pastor Russell and of the Truthpeople, "What doest thou?"

Ezekiel 12:10.Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God;This burden concerneth the prince inJerusalem, and all the house of Israel that areamong them.— The import of the answerconcerns the exalted class (prince, exalted one),the lords in Christendom, the clergy, and allprofessing Christians that are with them.Ezekiel 12:11.Say, I am your sign, like as I have done, soshall it be done unto them: they shall removeand go into captivity.— What has been, is alesson for them; as the Royal Priesthood hasdone, so shall it be done unto them; they shallmove down from their exalted place and go intocaptivity to the laborite and revolutionaryelements. The Jews were literally to go intocaptivity into ancient Baby]on, which they did.Ezekiel 12:12.And the prince that is among them shall bearupon his shoulder in the twilight, and shell goforth: they shall dig through the wall to carryout thereby; he shall cover hie face, that hesee not the ground with his eyes.— As to theJews, their ruler Zedekiah was by night to try toescape from Jerusalem, but he should not see theway. Regarding Christendom's clergy, they shallat the close of their day, abandon Christendom inthe time of revolution, to save what they can forthemselves, and "get out of her." They shall finda still more worldly way out of their creed wallsand shall be self-blinded to the real condition ofsociety (the earth).Ezekiel 12:13.My net also will I spread upon him, and heshall be taken in My snare: and I will bringhim to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans;yet shall he not see it, though he shall diethere.— Like a snare shall revolution, in theguise of freedom for all, come upon them; and,utterly blind to the significance of world events,they shall be forced into revolution and anarchy,and there shall this lordly class come to its end.

(Hos. 7:12.) The literal application upon KingZedekiah is of course understood; for he went toBabylon, but never saw it, because his eyes wereput out.FM430Ezekiel 12:14.And I will scatter toward every wind all thatare about him to help him, and all his bands;and I will draw out the sword after them.—God will scatter in war, tumult and confusionand in error; all that adhere to the clergy class,and all their congregations (bands); and againstthem shall He direct weapons of war and theWord of God, the Sword of the Spirit.Ezekiel 12:15.And they shall know that I am the Lord, whenI shall scatter them among the nations, anddisperse them in the countries.— And theyshall appreciate that Jehovah is God, when thishas come.Ezekiel 12:16.But I will leave a few men of them from thesword, from the famine, and from thepestilence; that they may declare all theirabominations among the heathen whitherthey come: and they shall know that I am theLord.— From among them God will leave a fewmanly believers, who shall escape the sword, thefamine, literal and of the Word, and from thepestilential errors; that they, as then faithfulmembers of the Great Company, may explain tothe revolutionists and anarchists the Truth aboutthe Divinely forbidden doctrines and deeds of theclergy, and their following.Ezekiel 12:17, 18.Moreover the Word of the Lord came untome, saying, Son of man, eat thy bread withquaking, and drink thy water with tremblingand with carefulness.— The Lord's people wereto eat, drink and live with great economy.

Ezekiel 12:19.And say unto the people of the land, Thussaith the Lord God of the inhabitants ofJerusalem and the land of Israel; They shalleat their bread with carefulness, and drinktheir water with astonishment, that her landmay be desolate from all that is therein,because of the violence of aII them that dwelltherein.— They were to say to the people ofChristendom: "God says to the clergy andpeople of nominal Spiritual Israel, the churches;you shall eat your food by measure, and witheconomy— on the food-ticket plan— and drinkyour Truth with amazement at the famine; forChristendom is to be desolated of its people,because of the violent wars, and the revolutionsand anarchy of the people."Ezekiel 12:20.And the cities that are inhabited shall be laidwaste, and the land shall be desolate; and yeshall know that I am the Lord.— Thegovernments (cities) shall be destroyed and thesocial order desolated in anarchy; and they shallfeel the outworkings of Jehovah's purposes uponthem.Ezekiel 12:21, 22.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, what is that proverb thatye have inFM431the land of Israel, saying, The days areprolonged, and every vision falleth?—Nominal clergy and Christians say concerningthe Bible, that this Age will last for thousands ofyears and that Bible prophecies fail offulfillment.— 2 Pet. 3:4.12:23. EzekielTell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God;I will make this proverb to cease, and theyshall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; butsay unto them, The days are at hand, and theeffect of every vision.— God says that He willmake their saying to cease; for close at hand is

the Time of Trouble and of the Kingdom of God,and the fulfillment of prophecy.Ezekiel 12:24.For there shall be no more any vain vision norflattering divination within the house ofIsrael.— There shall be no more, in thechurches, delusive theories of the everlastingwelfare of Christendom or of evolution, orimmortality, or flattering prediction of peace,peace.— Lam. 2:14.Ezekiel 12:25.For I am the Lord; I will speak, and the wordthat I shall speak shall come to pass; It shallbe no more prolonged: for in your days, Orebellious house, will I say the word, and willperform it, saith the Lord God.— Jehovah'sWord shall come to pass promptly, in the presentday.— Isa. 55:11.Ezekiel 12:26, 27.Again the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, behold, they of the houseof Israel say, The vision that he seeth is formany days to come, and he prophesieth of thetimes that are far off.— The clergy say thatPastor Russell's predictions of early trouble andthe setting up of the Kingdom are for hundredsor thousands of years to come, and about thingsthat are far off.— Amos. 6:3.Ezekiel 12:28.Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the LordGod, There shall none of My words beprolonged any more, but the Word which Ihave spoken shall be done, saith the LordGod.—Jehovah says that none of the wordsspoken through His servant Pastor Russell, shallwait any longer for fulfillment, but the thingsshall come as spoken.

Sometime, when all life's lessons have been learned,And sun and stars forevermore have set,The things which our weak judgment here has spurned—The things o'er which we grieved with lashes wet—Will flash before us out of life's dark night,As stars shine most in deeper tints of blue;And we shall see how all God's plans were right.And how what seemed unkind was love most true.FM432EZEKIEL 13THE GAPS IN THE WALLEzekiel 13:1. 2.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, prophesy against theprophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thouunto them that prophesy out of their ownhearts, Hear ye the Word of the Lord.— God'sWord is to write and speak against the preachersof Christendom that say things originating intheir own imaginations; let them listen now tothe Words of Jehovah.Ezekiel 13:3.Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto thefoolish prophets, that follow their own spirit,and have seen nothing.— Woe to the foolishpreachers, who as blind leaders have seennothing respecting today's crisis in the Word ofGod, or in the signs of the times!Ezekiel 13:4.O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in thedeserts .— O Christendom, thy preachers will belike cunning foxes, finding profit in thedesolation of their country!Ezekiel 13:5.Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neithermade up the hedge for the house of Israel tostand in the battle in the Day of the Lord.—They have not preached God's Truth to fill up thebreaches among Christendom's defenders, or tobuild up the broken-down forsakers ofChristendom's moral and spiritual defenses, to

enable Christendom to have strength to standbefore God in the Time of Trouble.Ezekiel 13:6.They have seen vanity and lying divination,saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hathnot sent them: and they have made others tohope that they would confirm the Word.—They have taken and taught fallacious anddelusive theories of evolution, destructivecriticism of the Bible, the Divine right of kingsand of clergy, and preached their people intosavage warfare, saying it was the Word of God,when God has not said it; and they have madeothers believe their lies.Ezekiel 13:7.Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have yenot spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say,The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken.—They have misrepresented Jehovah.Ezekiel 13:8.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becauseye have spoken vanity, and seen lies,therefore, behold, I amFM433against you, saith the Lord God.— WhereforeGod is against them.Ezekiel 13:9.And Mine hand shall be upon the prophetsthat see vanity, and that divine lies; they shallnot be in the assembly of My people, neithershall they be written in the writing of thehouse of Israel, neither shall they enter intothe land of Israel; and ye shall know that I amthe Lord God.— God will stretch out His handagainst these preachers. They shall not be in theChurch triumphant (Heb. 12:23), nor shall theybe written as members of the spirit-born GreatCompany; nor shall they enter the Heavenlyphase of the Kingdom.Ezekiel 13:10.

Because, even because they have seduced Mypeople, saying, Peace; and there was no peace;and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubedit with untempered mortar.— Because theclergy have deceived and ruined Christendom(Micah 3:5-7) proclaiming peace when there wasno peace (Jer. 6:14); and when one of themwould build up a slight wall of workers ofearthly, civic, social betterment, the others wouldbind it together with the binder of self-interest,not with truth (water) or love.Ezekiel 13:11.Say unto them which daub it withuntempered mortar, that it shall fall; thereshall be an overflowing shower; and ye, Ogreat hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy windshall rend lt.— It shall fall; there shall be anoverflowing downpour of the water of Truth; andhard truths, great hard facts shall fall upon thewall; and gigantic wars and world widecommotion shall tear to pieces the preachers'earthly-civic-social defense.Ezekiel 13:12.Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be saidunto you, Where is the daubing wherewith yedaubed it?— Behold, when Christendom's slightdefense against the forces of evil, is fallen, itshall be inquired of the clergy, "Where is thatworthless, loveless, selfish binder wherewith youinefficiently cemented together its members?Ezekiel 13:13.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will evenrend it with a stormy wind in My fury; andthere shall be an overflowing shower in Mineanger, and great hailstones in My fury toconsume it.— Therefore God says: I willdestroy your defense with a furious storm of warand revolution, with a flood of Truth and greathard facts.Ezekiel 13:14.So will I break down the wall that ye havedaubed with untempered mortar, and bring itdown to the ground, so that the foundation

thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall,and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof:and ye shall know that I am the Lord.— Sowill I break down your flimsy defenses ofselfishness; they shall fall and you shall beburied in their fall.FM434Ezekiel 13:15.Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon thewall, and upon them that have daubed it withuntempered mortar, and will say unto you,The wail is no more, neither they that daubedit.—The defense of Christendom exists no more,neither they that plastered it with showy selfinterest.Ezekiel 13:16.To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesyconcerning Jerusalem, and which see visionsof peace for her when there is no peace.—Namely, the preachers of Christendom whopreach peace when there is no peace.Ezekiel 13:17.Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face againstthe daughters of thy people, which prophesyout of their own heart; and prophesy thouagainst them.— God directs true Christians toset their faces against the man-made churches,which preach things of their own imagining.Ezekiel 13:18.And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to thewomen that sew pillows to all armholes, andmake kerchiefs upon the head of every statureto hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of Mypeoule, and will ye save the souls alive thatcome unto you?— Woe to the churches(women) that practice superstition (sew amuletsabout their elbows— an oriental method ofincantation), and wear veils of mystery toensnare men.

Ezekiel 13:19.And will ye pollute Me among My people forhandfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, toslay the souls that should not die, and to savethe souls alive that should not live, by yourlying to My people that hear your lies?— Shallthey continue to profane and prostitute My nameamong My people, for the price of the spiritualfornication of church-state union (barley was thecustomary offering for an adulteress) and for theweekly collections offering, to discourage,persecute and kill the godly?Ezekiel 13:20.Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iam against your pillows, wherewith ye therehunt to make them fly, and I will tear themfrom your arms, and will let the souls go, eventhe souls that ye hunt to make them fly.— Godwill strip the churches of the power of theirsuperstitions, and will let the people go out of thebondages.Ezekiel 13:21.Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver Mypeople out of your hand, and they shall be nomore in your hand to be hunted, and ye shallknow that I am the Lord.— Their veil ofmystery will He tear away, and de]aver Hispeople, the Great Company, out of bondage.Ezekiel 13:22.Because with lies ye have made the heart ofthe righteous sad, whom I have not made sad;and strengthened the hands of the wicked,that he should not return from his wickedway, by promising him life.— Wherefore thechurches shall no more hold forth delusivehopes.

FM435EZEKIEL 14INSINCERE INQUIRERSEzekiel 14:1.Then came certain of the elders of Israel untome, and sat before me.— There will comecertain of the clergy of Christendom to the Truthpeople to listen and inquire.Ezekiel 14:2, 3.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, these men have set uptheir idols in their heart, and put thestumbling block of their iniquity before theirface: should I be inquired of at all by them?—God's Word for them will be that these men haveinsincerely set up in their hearts their idols ofgold, power, etc., and with a pretended face-tofacesincerity, have retained their iniquitousstumbling block of love of sin. Should God beinquired of at all by such men?Ezekiel 14:4.Therefore speak unto them, and say untothem, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man ofthe house of Israel that setteth up his idols inhis heart, and putteth the stumbling block ofhis iniquity before his face, and cometh to theprophet; I the Lord will answer him thatcometh, according to the multitude of hisidols: — Every man in the nominal church thatinsincerely clings to his idols and to his love ofiniquity, and yet comes to one of God's people.Jehovah will answer not with words, but with theretribution deserved for his idolatry.Ezekiel 14:5.That I may take the house of Israel in theirown heart, because they are all estrangedfrom Me through their Idols.— God will treatthe nominal Christian church in a manner liketheir own insincere hearts, because by the idolsthey serve they are all estranged from their lovefor Him.— 2 Thess, 2:11, 12.

Ezekiel 14:6.Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thussaith the Lord God; Repent, and turnyourselves from your idols; and turn awayyour faces from all your abominations.— Sayfirst to them: Repent of your evil deeds, turnaway from your idols. O Christendom, andresolutely turn your faces unto Him, and fromsuperstition, error, and from practices which areabominable to His standards.Ezekiel 14:7.For every one of the house of Israel, or of thestranger that sojourneth in Israel, whichseparateth himself from Me, and setteth uphis idols in his heart, and putteth thestumbling block of his iniquity before his face,FM436and cometh to a prophet to inquire of himconcerning Me; I the Lord will answer him byMyself.— Every church member and every oneassociated with him, who ceases to love Godsupremely, sets his heart upon other subjects oflove or worship, clings to iniquitous practices,and then comes to the Truth people to find whatGod says, verily Jehovah Himself will answerhim— with deeds, not with words merely.Ezekiel 14:8.And I will set My face against that man, andwill make him a sign and a proverb, and I willcut him off from the midst of My people; andye shall know that I am the Lord.— God willthoroughly disfavor that man, and make him anexample and a by-word; He will cut him off froma place among His people.Ezekiel 14:9.And if the prophet be deceived when he hathspoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived thatprophet, and I will stretch out My hand uponhim and will destroy him from the midst ofMy people Israel.— And if any preacher— evenone of the Truth people— shall get so wrong inheart that he is deceived in what he says (Jer.20:7), Jehovah will "send him a strong delusion

that he should believe a lie," and will be againsthim and will destroy him from the midst of Hispeople.Ezekiel 14:10.And they shall bear the punishment of theiriniquity: the punishment of the prophet shallbe even as the punishment of him that seekethunto him.— Both shall bear the samepunishment for their iniquity— the preachers andthe man that listens to him.Ezekiel 14:11.That the house of Israel may go no moreastray from Me, neither be polluted any morewith all their transgressions; but that theymay be My people, and I may be their God,saith the Lord God.— Professed Christianpeople shall stray no longer from Him, norbecome unclean spiritually through theirwrongdoing, but may truly be God's people, andHe their God.GOD'S FOUR SORE JUDGMENTSEzekiel 14:12, 13.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying, Son of man, when the land sinnethagainst Me by trespassing grievously then willI stretch out Mine hand upon it, and willbreak the staff of the bread thereof, and willsend famine upon it, and will cut off man andbeast from it.— When a whole country sinsagainst God with grievous, willful sin, then willHe exercise His power against it, and cut off thenecessary supply of material (Lev. 26:26) andspiritual food— send a famine of food and of theWord of God upon it, and cut off all life from it.FM437Ezekiel 14:14.Though these three men, Noah, Daniel andJob, were in it, they should deliver but theirown souls by their righteousness, saith theLord God.— Though in that country were thethree most upright men of history, Noah, Daniel

and Job— typing here the Little Flock, the GreatCompany, and the Household of Faith— theyshould by their righteousness save but their ownlives.Ezekiel 14:15.If I cause noisome beasts to pass through theland, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate,that no man may pass through because of thebeasts.— God has caused savage governmentsto overrun Christendom with military and navalforces, and to ruin and desolate it, so that nomanly independent man can exist there.Ezekiel 14:16.Though these three men were in it, as I live,saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neithersons nor daughters; they only shall bedelivered, but the land shall be desolate.—Though these three classes be in Christendom,they shall deliver no one but themselves; theyonly shall be delivered, but Christendom shall bedesolated.Ezekiel 14:17.Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say,Sword, go through the land; so that I cut offman and beast from it: — God has broughtupon Christendom destroying weapons (Lev.26:25), and the Sword of the Spirit is to gothrough Christendom and cut off all that can becut off, and no one shall save aught but himself.Ezekiel 14:18, 19.Though these three men were in it, as I live,saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neithersons nor daughters, but they only shall bedelivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilenceinto that land, and pour out My fury upon itin blood, to cut off from It man and beast.—God will permit a pestilence, both of literaldisease and of pestilential errors in Christendom,in wrath to take away life.Ezekiel 14:20, 21.Though Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as Ilive saith the Lord God, they shall deliver

neither son nor daughters; they shall butdeliver their own souls by their righteousness.For thus saith the Lord God; How much morewhen I send My four sore judgments uponJerusalem—the sword, and the famine, andthe noisome beast, and the pestilence— to cutoff from it man and beast.— Christendom is socorrupt that God is sending upon her His fourdreadful punishments— the sword, the famine,the savage government and the pestilence— asHis destroyers!Ezekiel 14:22.Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant ofthat shall be brought forth, both sons anddaughters: behold, they shall come forth untoyou, and ye shall see their way and theirdoings: and ye shall be comfortedFM438concerning the evil that I have brought uponJerusalem, even concerning all that I havebrought upon it.— There shall be left from theanarchy a few who shall be brought through intothe Kingdom as samples of Christendom'spollution. They will live among those who havesuffered in Christendom's trouble, and amid theblessed Kingdom influences, by contrast theothers shall see their continued evil ways anddoings. And they will cause everyone to feelsatisfied, content, over the trouble God isbringing upon Christendom.Ezekiel 14:23.And they shall comfort you, when ye see theirways and their doings: and ye shall know thatI have not done without cause all that I havedone in it, saith the Lord God.— When theothers see their evil ways and doings, they willbe content as to the need of the Time of Trouble,for they shall realize that not without good causeshall God have done all that He will do toChristendom.

EZEKIEL 15FIT FOR FUEL ONLYEzekiel 15:1-8.And the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, What is the vine treemore than any tree, or than a branch which isamong the trees of the forest? Shall wood betaken thereof to do any work? or will mentake a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the firedevoureth both the ends of it, and the midst ofit is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold,when it was whole, it was meet for no work:how much less shall it be meet yet for anywork, when the fire hath devoured it, and it isburned? Therefore thus saith the Lord God,As the vine tree among the trees of the forest,which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will Igive the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I willset My face against them; they shall go outfrom one fire, and another fire shall devourthem; and ye shall know that I am the Lord,when I set My face against them. And I willmake the land desolate, because they havecommitted a trespass, saith the Lord God.—Ecclesiasticism, which imagines itself to be thetrue vine (John 15:1) with the sects as branches,is a wild vine (Rev. 14:18), unable to supportitself and clinging like a parasite upon others forsupport. It brings forth no character fruitage, isunfit for any Divine purpose, is slender, halfcharredby the assaults of Higher Criticism, andfit only to be destroyed.— Psa. 80:8-16.

FM439EZEKIEL 16UNFAITHFULNESSOF GOD'S PEOPLEEzekiel 16:1-5.Again the word of the Lord came unto me,sayIng, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to knowher abominations, and say, Thus saith theLord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thynativity is of the land of Canaan; thy fatherwas an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wasborn thy navel was not cut, neither wast thouwashed in water to supple thee; thou wast notsalted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eyepitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, tohave compassion upon thee; but thou wastcast out in the open field, to the loathing ofthy person, in the day that thou wast born.—Chapter 16 is an amplification or the symbolicdescription of Babylon the Great (Jerusalem),ecclesiasticism (Rev. 17), as a once virgin butnow apostate woman (church). The peoples ofwhom the church was composed were originallyheathen (16:3), in and of the world (field).Ezekiel 16:6-8.And When I passed by thee, and saw theepolluted in thine own blood, I said unto theewhen thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I saidunto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. Ihave caused thee to multiply as the bud of thefield, and thou hast increased and waxengreat, and thou art come to excellentornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, andthine hair is grown, whereas thou wast nakedand bare. Now when I passed by thee, andlooked upon thee, behold, thy time was thetime of love; and I spread My skirt over thee,and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware untothee, and entered into a covenant with thee,saith the Lord God, and thou becamestMine.— God through Christ loved these people

and espoused them. He caused the church togrow beautifulEzekiel 16:9-12.Then washed I thee with water; yea, Ithoroughly washed away thy blood from thee,and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed theealso with broidered work, and shod thee withbadger's skin, and I girded thee about withfine linen, and I covered thee with silk. Idecked thee also with ornaments, and I putbracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thyneck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, andearrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crownupon thine head.— He anointed them with theHoly Spirit (16:9, oil), clothed them with therobe of Christ'sFM440righteousness (Matt. 22:11) with the embroideryor character fruits (Psa. 45:14). and gave themprecious ornament of Divine (golden) promises,put a jewel (pure, diamond-sparkling Truth— 1Cot. 3:12) on their forehead (minds— Rev. 7:3),golden earrings In their ears (ears to hear Divinethings— Gen. 24:22), and a beautiful crown ontheir head (tentative kingship).— Rev. 2:10.Ezekiel 16:13.Thus was thou decked with gold and silver;and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk,and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour,and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceedinglybeautiful, and thou didst prosper into akingdom.— He gave them the purest and bestfood from the Word of God (Psa. 147:14); andthey became beautiful in the beauty of holiness(Psa. 110:3), and prospered even untoinheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.— Col.1:13.Ezekiel 16:14.And thy renown went forth among theheathen for thy beauty; for it was perfectthrough My comeliness, which I had put uponthee, saith the Lord God.— They becamerenowned for their holy, kindly characters;

obtainable through sacrificial suffering.— Heb.2:10.Ezekiel 16:15.But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, andplayedst the harlot because of thy renown,and pouredst out thy fornications on everyone that passed by; his it was.— The spirit offornication in a church is the desire to form aunion with any world-government (Rev. 18:9);this spirit was manifested to everygovernment.— Isa. 1:21.Ezekiel 16:16.And of thy garments thou didst take, anddeckedst thy high places with divers colors,and playedst the harlot thereupon; the likethings shall not come, neither shall it be so.—The high places are the tops of mountains, therulers or governments; there the churchdisplayed her greatest attractions, and inducedthe spiritual fornication of governments, to anextent never to be witnessed again.Ezekiel 16:17.Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of Mygold and of My silver, which I had given thee,and madest to thyself images of men, anddidst commit whoredom with them.— Shetook the Divine treasures of Truth, and shapedand distorted them into the form of traditions ofmen.Ezekiel 16:18, 19.And tookest thy broidered garments, andcoverdst them; and thou hast met Mine oiland Mine incense before them. My meat also,which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, andhoney, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast evenset it before them for a sweet savour; and thusit was, saith the Lord God.— The spiritual foodof the Word of God was spiced with humanerrors; such as Divine right of kings and clergy,immortality, Trinity and eternal torment,preached in a way to please the ruling powersand serve their unholy purposes.— Hos. 2:8.

FM441Ezekiel 16:20, 21.Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thydaughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me,and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to bedevoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a smallmatter? That thou hast slain My children, anddelivered them to cause them to pass throughthe fire for them?— The Church gave thechildren of God, begotten of the Word, to enduredoctrines of hell fire (Jer. 7:31) and fiery trials inthe warfares of governments.Ezekiel 16:22.And in all thine abominations and thywhoredoms thou hast not remembered thedays of thy youth, when thou wast naked andbare, and wast polluted in thy blood.— In herpride of place, the church forgot the heathendomfrom which her members had been raised.Ezekiel 16:23-25.And it came to pass after all thy wickedness,(woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God.)That thou hast also built unto thee an eminentplace, and hast made thee a high place inevery street. Thou hast built thy high place atevery head of the way, and hast made thybeauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thyfeet to every one that passed by, andmultiplied thy whoredoms.— Woe, woe,distress, trouble and destruction to such anapostate, who in every conspicuous way (Isa.57:7) served the interests of the god of thisworld, made her "virtues" detestable tothoughtful men, and offered herself for statechurchunion to every government (street), state,city and town!Ezekiel 16:26.Thou hast also committed fornication with theEgyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh; andhast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke Meto anger.— She united herself with the mostworldly people, great in earthly things.

Ezekiel 16:27.Behold, therefore I have stretched out Myhand over thee, and have diminished thineordinary food, and delivered thee unto thewill of them that hate thee, the daughters ofthe Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewdway.— God has now, since 1878, brought thepowers of judgment against the apostate churchand caused a famine of the Word of God withinchurch doors. He has given her over to theencroachments of church daughters of aggressiveworldliness and doctrines of devils(Philistines)— Christian Science, Theosophy,New Thought, Higher Criticism and Spiritism.Even these churches, founded on doctrines ofdevils, are ashamed of the worldly, self-debasingways of the professedly orthodox Church ofChrist.Ezekiel 16:28, 29.Thou hast played the whore also with theAssyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea,thou hast played the harlot with them, and yetcouldest not be satisfied. Thou hast moreovermultiplied thy fornication in the land ofCanaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast notsatisfied herewith.— The Church has evensought unionFM442with the forces (Assyrians) destined to overthrowChristendom— Socialism, Communism,Industrial Workers of the World, Trade Unions,Syndicates, revolutionists and anarchists,—insatiable in her desire for power.Ezekiel 16:30-34.How week is thine heart, saith the Lord God,seeing thou doest all these things, the work ofan imperious whorish woman, in that thoubuildest thine eminent place in the head ofevery way, and makest thine high place inevery street; and hast not been as a harlot, inthat thou scornest hire, but as a wife thatcommitteth adultery, which taketh strangersinstead of her husband! They give gifts to all

whores; but thou givest thy gifts to all thylovers, and hirest them, that they may comeunto thee on every side for thy whoredom.And the contrary is in thee from other womenin thy whoredoms, whereas none followeththee to commit whoredoms; and in that thougivest a reward, and no reward is given untothee, therefore thou are contrary.— Howdespicable is the attitude of the professed church!. . . . . lower even than an harlot! For a harlot hassome self-respect and gives herself only for giftsin return; but the "Christian" church has offeredinducements to every possible kind and grade ofgovernmental power to enter into Divinelycondemned union of church and state.— Hos.8:9.Ezekiel 16:35-37.Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of theLord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because thyfilthiness was poured out, and thy nakednessdiscovered through thy whoredoms with thylovers, end with all the idols of thyabominations, and by the blood of thychildren, which thou didst give unto them.Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers,with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and allthem that thou hast loved, with all them thatthou hast hated; I will even gather themround about against thee, and will discoverthy nakedness unto them, that they may seeall thy nakedness.— Therefore God will causethe governments, with which the apostate churchhas made alliance, to hate and burn her withfire.— Rev. 17:16.Ezekiel 16:38-40.And I will judge thee, as women that breakwedlock and shed blood are judged; and I willgive thee blood in fury and jealousy. And Iwill also give thee into their hand, and theyshall throw down thine eminent place, andshall break down thy high places: they shallstrip thee also of thy clothes, and shall takethy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.They shall also bring up a company againstthee, and they shall stone thee with stones,

and thrust thee through with their swords.—By Moses' Law women that broke wedlock werestoned to death; in earlier days they were burnedalive; and theFM443guilty men also were killed. (Lev. 20:10, 14, 27.)Ecclesiasticism will be smitten down with thestones of hard facts, and be destroyed in the firesof anarchy, "with the fire of God's Jealousy."(Zeph. 3:8.) She shall be stripped of her tinseland gilt (imitation immortality), her purple(imperial) and scarlet (bloody) colors, and of herreal and imitation jewels of Truth. The masses,incensed by vain sacrifices and privations of aworld-war, will despatch her.Ezekiel 16:41.And they shall burn thine houses with fire,and execute judgments upon thee in the sightof many women; and I will cause thee to ceasefrom playing the harlot, and thou also shaltgive no hire any more.— Her houses(denominations) will be wiped out in theanarchy. She will receive her terrible judgmentsin the wondering sight of many heathen religions(women).Ezekiel 16:42, 43.So will I make My fury toward thee to rest,and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and Iwill be quiet and will be no more angry.Because thou hast not remembered the daysof thy youth, but hast fretted Me in all thesethings; behold, therefore I also willrecompense thy way upon thine head, saiththe Lord God: and thou shalt not commit thislewdness above all thine abominations.— Nottill ecclesiasticism has perished from the face ofthe earth will God's fury and jealousy cease itsretributions.Ezekiel 16:44, 45.Behold, every one that useth proverbs shalluse this proverb against thee, saying, As is themother, so is her daughter. Thou art thymother's daughter, that loatheth her husband

and her children; and thou art the sister ofthy sisters, which loathed their husbands andtheir children: your mother was a Hittite,and your father an Amorite.— The Hittites,Amorites, Samaritans and Sodomites were allworshipers of Baal and Astarte, under one nameor another, and were adepts in the heathen andimmoral beliefs and practices of that religion,typical not of fleshly but of spiritual uncleanness,as explained in foregoing pages. The trueChurch's father was our Father, her mother theSarah Covenant of Grace, and her espousedhusband, Christ. Ecclesiasticism's parentage, asbecometh the "dwellers in the summits." theproud "best" people, was the proud, selfsufficientone, the Devil (John 8:44.) Romanismand Protestantism are begotten, not by the Wordof God, but by the words of pride, of selfishness,of earthly ambition. Her mother was of theHittites, a commercial people, descendants ofHam, under Divine disapproval; her spiritualmother was the false promises of humantradition, which would barter a Divine promisefor an earthly meal; she loves compromise, andknows not principle. "Like mother, likedaughter."FM444Ezekiel 16:46.And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and herdaughters that dwell at thy left hand; and thyyounger sister, that dwelleth at thy righthand, is Sodom and her daughters.— Samariaand Sodom were worshipers of Baal. With likeparentage, ecclesiasticism is a sister religion withthe heathen religions, even acknowledging inmany volumes the unity of all religions, herselfincluded. Samaria, the ten apostate tribes,mingled the religion of Jehovah with that ofBaal— a fit religious sister of the "nominalchurch,"which reads the Bible and serves the godof selfishness. Samaria elsewhere types notmerely ecclesiasticism's sister, but churchianityherself. Sodom, here named Jerusalem's(ecclesiasticism's) sister religion, is directlyidentified as churchianity in Rev. 11:8— "The

great city which spiritually is called Sodom andEgypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Ittypes professed Christianity in its lowest phase.Ezekiel 16:47.Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nordone after their abominations: but, as if thatwere a very little thing, thou was corruptedmore than they in all thy ways.— As thoughthe ill-fame of Sodom were not enough,(apostate) Christianity has excelled her incorruption; Sodom's literal depravity was "a verylittle thing" to ecclesiasticism's ways.Ezekiel 16:48-50.As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sisterhath not done, she nor her daughters, as thouhast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold,this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom,pride, fulness of bread, and abundance ofidleness was in her and in her daughters,neither did she strengthen the hand of thepoor and needy. And they were haughty, andcommitted abomination before Me; thereforeI took them away as I saw good.— Sodom'sgreatest depravity (A111, 112) was a result ofdepraved, sexuality in connection with thereligion of Baal. "This dreadful ‘consecration'spread over Phoenicia, Syria, Phrygia, Assyriaand Babylonia. Ashtaroth, the Greek Astarte,was its chief object." Its antitype in the churcheswas, for national, state or municipal rulers, underguise of advancing religion, to cause theirtributary governments to become"Christianized." Whole nations' were thus"Christianized" and baptized— the peoples ofsavage governments. Through a letting down ofthe bars of immorality, spiritual and fleshly, thisministered to the beastly propensities of rulersand of others. The clergy, from Pope to classleader, prostituted religion for the pleasure andprofit of association with the rich and powerful.Rulers were assured of the "Divine right ofkings," and received homage, as God'srepresentatives. The people were led

FM445to believe that death for rulers was entrance toHeaven, and thousands died in the exhilaration—mistaken for religious uplift— of self-sacrifice intheir behalf. Ministers of Satan masquerading asangels of light, preached these falsities andmillions believed them, and for their own good,and the good of the world which they havecorrupted, God is about to take them away.—Z.'95-56.Ezekiel 16:51, 52.Neither hath Samaria committed half of thysins; but thou hast multiplied thineabominations more than they, and hastjustified thy sisters in all thine abominationswhich thou hast done. Thou also, which hastjudged thy sisters, bear thine own shame forthy sins that thou hast committed moreabominable than they; they are morerighteous than thou; yea, be thou confoundedalso, and bear thy shame, in that thou hastjustified thy sisters.— As Jerusalem's moralcorruption justified Sodom and Samaria, soecclesiasticism's moral and spiritual depravityhave justified those elements in Christendomtyped by Samaria and Sodom. The clergy, andtheir churches, because of pride of being the"best people", have been more abominable thanthose of baser sort.— Psa. 119:113; Prov. 6:17;8:13; 16:18.Ezekiel 16:53-55.When I shall bring again their captivity, thecaptivity of Sodom and her daughters, and thecaptivity of Samaria and her daughters, thenwill I bring again the captivity of thy captivesin the midst of them. That thou mayest bearthine own shame, and mayest be confoundedin all that thou hast done, in that thou art acomfort unto them. When thy sisters, Sodomand her daughters, shall return to theirformer estate, and Samaria and her daughtersshall return to their former estate, then thouand thy daughters shall return to your formerestate.— In the resurrection of the dead, "just

and unjust" (Acts 24:15), Jerusalem, in shame,will face Sodom and Samaria, confounded andabased by the fact that her evil practices justified,excused and "comforted" Sodom and Samaria.Likewise ecclesiasticism, the clergy and theirfollowing of "best people", will be in shame overthe fact that their iniquity was an incentive to theevil doing of the baser elements of Christendom.Ezekiel 16:56-59.For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned bythy mouth in the day of thy pride. Before thywickedness was discovered, as at the time ofthy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and allthat are round about her, the daughters of thePhilistines, which despise thee round about.Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thineabominations, saith the Lord. For thus saiththe Lord God; I will even deal with thee asthou hast done, which hast despisedFM446the oath in breaking the covenant.— Among aproud and corrupt "best" people it was a tabooedsubject even to mention the depravities of the"worser kind"; but in the last two score years ofmerciless "muckraking" and publicity of"Christian" criminality in choir lofts, SundaySchool rooms, church "studies", belfries, orphanasylums and convents, "the wickedness wasdiscovered" of clergy and church people, and sowidely published that the heathen religions(daughters of Syria and of the Philistines) havecome to know about it and to despise so-called"Christianity." Christendom has despised its vowof consecration to God and the Covenant ofGrace, by which "We, as Isaac was, are thechildren of the Promise." (Gal. 4:28), and underwhich she was betrothed to Christ. God will dealwith Christendom in like manner as Christendomhas dealt with God.GOD'S AFTER BLESSING.Ezekiel 16:60.Nevertheless, I will remember My covenantwith thee in the days of thy youth, and I will

establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.—Nevertheless, "God is faithful." (1 Cor. 1:9); andas He made a covenant with the church in thepure and faithful days of her youth, He willremember that covenant, and in the Times ofRestitution will make with all people, throughthe Jews, the New Covenant, everlasting, underwhich there will be showers of blessing.— Ezek.34:26.Ezekiel 16:61.Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and beashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters,thine elder and thy younger: and I Will givethem unto thee for daughters, but not by thycovenant.— When the people of Christendom,come back from the dead to life on the earth theywill remember their evil, faithless ways, andexperience deepest shame when people of thebaser sort are given to them as daughters, to loveand cherish in the Lord.— D638.Ezekiel 16:62.And I will establish My covenant with thee:and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.—Thecoming blessings are not for any faithfulness ofChristendom, but because God is faithful.Ezekiel 16:63.That thou mayest remember, and beconfounded, and never open thy mouth anymore because of thy shame, when I ampacified toward thee for all that thou hastdone, saith the Lord God.— Then the onceapostate people, at last returned to "the Bishopand Shepherd of their souls" (1 Pet. 2:25), willrealize the fullness of God's eternal goodness andlove, and come into the peace of God (Phil.4:7)— a peace that, will be eternal.— A111;Z.'94-46.

FM447EZEKIEL 17PARABLE OF THE EAGLESEzekiel 17:1, 2.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, andspeak a parable, unto the house of Israel.—Chapter 17 pictures ecclesiasticism as a king, hispartial captivity to the forces destined to destroyhim, his turning for support to the forces ofworldly wisdom and power, the failure of theattempted alliance, and his final downfall.Ezekiel 17:3.And say, Thus saith the Lord God, A greateagle with great wings, long-winged, full offeathers, which had divers colors, came untoLebanon and took the highest branch of thecedar.— The Assyrians (a great eagle) withgreat wings, long-winged, full of feathers (strongof wing, powerful), which had divers colors(many varieties and phases of appearance) cameto Lebanon (the Hebrew kingdom) and took thehighest branch of the cedar (carried KingJehoiachim captive). In antitype this signifies:The power destined to destroy Christendom(anarchy, Nihilism, Socialism, and their wisdomexpressed in schools of thought tending todestroy respect for Christendom) like an eagle(wise one) with great wings (impressive words)long-winged (far-reaching), full of feathers (fullof argument), has quietly made its way intoChristendom since 1878 and taken captive thehighest ones, many of the leading class ofChristendom (the Cedar) with doctrines ofEvolution, Socialism, and Higher Criticism, alldestructive of the existing order of things.Ezekiel 17:4.He cropped off the top of his twigs, andcarried it into a land of traffick; he act it in acity of merchants.— These were taken captiveby these systems of thought into a conditionwhere the Heavenly ideals of the church were

abandonded for mere trafficking for position andpower, and in human, earthly theories andphilosophies.Ezekiel 17:5.He took also of the seed of the land, andplanted it in a fruitful field; he placed it bygreat waters, and set it as a willow tree.— Theremaining people of ecclesiasticism, more lowly,the seed from whom had once sprung the rulingclasses, will be planted in rich, deep soil, wellsaturated with waters of the great truths offraternity, equality and liberty.FM448Ezekiel 17:6.And it grew, and became a spreading vine oflow stature, whose branches turned towardhim, and the roots thereof were under him:so it became a vine, and brought forthbranches, and shot forth sprigs.— The newecclesiasticism, fostered by revivalists,evangelists, social and civic workers and otherearthly reformers, will grow and flourish into aform of ecclesiasticism, low, never far aboveearthly things, whose numbers (branches) tendedtoward anarchous systems of thought, and whoseroots, fundamental philosophy, will be under thesway of the same.Ezekiel 17:7, 8.There was also another great eagle with greatwings and many feathers: and, behold, thisvine did bend her roots toward him, and shotforth her branches toward him, that he mightwater it by the furrows of her plantation. Itwas planted in a good soil by great waters,that it might bring forth branches, and that itmight bear fruit, that it might be a goodlyvine.—But the new, low-born ecclesiasticism,alarmed at the anarchous trend of thought, shallturn toward another great system of wisdom (aneagle) equally of demoniacal origin; i. e.,conservative, worldly wisdom tending to upholdthe present unholy state of affairs.

Ezekiel 17:9.Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God: Shall itprosper? shall he not pull up the rootsthereof, cut off the fruit thereof, that itwither? It shall wither in all the leaves of herspring, even without great power or manypeople to pluck it up by the roots thereof.—The time of God's Kingdom having come, Godpurposes to uproot the new ecclesiasticism. Itscharacter fruitage, being of the spirit or thisworld, must be cut off and withered in the fierytrials of this tribulation time. Its promise (leaves)shall wither away, even as it has witheredwherever the great war has touched.Ezekiel 17:10.Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper?shall it not utterly wither, when the east windtoucheth it? It shall wither in the furrowswhere it grew.— From the east, the direction ofthe rising Sun of Righteousness, comes a wind, ateaching, Present Truth, that shall touch the newecclesiasticism and wither it in a time when thereis "perplexity and distress of nations, men'shearts failing them for fear of the things comingon the earth" (Luke 21:24, 25)— the socialorder— ecclesiasticism— "the vine."— Rev.14:18.Ezekiel 17:11, 12.Moreover the word of the Lord came unto mesaying, Say now to the rebellious house, Knowye not what these things mean? tell them,Behold, the king of Babylon is come toJerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof,and the princes thereof, and led them withhim to Babylon..— The king of Babylon, Satan, has alreadycome to ecclesiasticism and taken captive theruling class, the prominent clergy.FM49Ezekiel 17:13.And hath taken of the king's seed, and made acovenant with him, and hath taken an oath ofhim; he hath also taken the mighty of the

land.— He holds the chief ones captive byreason of their agreement with his modern, false,religious, social and economic teachings.Ezekiel 17:14.That the kingdom might be base, that it mightnot lift itself up, but that by keeping of hiscovenant it might stand.— As a resultecclesiasticism will not be able to rise aboveearthly things nor lift itself up to combatanarchous systems or thought. If it could do so, itmight not be overthrown immediately, but mightcontinue to stand for yet a little while.Ezekiel 17:15.But he rebelled against him in sending hisambassadors into Egypt that they might givehim horses and much people. Shall heprosper? shall he escape that doeth suchthings? or shall he break the covenant, and bedelivered?— Ecclesiasticism has rebelled bycrying out to the established wisdom of thisworld (Egypt), relying upon strong, conservativeworldly doctrines (horses) and many supportersof the reactionary ideas, to save it from completeoverthrow.Ezekiel 17:16.As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in theplace where the king dwelleth that made himking, whose oath he despised, and whosecovenant he brake, even with him in the midstof Babylon he shall die.— As God lives! In thecondition of lawlessness, wherein Satan, the kingof anarchy, liveth, who elevated ecclesiasticismto its place of power, there, in anarchy, in themidst of lawless hosts, shall ecclesiasticismperish.Ezekiel 17:17.Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty armyand great company make for him in the war,by casting up mounts, and building forts, tocut off many persons.— Neither shall worldlywisdom, with its mighty following, accomplishanything for ecclesiasticism in its death strugglewith anarchy, not even by raising up

governmental support (mounts) nor by the unitedefforts of the strongest elements of this world'smight.Ezekiel 17:18, 19.Seeing he despised the oath by breaking thecovenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, andhath done all these things, he shall not escape.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live,surely Mine oath that he hath despised, andMy covenant that he hath broken, even it willI recompense upon his own head.—Ecclesiasticism has been faithless to Jehovah andwill be faithless to its newly acquiredphilosophy.FM450Ezekiel 17:20.And I will spread My net upon him, and heshall be taken In My snare, and I will bringhim to Babylon and will plead with him therefor his trespass that he hath trespassedagainst Me.— Like a snare, a net, shall the Timeof Trouble come upon ecclesiasticism; and itshall not escape destruction at the hands ofanarchy.Ezekiel 17:21.And all hie fugitives with all his bands shallfall by the sword, and they that remain shallbe scattered toward all winds: and ye shallknow that I the Lord have spoken it.—Millions that abandon churches and clergy in thetrouble shall fall physically by violence, and beslain spiritually by the Sword of the Spirit; andthose that escape death shall be scattered in theworld-wide commotion (winds) far from thesystems they once supported. They shall knowthat God has spoken truly, when the day ofanarchy shall come.ZIONISM TO PROSPEREzekiel 17:22.Thus saith the Lord God: I will also take ofthe highest branch of the high cedar, and will

set it; I will crop off from the top of his youngtwigs a tender one, and will plant it upon ahigh mountain and eminent.— Thus says theLord God: One of the highest branches ofecclesiasticism is Judaism. I will establishJudaism. I will take, in Judaism, one of its youngand tender aspirations— Zionism— and willplant it, establish it at the very pinnacle of thecoming Kingdom of God— the Jews ruling,through the resurrected Ancient Worthies—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.— over the earthlyphase of that Kingdom.— Psa. 45:16; Heb.11:40.Ezekiel 17:23.In the mountains of the height of Israel will Iplant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, andbear fruit, and be a goodly cedar; and underit shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in theshadow of the branches thereof shall theydwell.— It shall branch above all nations(boughs) and bear character fruit unto lifeeternal. (John 4:36.) It shall be the desire of allnations (Hag. 2:7) (a goodly cedar). Under itshall dwell in peace all the truly wise ones ofearth.Ezekiel 17:24.And all the trees of the field shall know that Ithe Lord have brought down the high tree,have exalted the low tree, have dried up thegreen tree, and have made the dry tree toflourish: I the Lord have spoken and havedone it.— All the people (trees) of the world(field) shall know that the Lord has broughtdown nominal ecclesiasticism and exalted theAncient Worthies, has dried up "Christianity"and given vitality to Zionism and Judaism.

FM451EZEKIEL 18"THE SOUL THAT SINNETH"Ezekiel 18:1, 2.The Word of the Lord came unto me again,saying, What mean ye, that ye use thisproverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and thechildren's teeth are set on edge?— The Wordof God came to be clearly understood by PastorRussell as to the equity of Jehovah's dealingswith man in condemning all to death. Both Jewsand Christians have asked, "Hew is it just to visitthe sins of the fathers upon the children to thethird and fourth generations?" "Why have thechildren's teeth been set on edge by the fathers'eating the sour grape of sin?"— H59; E334, 309.Ezekiel 18:3.As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not haveoccasion any more to use this proverb inIsrael.— The doubters queried, "Doth not theson bear the iniquity of the father?" (18:19.)They complained, "The way of the Lord is notequal" nor just. (18:25.) Pastor Russell,expounding the Word of God, demonstratedclearly that God's way is just (18:25); that man'sways are unequal, unjust (18:29); and that Godtakes no "pleasure at all that the wicked shoulddie, but rather that he should turn from his waysand live."(18:23-32.) The time will soon be whenthe scornful proverb shall no longer possess anyforce.— H46.Ezekiel 18:4.Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of thefather, so also the soul of the son is Mine; thesoul that sinneth, it shall die.— In the earthlyphase of the thousand-year probationaryKingdom of God the equal justice of God will bemanifest, father and son will be treated alike, noone dying for a parent's sin; but each soul that

sinneth shall die for his own sin.— E354, 331;A128.Ezekiel 18:5-9.But if a man be just, and do that which islawful and right, And hath not eaten upon themountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes tothe idols of the house of Israel, neither hathdefiled his neighbour's wife, neither hathcome near to a menstruous woman, and hathnot oppressed any, but hath restored to thedebtor his pledge, hath spoiled none byviolence, hath given his bread to the hungry,and hath covered the naked with a garment;he that hath not given forth upon usury,neither hath taken any increase, that hathwithdrawn his hand from iniquity,FM452hath executed true judgment between manand man, hath walked in My statutes, andhath kept My judgments, to deal truly; he isjust, he shall surely live, saith the LordGod.— The Father of equal love will beseecheach sinner to repent and turn from histransgression, that iniquity, wilful sin, be not hisruin. "Wherefore turn yourselves and live ye."(Ezek. 18:30, 32.) The days of death fromAdamic and parental imperfection will be over;each one will be solely responsible for his ownlife or death. To clearly explain the changedsituation the several cases are presented. If arighteous man continue in a righteous course heshall live eternally.Ezekiel 18:10; 13.If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder ofblood, and that doeth the like to any one ofthese things, And that doeth not any of thoseduties, but even hath eaten upon themountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,hath oppressed the poor and needy, hathspoiled by violence, hath not restored thepledge, and hath lifted up hie eyes to the idols,hath committed abomination, hath given forthupon usury, and hath taken increase: shall hethen live? he shall not live: he hath done all

these abominations; he shall surely die; hisblood shall be upon him.— If a man's son is awilful sinner, "he shall surely die; hie blood shallbe upon himself."Ezekiel 18:14-18.Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all hisfather's sins which he hath done, andconsidereth, and doeth not such like, that hathnot eaten upon the mountains, neither hathlifted up his eyes to the idols of the house ofIsrael, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife,neither hath oppressed any, hath notwithholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled byviolence, but hath given his bread to thehungry, and hath covered the naked with agarment, that hath taken off his hand fromthe poor, that hath not received usury norincrease, hath executed My judgments, hathwalked in My statutes; he shall not die for theiniquity of his father, he shall surely live. Asfor his father, because he cruelly oppressed,spoiled his brother by violence, and did thatwhich is not good among his people, lo, evenhe shall die in his iniquity.— If the wicked manhave a good, upright son, the good son shall live;but the father shall die.Ezekiel 18:19-23.Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear theiniquity of the father? When the son hathdone that which is lawful and right, and hathkept all My statutes, and hath done them, heshall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shalldie. The son shall not bear the iniquity of thefather, neither shall the father bear theiniquity of the son: the righteousness of therighteous shall be uponFM453him, and the wickedness of the wicked shallbe upon him. But if the wicked will turn fromall his sins that he hath committed, and keepall My statutes, and do that which is lawfuland right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.All his transgressions that he hath committed,they shall not be mentioned unto him: In his

ighteousness that he hath done he shall live.Have I any pleasure at all that the wickedshould die? saith the Lord God: and not thathe should return from his ways, and live?—The wicked man who turns to righteousness shallnot have hie former sins held against him; but heshall live.Ezekiel 18:24-30.But when the righteous turneth away from hisrighteousness, and committeth iniquity, anddoeth according to all the abominations thatthe wicked man doeth, shall he live? All hisrighteousness that he hath done shall not bementioned: in his trespass that he hathtrespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned,in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way ofthe Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house ofIsrael; Is not My way equal? are not yourways unequal? When a righteous man turnethaway from his righteousness, and committethiniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquitythat he hath done shall he die. Again, whenthe wicked man turneth away from hiswickedness that he hath committed, and doeththat which is lawful and right, he shall savehie soul alive. Because he considereth, andturneth away from all his transgressions thathe hath committed, he shall surely live, heshall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, Theway of the Lord is not equal. O house ofIsrael, are not My ways equal? are not yourways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, Ohouse of Israel, every one according to hisways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turnyourselves from all your transgressions; soiniquity shall not be your ruin.— Therighteous man who turns to iniquity shall die.Ezekiel 18:31, 32.Cast away from you all your transgressions,whereby ye have transgressed; and make youa new heart and a new spirit: for why will yedie, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasurein the death of him that dieth, saith the LordGod: wherefore turn yourselves, and liveye.— This will be true of individuals as soon as

the last member of the spirit-begotten Body ofChrist has died. And it is true now— and hasbeen true since 1878— of the institutions of "thispresent evil age," which have been in Divinejudgment since 1878. If ecclesiasticism, "thehouse of Israel," would cast away all theirtransgressions, and gain a new heart and a newspirit, they would abide forever; but they willnever change their evil ways; their destructionwill be their own wilful act— "Why will ye die?"FM454EZEKIEL 19THE LION'S WHELPSEzekiel 19:1.Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for theprinces of Israel.— Chapter 19 has the form ofa dirge. It represents in antitype the downfall, inthe Time of Trouble, of ecclesiasticism picturedfirst, as two roaring lions which are takencaptive; and secondly, as a vine destroyed by fireof internal origin. The princes of Israel are theclergy.Ezekiel 19:2.And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: shelay down among lions, she nourished herwhelps among young lions.— As the father andthe mother of Isaac were Abraham and Sarah,and the spiritual father and mother of the trueChurch are Jehovah and His Covenant of Grace(Gal. 4:22-28), so the spiritual father and motherof ecclesiasticism, priestcraft, are the Devil andhis covenant with death. (Gen. 3:4; Isa. 28:18.)"The Devil goeth about like a roaring lion." (1Pet. 5:8.) Their nourishment has been "doctrinesof devils."Ezekiel 19:3.And she brought up one of her whelps; itbecame a young lion, and it learned to catchthe prey; it devoured men.— Ecclesiasticismdivided into two classes; one higher, richer, moreeducated than the other— "one of her whelps."

They learned to devour men, make them theirprey.Ezekiel 19:4.The nations also heard of him; he was takenin their pit, and they brought him with chainsunto the land of Egypt.— The unbelievingpeoples heard them; they, the clergy, were takenin the pit of corrupt doctrine; they werecaptivated, taken captive, into worldliness, thewisdom of this world, of "Egypt."Ezekiel 19:5.Now when she saw that she had waited, andher hope was lost, then she took another ofher whelps, and made him a young lion.—Another class of ecclesiasticism was developed,under the same false covenant with death, into afull-fledged lion,an embodiment and child of theeternal torment, trinity, inherent-immortalityteachings.Ezekiel 19:6.And he went up and down among the lions, hebecame a young lion, and learned to catch theprey, and devoured men.— This was thepopular evangelist well trained in catching menand shekels.Ezekiel 19:7.And he knew their desolate palaces, and helaid waste their cities; and the land wasdesolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noiseof his roaring.— The revivalists caught men bythousands, and "the fulness thereof," greatcontributions for a few weeks of noisyevangelism.FM455Ezekiel 19:8.Then the nations set against him on every sidefrom the provinces, and spread their net overhim; he was taken in their pit.— Then the"unconvertible" people, anarchists, Socialists,etc., spread the net of their teachings. Thepeople, indignant at their sufferings from warsand high cost of living, declined further support.

Ezekiel 19:9.And they put in ward in chains, and broughthim to the king of Babylon: they brought himinto holds, that his voice should no more beheard upon the mountains of Israel.—Revolution and anarchy will place a completerestraint upon the revivalists, and bring them totheir end.Ezekiel 19:10.Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, plantedby the waters: she was fruitful and full ofbranches by reason of many waters.— Thefalse covenant-mother of ecclesiasticism is asystem of thought, in the very blood; it is partand parcel of the existence of ecclesiasticism. Itis "the vine of the earth," of Rev. 14:19. Thissystem of error was once fruitful in gainingadherents.Ezekiel 19:11.And she had strong rods for the sceptres ofthem that bare rule, and her stature wasexalted among the thick branches, and sheappeared in her height with the multitude ofher branches.— The vine had seeming strongauthority for the rulership "of them that barerule," the clergy, "lords over God's heritage." (1Pet. 5:3.) To a mighty and lofty height did thevine of the earth grow.Ezekiel 19:12.But she was plucked up in fury, she was castdown to the ground, and the east wind driedup her fruit: her strong rods were brokenand withered; the fire consumed them.— Butin the fury of the world-wide war she will be"cast down to the ground." The truths arisingfrom the presence of the dawning Sun ofRighteousness will dry up the support of her fruit(church members). Her authority— rod—will bebroken, withered, and destroyed in anarchy.Ezekiel 19:13.And now she is planted in the wilderness, in adry and thirsty ground.— In a world or hostiledoctrines of Socialism and anarchy, in a world-

wide drought of the water of the Word of God,the old system of sophistries will soon be in thewilderness condition, in a state of completeostracism.Ezekiel 19:14.And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches,which hath devoured her fruit, so that shehath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.This is a lamentation, and shall be for alamentation.— The savage application in theworld-wide war of the rod of the Divineauthority of rulers will cause revolt, revolutionand anarchy to spring up, like a fire, which willbring to an utter end the denominational clusters,the fruit of the vine of the earth.456EZEKIEL 20THE HYPOCRITICALECCLESIASTICSEzekiel 20:1.And it came to pass in the seventh year, in thefifth month, the tenth day of the month, thatcertain of the elders of Israel came to inquireof the Lord, and sat before me.— The elders ofIsrael came to confer with Ezekiel, but he wouldnot be interviewed by them, because of theiridolatrous tendencies. The Hebrews had alwayshad such propensities. God had refrained fromdestroying them in order to preserve His owngood name among the heathen peoples; but nowHe was about to punish them, until the appointedtime should come when He would regather them.The destruction of Judaism is here pictured as afire in a forest. This chapter introduces anothergroup of prophecies against Christendom, endingwith Chapter 24. Some of the prominentecclesiastics will read up or consult PastorRussell and his writings, and the "Truth people,"ostensibly to learn what they can.Ezekiel 20:2, 3.Then came the Word of the Lord unto me,saying, Son of man, speak unto the elders of

Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the LordGod; Are ye come to inquire of Me? As I live,saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired ofby you.— Present Truth will refuse anyfavorable answer to ecclesiasticism.Ezekiel 20:4.Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thouJudge them? cause them to know theabominations of their fathers.— Instead, it willpronounce judgment upon them. It will causehem to realize the abominations in doctrine andin life of professed Christians, as a result of theteachings of the Dark Ages.Ezekiel 20:5.And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God:in the day when I chose Israel, and lifted upMine hand unto the seed of the house ofJacob, and made Myself known unto them inthe land of Egypt, when I lifted up Mine handunto them, saying, I am the Lord your God.—First viewed as God's people "in the world,"Egypt, God chose them, made Himself known tothem, and lifted up for them the band of Hispower.— Z.'94-357.Ezekiel 20:6.In the day that l lifted up Mine hand untothem, to bring them forth of the land of Egyptinto a land that I had espied for them, flowingwith milk and honey, which is the glory of alllands.— He promised to bring them inFM457the resurrection, if faithful, into the "mansion"prepared for them— Heaven itself, the mostglorious condition in God's Universe.Ezekiel 20:7.Then said I unto them, Cast ye away everyman the abominations of his eyes, and defilenot yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I amthe Lord your God.— God had told them tocast away all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit(2 Cor. 7:1), to do away with the desire of thingsseen with the fleshly eyes (1 John 2:16), and no

longer to defile themselves spiritually withcravings for earthly power. But while professingChrist's name, they rebelled in their heart' againstGod, and would not listen to Him.Ezekiel 20:8.But they rebelled against Me, and would nothearken unto Me: they did not every mancast away the abominations of their eyes,neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt:then I said, I will pour out My fury uponthem, to accomplish My anger against them inthe midst of the land of Egypt.— Over andover, throughout the Gospel Age, God wasindignant enough to bring destruction uponthem; but He did not, in order that His name andreputation might not come into disrespect amongthe worldly people, who were taught byprofessing Christians that God was with them.Ezekiel 20:9.But I wrought for My name's sake, that itshould not be polluted before the heathen,among whom they were, in whose sight Imade Myself known unto them, in bringingthem forth out of the land of Egypt.Ezekiel 20:10.Wherefore I caused them to go forth out ofthe land of Egypt, and brought them into thewilderness.— God's Word views professingChristians also as in the wilderness condition ofseparateness from and ostracism by theworldly— as "brought forth out of the land ofEgypt."20:11.And I gave them My statutes, and shewedthem My judgments, which if a man do, heshall even live in them.— God took theChristians out of the world and its customs andlaws of selfishness and gave them His "newcommandment that they should love oneanother." (John 13:34.) He showed them thatthey were already in their period of judgment;and that if they "endured temptation" (James

1:12), trial, or testing, they should have lifeeverlasting.Ezekiel 20:12.Moreover also I gave them My sabbaths, to bea sign between Me and them, that they mightknow that I am the Lord that sanctifieththem.— He gave them the privilege of enteringin advance of the world into His sabbath(Millennial) rest— the rest of peace with God byfaith, or justification freely given through theblood of theFM458Son of God. The Lord Himself set them apart forHis holy service.Ezekiel 20:13.But the house of Israel rebelled against Me inthe wilderness: they walked not in Mystatutes, and they despised My judgments,which if a man do, he shall even live in them;and My sabbaths they greatly polluted: then Isaid, I would pour out My fury upon them inthe wilderness, to consume them.— As a class,professed Christians have rebelled against beingin the wilderness condition of separateness fromand ostracism by the worldly. They have livednot according to the Law of Divine Love, buthave despised the opportunities of the trialperiod. They have despised the Scripturaldoctrine of the Millennium, and have made acommon thing of the rest of faith by introducingall kinds of penances, masses, alms, and otherdeeds whereby to earn the peace with God, freelyoffered through faith in Jesus' stoning Sacrifice.Often was God indignant enough to destroythem.Ezekiel 20:14.But I wrought for My name's sake, that itshould not be polluted before the heathen, inwhose eight I brought them out.— But for Hisown name's sake, not theirs, God refrained frompermitting the Time of Trouble to come beforethe appointed time, that the people of this worldmight not belittle Him and His protecting power.

Ezekiel 20:15, 16.Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in thewilderness, that I would not bring them intothe land which I had given them, flowing withmilk and honey, which is the glory of alllands; because they despised My judgments,and walked not in My statutes, but pollutedMy sabbaths: for their heart went after theiridols.— Yet the Word of God has made it plainthat those in the wilderness condition who havenot given their whole heart to God shall not bechanged to the spirit nature and brought to theHeavenly plane of being.Ezekiel 20:17-21.Nevertheless Mine eye spared them fromdestroying them, neither did I make an end ofthem in the wilderness. But I said unto theirchildren in the wilderness, Walk ye not in thestatutes of your fathers, neither observe theirjudgments, nor defile yourselves with theiridols: I am the Lord your God; walk in Mystatutes, and keep My judgments, and dothem; and hallow My sabbaths; and they shallbe a sign between Me and you, that ye mayknow that I am the Lord your God.Notwithstanding, the children rebelled againstMe; they walked not in My statutes, neitherkept My judgments to do them, which if aman do, he shall even live in them; theypolluted My sabbaths: then l said, I wouldpour out My fury upon them, to accomplishMy anger against them in the wilderness.—FM459God did not at once destroy those in thewilderness condition, but gave the same fatherlyadmonition to those who succeeded them, all invain.Ezekiel 20:22-24.Nevertheless I withdrew Mine hand, andwrought for My name's sake, that it shouldnot be polluted in the sight of the heathen, inwhose sight I brought them forth. I lifted upMine hand unto them also in the wilderness,

that I would scatter them among the heathen,and disperse them through the countries;because they had not executed My judgments,but had despised My statutes, and hadpolluted My sabbaths, and their eyes wereafter their fathers' idols.— God repeated Hisforbearance, in not scattering them back into theworld, nor destroying them.Ezekiel 20:25.Wherefore I gave them also statutes that werenot good, and judgments whereby they shouldnot live.— At last God gave them up "to theirown heart's desires" (Psa. 81:12), to "worship thehosts of heaven," their own pulpit stars (Acts7:42), who "changed the truth of God into a lie,"into "human traditions," and worshipped andserved created things rather than the Creator"(Rom. 1:25)— following evil statutes,"customs," and enduring worldly trials andtemptations, bringing them, not life, but death.Ezekiel 20:26.And I polluted them in their own gifts, in thatthey caused to pass through the fire all thatopeneth the womb, that I might make themdesolate, to the end that they might know thatI am the Lord.— God gave them up to doctrinalpollutions, in that they believed in andworshipped the eternal torment god, Moloch, theDevil, and singed, scorched spiritually, with thefear of "the hot place," all their children, thoseyoung in nominal Christianity. (Jer. 32:35.) Thiscaused them to be desolate, deserted, abandonedby the true God, like the heathen without God—though not that God might ultimately destroythem; for in the Times of Restitution they will bycontrast appreciate the true God.Ezekiel 20:27-28.Therefore, son of man, speak unto the houseof Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith theLord God; Yet in this your fathers haveblasphemed Me, in that they have committeda trespass against Me. For when I hadbrought them into the land, for the which Ilifted up Mine hand to give it to them, then

they saw every high hill, and all the thicktrees, and they offered there their sacrifices,and there they presented the provocation oftheir offering: there also they made theirsweet savour, and poured out there theirdrink offerings.— The Christian's course wastyped by the experience of the Hebrews in theland of Canaan (Isa. 57:5), in the blessedness ofDivine favor andFM460in the abundance of God's gifts. When broughtinto this condition of favor, instead of beingthankful and giving their whole hearts to God indevoted consecration, the great mass ofprofessing Christians committed the sameabominations that the heathen were guilty of—union of church with worldly power, making thehigh ones the heads of the church, as the King ofEngland and the Czar of Russia: doing homageto all of earth's great ones (the thick trees);rendering service and obedience (sweet savor) totraditions of men; and preaching (pouring out)strong doctrines, intoxicating wine of theirmixed teachings (drink offerings).Ezekiel 20:29.Then I said unto them, What is the high placewhereunto ye go? And the name thereof iscalled Bamah unto this day.— In verse 29Ezekiel speaks with contempt of the Hebrewapostasy. He uses a play upon words, notapparent in the English translation. He asksthem, "Mah ba" (Where go?), and answers, "Bamah"(the high places) is the name to this day.Pastor Russell frequently spoke with contempt—deserved, from the Divine viewpoint— of the"high-place," nominal church, her clergy and herlaity, always going to the "high ones."Ezekiel 20:30.Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thussaith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after themanner of your fathers? and commit yewhoredom after their abominations?— Again,in the phase of captivity in "Babylon," the Lord'speople were guilty of doctrinal and moral

pollution and of illicit union of church andearthly power.Ezekiel 20:31.For when ye offer your gifts, when ye makeyour sons to pass through the fire, ye polluteyourselves with all your idols, even unto thisday: and shall I be inquired of by you, Ohouse of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God,I will not be inquired of by you.— God will noteven listen to the prayers of such professedChristians.Ezekiel 20:32.And that which cometh into your mind shallnot be all, that ye say, We will be as theheathen, as the families of the countries, toserve wood and stone.— Their heart's realdesire to become good-fellows in the world'sfellowship (Jer. 44:17) shall fail.Ezekiel 20:33.As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with amighty hand, and with a stretched out arm,and with fury poured out, will I rule overyou.— God began at the appointed time, 1914,to punish the accumulated sins of Christendom"with a mighty hand (power) and with astretched out arm (Christ present the Secondtime, Isa. 53:1), and with fury poured out ("agreat Time of Trouble such as never was" Dan.12:1), and which the Lord declared would neverrequire a repetition.FM461Ezekiel 20:34.And I will bring you out from the people, andwill gather you out of the countries wherein yeare scattered, with a mighty hand, and with astretched out arm, and with fury poured out.— But even this tribulation will be done in aFather's love and for the good of His erringchildren, to cleanse them. Through this troubleGod will search out all professed Christians,make them manifestly separate from the openlyworldly.— Z.'94-76.

Ezekiel 20:35.And I will bring you into the wilderness of thepeople, and there will I plead with you face toface.— God will bring them into a wildernesscondition of separateness from the world and ofostracism and persecution by the revolutionaryand anarchistic masses, and face to face He willplead with the nominal church to forsake eviland idolatry.Ezekiel 20:36.Like as I pleaded with your fathers in thewilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I pleadwith you, saith the Lord God.— As He didwith the Hebrews in their trial time in theWilderness of Sinai.Ezekiel 20:37.And I will cause you to pass under the rod,and I will bring you into the bond of thecovenant.— God will cause His people, all thosenot utterly devoid of the Holy Spirit— "the GreatCompany" in the churches— to pass under therod of correction and to resume their fidelity totheir vow of consecration.Ezekiel 20:38.And I will purge out from among you therebels, and them that transgress against Me:I will bring them forth out of the countrywhere they sojourn, and they shall not enterinto the land of Israel: end ye shall know thatI am the Lord.— He will permit conditions ofpersecution by Socialists, revolutionists,syndicalists, nihilists and anarchists, againstpersons professing Christianity ("the religion thatgot the world into trouble"), such that everyperson not possessing the Holy Spirit willrenounce all pretense of being Christian and willget out of the deplorable condition (country)wherein the true Christians will be. This outcastclass, being entirely "of the earth, earthy," shallnot enter the spiritual phase of the Kingdom.Ezekiel 20:39.As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith theLord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols,

and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken untoMe: but pollute ye My holy name no morewith your gifts, and with your idols.— Let whowill then serve their idols; but they shall nolonger associate themselves with God's children,nor falsely bear the name of Christ, nor polluteGod's holy name nor His Church with theirpresence or their practices. "If the Lord be God,follow Him; if Baal, follow him."FM462Ezekiel 20:40.For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountainof the height of Israel, saith the Lord God,there shall all the house of Israel, all of themin the land, serve Me: there will I acceptthem, and there will I require your offerings,end the first fruits of your oblations, with allyour holy things.— God wounds to heal. In thereal "high places," the Kingdom of God now athand, planned for man's blessed restitution, allwho are truly God's shall serve Him, some in thespiritual phase of the Kingdom, some in theearthly phase. (Mal. 3:3, 4.) There God willaccept all comers, "The Spirit and the Bride say,Come . . . . and whosoever will, let him take ofthe Water of Life freely" (Rev. 22:17.) ThereGod will accept their offerings of themselves inheartfelt consecration, and the first and best oftheir offerings and all their possessions, thenhallowed by the influences of the Kingdom ofLove.Ezekiel 20:41.I will accept you with your sweet savour,when I bring you out from the people, andgather you out of the countries wherein yehave been scattered, and I will be sanctified inyou before the heathen.— God will accept theirheart's best endeavors (incense), when Hegathers His children— His spirit children andHis earth children— out from the prison-houseor death, and out from the dark shadows of aworld-wide heathenism. Then God will be seento be holy, sanctified, in His children, in the sightof all the Satan-blinded idolaters of earth.

Ezekiel 20:42.And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when Ishall bring you into the land of Israel, into thecountry for the which I lifted up Mine hand togive it to your fathers.— God's children, whohave not known Him as He is, will know Himthen as the God of infinite Justice. Wisdom,Love and Power,—when they shall beestablished in the Kingdom, in whatever phasethey are fitted for— the Kingdom whose earthlyphase God promised to give to Abraham, Isaacand Jacob and all the Ancient Worthies (Psa.45:16), and whose Heavenly phase Hecovenanted to give to the spirit class of theGospel Age.— Heb. 11:40.Ezekiel 20:43.And there shall ye remember your ways, andall your doings, wherein ye have been defiled;and ye shall loathe yourselves in your ownsight for all your evils that ye havecommitted.— Then those who have not lovedthe God of Love as they should shall remembertheir former ways and loathe themselves for theevil done against such Love Divine.Ezekiel 20:44.And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when Ihave wrought with you for My name's sake,not according to your wicked ways, noraccording to your corrupt doings, O ye houseof Israel, saith the Lord God.— They willhumbly,FM463thankfully and with fervent gratitude and loveknow that Jehovah, who is Love (1 John 4:8),dealt with them, for the carrying out of His allholy purposes, and not as Justice might havecalled for in connection with their ways.Ezekiel 20:45, 46.Moreover the Word of the Lord came untome, saying, Son of man, set thy face towardthe south, and drop thy word toward thesouth, and prophesy against the forest of thesouth field.— The words of Ezekiel return to the

impending destruction of Jerusalem— ofChristendom. Pastor Russell was to speak, asfrom the Divine viewpoint (the North) againstthe multitudes (trees in the forest) in the earthlyphase (the south) of the Kingdom of God,already established invisibly by God in 1878-1914. Jerusalem (ecclesiasticism) was in asoutherly direction (belonging to the earth,earthy), from the Prophet's point of view.Ezekiel 20:47.And say to the forest of the south, Hear theword of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God;Behold I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shalldevour every dry tree: the flaming flameshall not be quenched, and all faces from thesouth to the north shall be burned therein.—God permitted in 1914 the kindling of thepresent unquenchable conflagration of war, andof revolution and anarchy to come. Righteous(green tree) and wicked (dry tree) alike are tosuffer in the fiery trials of the trouble time. Allwho are of the earth, earthy (of the south, earthlyphase of the Kingdom), but who pretend or claimto be of the spiritual phase, to have the HolySpirit (look toward the north, the spiritual), are tobe burned, as the tares are burned after thegathering of the wheat into the Heavenlygarner.— Matt. 13:30.Ezekiel 20:48.And all flesh shall see that I the Lord havekindled it: it shall not be quenched.— Allmankind will understand, before the Time ofTrouble is over, that "the strange work" is ofJehovah.Ezekiel 20:49.Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me,Doth he not speak parables?— The people ofecclesiasticism, misled by the clergy, are unableto understand Pastor Russell's teachingsregarding the trouble, nor to get the Divineviewpoint.

There are great truths that pitch their shining tentsOutside our walls, and though but dimly seenIn the gray dawn, they will be manifestWhen the light widens into perfect day.FM464EZEKIEL 21THE THRICE-DOUBLED SWORDEzekiel 21:1, 2.And the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, set thy face towardJerusalem, and drop thy word toward theholy places, and prophesy against the land ofIsrael,— The Lord has drawn the sword againstJerusalem and sharpened and pointed it in fury.(21:1-17.) The king of Babylon (Satan) usesdivination as to the route by which to bring thesword against Jerusalem; the Jews deride such amethod (21:18-24), but the Hebrew crown is tobe overturned. (21:25-57.) The Ammonites(aggressive worldly believers), too, are to begiven to the sword.— 21:28-32.Ezekiel 21:3.And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith theLord: Behold, I am against thee, and willdraw forth My sword out of its sheath, andwill cut off from thee the righteous and thewicked.— Jehovah is against Christendom, hasdrawn against it both the literal weapons of war,in warfare and revolution, and the Sword of theSpirit, the Word of God. (Eph. 6:57.) He willcause both righteous and wicked to die in theTime of Trouble; and by His Word He will bringabout conditions such that all wicked professingChristians will abandon all pretense ofChristianity, and the righteous will " come out ofher" (Rev. 18:4) and be gathered as wheat intothe Divine garner— Heaven.Ezekiel 21:4.Seeing then that I will cut off from thee therighteous and the wicked, therefore shall Mysword go forth out of his sheath against all

flesh from the south to the north.— Cannon,rifle, shot, shell, bomb and torpedo shall beunleashed and turned against all flesh, fromthose of the earthly (of the south) to those havingthe Holy Spirit (of the north). The Word of Godwill be taken out of its sheath or mystery andplainly show the meaning of this trouble, andthat it is to be upon all.Ezekiel 21:5.That all flesh may know that I the Lord havedrawn forth My sword out of its sheath: Itshall not return any more.— All the peopleshall know that the trouble has come fromJehovah, and that its consummation is acertainty.Ezekiel 21:6.Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with thebreaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sighbefore their eyes.—FM465Pastor Russell and the Truth people have carrieda heavy heart burden in this message of the illscoming upon Christendom.Ezekiel 21:7.And it shall be, when they say unto thee,Wherefore sighed thou? that thou shaltanswer, For the tidings, because it cometh.And every heart shall melt, and all handsshall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint,and all knees shall be weak as water: behold,it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saiththe Lord God.— For the days are near wheneven the strongest shall falter.Ezekiel 21:8, 9.Again the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thussaith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword issharpened, and also furbished.— Modernweapons of destruction are brought to a hithertounknown efficiency, as is the Sword of the Spiritin the hands of the "feet" members of Christ.—Isa. 52:7.

Ezekiel 21:10.It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it isfurbished that it may glitter: should We thenmake mirth? It contemneth the rod of MySon, as every tree.— The weapons of war willmake a frightful slaughter among men; and theSword of the Spirit, the Word of God, will causemillions to cast off Christianity. It glitters withflashes of enlightenment reflected from the risenSun of Righteousness, which to its idolatrousenemies are gleamings of trouble and distress.Who could rejoice over the trouble? Not theLord's people; for it presages the destruction ofthe power (rod) of all professing to be of the Sonof God, together with all their institutions.Ezekiel 21:11.And he hath given it to be furbished, that itmay be handled: this sword is sharpened, andit is furbished, to give it into the hand of theslayer.— It is given, bright and sharp, to beswung in the hand of skillful slayers.Ezekiel 21:12.Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be uponMy people, it shall be upon all the princes ofIsrael: terrors by reason of the sword shall beupon My people: smite therefore upon thythigh.— The destruction by the weapons of warand by the Word of God shall be upon "My[professed] people," upon all the clergy(princes). Fear shall take hold of churchianity.TWICE THREE TIMES AND THE POINT21:14.Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, andsmite thine hands together, and let the swordbe doubled the third time, the sword of theslain: it is the sword of the great men that areslain, which entereth into their privychambers.— Pastor Russell was to giveexpression to the final wrath of Jehovah. Thedestruction will be of double

FM466severity three times— in war, revolution andanarchy. The Sword of the Spirit was to bewielded by Pastor Russell twice three times, inhis six volumes of Studies in the Scriptures. Theweapons of destruction will pursue all the greatones of earth, penetrating into all their mostsecret places. The Sword of the Spirit will searchout all the lords of God's heritage (1 Pet. 5:3), theclergy, exposing their inmost ideas contrary toJehovah and His Plan.Ezekiel 21:15.I have set the point of the sword against alltheir gates, that their heart may faint, andtheir ruins be multiplied: ah! it is madebright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.—The point of the sword against ecclesiasticism,revealing its true nature and imminent fall, is thepresent exposition of the prophecies ofRevelation and Ezekiel. The Hebrew says that itis made "lightning brightness." It is anillumination of the whole Babylonish system, forages wrapped in the mystery of types andsymbolisms. How gladly the clergy would havedestroyed these two books of the Bible, had theyknown what they taught!Ezekiel 21:16.Go thee one way or the other, either on theright hand, or on the left, whithersoever thyface is set.— Whersoever Pastor Russell and theTruth people set their face to go, it is authorizedfor them by the Lord.Ezekiel 21:17.I will also smite Mine hands together, and Iwill cause My fury to rest: I the Lord havesaid it.— God will manifest His anger and causeHis fury to rest upon ecclesiasticism.Ezekiel 21:18, 19.And the Word of the Lord came unto meagain, saying, Also, thou son of man, appointthee two ways, that the sword of the king ofBabylon may come: both twain shall comeforth out of one land: and choose thou a

place, choose it at the head of the way to thecity.— There were two ways that the weapons ofwar, revolution and anarchy might strike; ineither way the blow would come from Satan, theking of anarchy. It was to come from Riblah, thefork of the roads. Riblah means "desolate." Since1878 the worldly churches, and since 1914 theworldly governments, have been "left desolate"(Matt. 23:38) and subject, the one to desolationby the Sword of the Spirit, the other to desolationby carnal weapons.Ezekiel 21:20.Appoint a way, that the sword may come toRabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah inJerusalem the defenced.— The sword might goeast of Jordan against the Ammonites (Amos1:14; Jer. 49:2), or west of Jordan, directly atJerusalem, first of all. It might strike the Great(Rabbath) Company (Rev. 7:9) of "fellowcompanions" (Psa. 45:14) (Ammonites), ordirectly and first strike against churchianity(Judah) and ecclesiasticism proper—FM467"the fenced off," exclusive, superior, "best"people, hitherto so thoroughly defended fromharm.Ezekiel 21:21.For the king of Babylon stood at the partingof the way, at the head of the two ways, to usedivination: he made his arrows bright, heconsulted with images, he looked in theliver.—The forces that will overthrowChristendom are thoroughly under the influenceand guidance of evil spirits— as is suggested bythe shuffling of arrows named for the two cities,by the consulting of idols (theories), and by thelooking in the liver (spiritism), by interpretation.The Devil chooses bitter words (arrows) (Psa.64:3), consults evil spirits (images), and isguided even in his opposition to Jehovah by hisown interpretations of Scripture.— Matt. 4:6; 2Cor. 11:14.

THIS WILL NOT BE BELIEVEDEzekiel 21:22.At his right hand was the divination forJerusalem, to appoint captains, to open themouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voicewith shouting, to appoint battering ramsagainst the gates, to cast a mount, and to builda fort.— The proof from the Scriptures showsthat the evil spirits directed that the revolutionaryand anarchistic movement should proceed first tothe destruction of Christendom. The ex-Czar ofRussia was a spiritualist, and maintainedmediums for consultation. Kaiser Wilhelm ofGermany, for years prior to the great war,followed the guidance of a demon which spoketo him clairaudiently, urging him to his presentcourse. A surprising number of prominent menconsult spirit mediums. The voice of the spiritswas for war by every conceivable means, nationagainst nation, but destined to effect thedesolation of ecclesiasticism as well.Ezekiel 21:23.And it shall be unto them as a fails divinationin their sight, to them that have sworn oaths:but He will call to remembrance the iniquity,that they may be taken.— In the sight of thosethat have sworn allegiance to ecclesiasticism'sgod, the father of lies, this true prediction of thedownfall of the nations will seem an erroneousexpectation-as it has appeared to all the greatones of Christendom. They have thought that thiswar would be as other wars. But the end of theAge (world) has come; and ecclesiasticism'siniquities shall no longer go unpunished.Ezekiel 21:24.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becauseye have made your iniquity to beremembered, in that your transgressions arediscovered, so that in all your doings your sinsdo appear; because, I say, that ye are come toFM468remembrance, ye shall be taken with thehand.— Universal muck-raking by Socialists,

Anarchists, magazine writers, social surveyorsand reformers has caused Christendom'sforgotten iniquities to be freshly remembered,and her transgressions uncovered, so that there isno department— commercial, financial, politicalor religious— in which her sinful practices donot appear. These things God has permitted to bemade manifest that she may be taken redhanded.Ezekiel 21:25.And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel,whose day is come, when iniquity shall havean end.— The profane and wicked prince of theJews was Zedekiah, their last king. (A248; Z.'04-343.) The antitype is churchianity's lordly class,the clergy, profaning the holy Temple of God,the Church, the Body of Christ, with doctrines ofdevils (1 Tim. 4:1), as wicked in the sight of Godas were their prototypes, the scribes, doctors andPharisees, with their hypocritical pretense ofholiness. Their time has come— 1918— wheniniquity in the House of the Sons of God shallhave an end.Ezekiel 21:26.Thus saith the Lord God; Remove thediadem, and take off the crown: this shall notbe the same: exalt him that is low, and abasehim that is high.— Thus says Almighty God:Remove the mitre (mistranslated "diadem"). Themitre was a band of linen about the forehead,typing the righteousness of Christ, supposed tobe in the minds of the clergy, but no moreactually in them as a class than in whitedsepulchres. (Matt. 23:27.) The king wore agolden crown on his head, held there by a whitelinen mitre. (A248; B76, 79; Z.'99-359.) Theclergy, the lords of God's heritage, have crownedthemselves with the rulership of earth, in theperson of the pope and in the general desire ofclergymen to rule in the affairs of men, alordship based upon their supposedrighteousness (mitre). This great crisis will notbe like the temporary setbacks of ecclesiasticismin past centuries. The lowly, revolutionary,anarchistic masses will exalt themselves to

power in the Time of Trouble, and the loftyclergy shall be utterly abased.— Matt. 23:12.Ezekiel 21:27.I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and itshall be no more, until He come whose right itis; and I will give it Him.— In warfare,revolution and anarchy Jehovah will triplyoverthrow Christendom until Christ in greatpower will take the crown and rule the affairs ofearth.— E147, 133; A248; B76, 79; Z.'05-253;H61.Ezekiel 21:28.And thou, son of man, prophesy and say,Thus saith the Lord God concerning theAmmonites, and concerning their reproach;even say thou, The sword, theFM469sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished,to consume because of the glittering.— Nor willthe openly worldly, professing Christian escape,for war, revolution and anarchy are abroad—"the sword is drawn"— to consume the worldly,too.Ezekiel 21:29.While they see vanity unto thee, while theydivine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon thenecks of them that are slain, of the wicked,whose day is come, when their iniquity shallhave an end.— Destruction will come evenwhen the worldly-wise are mistakenly assertingthat it will not come nigh them.Ezekiel 21:30.Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I willjudge thee in the place where thou wastcreated, in the land of thy nativity.— Thetribulation shall not be quieted— the sword shallnot "return unto his sheath;" for God willcondemn the worldly Christian also, in thecondition of unbelief wherein they have been.

Ezekiel 21:31.And I will pour out Mine indignation uponthee; I will blow against thee in the fire of Mywrath, and deliver thee into the hand ofbrutish men, and skilful to destroy.— God willpour out His wrath upon the worldly professingChristians. He will blow upon them fiery blastsof war, revolution and anarchy. They shall bedelivered into the hands of a revolted soldiery,brutal, destructive, pitiless, skilled in the arts ofslaughter, taught by Teutons and Allies to knowthe utmost efficiency in war. The Sword of theSpirit, the Word of God, too, will be in the handsof consecrated ones, seemingly but not actuallycruel, skilled through Divine power to use it withtelling effect.Ezekiel 21:32.Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire: thy bloodshall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt beno more remembered: for I the Lord havespoken it.— Institutions Divinely condemnedshall be as fuel for the fires of bloody anarchyand pass into oblivion. The war is the meltingpotof ecclesiasticism.Beautiful hands are they that doThe work of the noble, good and true,Busy for them the long day through;Beautiful faces— they that wearThe light of a pleasing spirit there,It matters little if dark or fair;And truly beautiful in God's sight,Are the precious souls who love the right.FM470EZEKIEL 22THE MELTING POT OF WAREzekiel 22:1-4.Moreover the word of the Lord came untome, saying, Now, thou son of man, wilt thoujudge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea,thou shalt shew her all her abominations, thensay thou, Thus saith the Lord God; the city

sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her timemay come, and maketh idols against herself todefile herself. Thou art become guilty in thyblood that thou hast shed; and hast defiledthyself in thine idols which thou hast made;and thou hast caused thy days to draw near,and art come even unto thy years: thereforehave I made thee a reproach unto theheathen, and a mocking to all countries.— InChapter 22 the various iniquities of Jerusalemare related. (22:1-12.) Their punishment isdescribed under the figure of a melting-pot.(22:13-22.) Christendom, and especiallyecclesiasticism, is guilty of bloodshed and ofdefiling paganism. This, by a natural process, hasbrought about a situation which could notcontinue. The present outbreak of evil andtrouble, in view of the lofty pretenses of the past,has made paganized Christendom a bywordamong acknowledgedly pagan peoples.— D72.Ezekiel 22:5.Those that be near, and those that be farfrom thee, shall mock thee, which artinfamous and much vexed.— The unbelievers,both in and out of "Christian" countries, scoff at"Christendom"— now defiled of name and "fullof tumult."Ezekiel 22:6.Behold, the princes of Israel, every one werein thee to their power to shed blood.— InChristendom all the rulers, in the mania for war,have used every power to promote bloodshed.The spiritual rulers have, by false teachings,destroyed the spiritual hopes of millions.— Luke11:52.Ezekiel 22:7.In thee have they set light by father andmother: in the midst of thee have they dealtby oppression with the stranger: in thee havethey vexed the fatherless and the widow.—They have dealt unjustly by the classes needinghelp. Spiritually they have despised our Fatherand His Covenant of Grace, and oppressed those

who are His pilgrims and strangers in theworld.— 1 Pet. 1:1.FM471Ezekiel 22:8.Thou hast despised Mine holy things, and hastprofaned My sabbaths.— They have despisedthe holy teachings of God's Word, respecting theseventh thousand-year Day of rest, and haveattempted justification by works instead of in therest of faith.Ezekiel 22:9.In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood:and in thee they eat upon the mountains: inthe midst of thee they commit lewdness.— Inthe churches are gossipers, evil speakers,assassins of reputation. In them are some thatfeast at the tables of devils (1 Tim. 4:1; 1 Cor.10:21), like lords or rulers at the heads of thenations; they long for unhallowed church-stateunion.Ezekiel 22:10, 11.In thee have they discovered their fathers'nakedness; in thee have they humbled herthat was set apart for pollution. And one hathcommitted abomination with his neighbor'swife; and another hath lewdly defiled hisdaughter-in-law; and another in thee hathhumbled his sister, his father's daughter.—They have not only made state-churches in everypossible direction, but have been in vast numbersguilty of sexual immorality.Ezekiel 22:12.In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood;thou hast taken usury and increase, and thouhast greedily gained of thy neighbors byextortion, and hast forgotten Me, saith theLord God.— They have used the gifts of Godfor evil purposes, even to slay God's holymartyrs; they have even practised extortion uponthose close to them. This they have done becausethey have forgotten the Lord.

Ezekiel 22:13.Behold, therefore I have smitten Mine hand atthy dishonest gain which thou hast made, andat thy blood which hath been in the midst ofthee.— God has shown plain signs of angeragainst ecclesiasticism's hypocrisy and her spiritof murder.Ezekiel 22:14.Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands bestrong, in the days that I shall deal with thee?I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.—Her heart must fail her, and her powers weaken,before an abused conscience, in the days whenGod will deal with her iniquities.Ezekiel 22:15.And I will scatter thee among the heathen,and disperse thee in the countries, and willconsume thy filthiness out of thee.— He willscatter the ecclesiastics and by fiery trialsconsume the uncleanness out of ecclesiasticism.Ezekiel 22:16.And thou shalt take thine inheritance inthyself in the sight of the heathen, and thoushalt know that I am the Lord.— She shall beprofaned, desecrated and destroyed in the sightof earth's nations.Ezekiel 22:17, 18.And the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is toMe become dross; all they are brass, and tin,and iron, and lead, in the midstFM472of the furnace; they are even the dross ofsilver.— Ecclesiasticism, clergy and laity alike,are to the just and holy God become as the refuseof the baser metals in a fiery furnace ofaffliction; they are the dross of the GreatCompany (silver). (Jer. 6:30.) The baser metalstype degrees of earthly natures; brass (humanperfection), tin (tares, begotten of error), iron(savage worldly power), and lead (sin, iniquity).

Ezekiel 22:19.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becauseye are all become dross, behold, therefore Iwill gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.—God will gather the corrupt peoples and thenations of Christendom.Ezekiel 22:20.As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, andlead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, toblow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will Igather you in Mine anger and in My fury, andI will leave you there, and melt you.— Thisgreat conglomeration of persons of all shades ofbaseness shall be gathered as into a blast furnace,where God will permit indescribable troubles toafflict them; and there He will leave them.Ezekiel 22:21.Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you inthe fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted inthe midst thereof.— They are to be melted inheart and spirit in the "fiery afflictions of Hiswrath.Ezekiel 22:22.As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace,so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; andye shall know that I the Lord have poured outMy fury upon you.— As the Great Company ofGod's spirit-begotten children have suffered bythe millions, so shall it be with the clergy andlaity, who profess Christianity without its spirit.Ezekiel 22:23, 24.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, say unto her, Thou arethe land that is not cleansed, nor rained uponin the day of indignation.— Christendom inthis Time of Trouble is without the cleansing,refreshing showers of the water of God's Word.Ezekiel 22:25.There is a conspiracy of her prophets in themidst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening theprey; they have devoured souls; they havetaken the treasure and precious things; they

have made her many widows in the midstthereof.— Among the clergy there is aconspiracy against the Truth. The "Federation ofthe [so-called] Churches of Christ in America,"like a very devil (roaring lion), will yet tear topieces the Present Truth people, will put many todeath, and cause some weaker ones to lose theirspiritual lives. They will take and destroy theliterature containing the precious Bible truth.Literally the preachers by preaching the men intowar have made widows by the millions.FM473Ezekiel 22:26.Her priests have violated My law, and haveprofaned Mine holy things: they have put nodifference between the holy and profane,neither have they shewed difference betweenthe unclean and the clean, and have hid theireyes from My sabbaths, and I am profanedamong them.— The Roman Catholic priests—and the Protestant clergy— have violated theLaw of Divine Love; have polluted God's truthswith pagan teachings, have shown no differencebetween those cleansed by the blood of Christand those still in their sins, have denied the Bibleteaching of the Millennium (Rev. 20:2-7), havehidden the Sabbath rest of justification by faith,and have promoted a money-grabbing system ofpenances and masses for sin and of collections,which discredit and profane God's name.Ezekiel 22:27.Her princes in the midst thereof are likewolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, andto destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.— Theecclesiastics, "wolves in sheeps' clothing" (Matt.7:15), tear their prey, the Body members ofChrist, shed blood in persecution, and destroyspiritual life— all to acquire money to perpetuatetheir infamous, paganized religion.— Micah 2:9-11.Ezekiel 22:28.And her prophets have daubed them withuntempered mortar, seeing vanity, and

divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith theLord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.—The preachers of Protestantism havewhitewashed the whole crowd of ecclesiastics,imagining empty doctrines of Evolution andHigher Criticism, and lying to the people bygiving their own theories as God's Word.Ezekiel 22:29.The people of the land have used oppression,and exercised robbery, and have vexed thepoor and needy; yea, they have oppressed thestranger wrongfully.— The laity of bothRomanism and Protestantism have oppressed thepoor in spirit, have robbed those needing God'shelp of what comfort they had, and havewrongfully oppressed the "pilgrims andstrangers" (Heb. 11:13) among them.Ezekiel 22:30.And I sought for a man among them, thatshould make up the hedge, and stand in thegap before Me for the land, that I should notdestroy it; but I found none.— God promisednot to destroy Sodom if there should be tenrighteous men in it; He will seek for even onewho is righteous in Christ's righteousness, inecclesiasticism, to make up the wall of her goatfold,and stand in the gap, that He should notdestroy her; but He will find not one!Ezekiel 22:31.Therefore have I poured out Mine indignationupon them; I have consumed them with thefire of My wrath; their own way have Irecompensed upon their heads, saith the LordGod.— Therefore ecclesiasticism is doomed toextinction.

FM474EZEKIEL 23TWO APOSTATE CHURCH SYSTEMSEzekiel 23:1, 2.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying, Son of man, there were two women,the daughters of one mother.— Chapter 23describes the church-state unions of the RomanCatholic church, pictured as an unchaste woman,Aholah, and of the Protestant church, herunchaste sister, Aholibah, and the destruction ofboth in the Time of Trouble by the nations withwhich they have made unions.— Jer. 3:6-10.Ezekiel 23:3.And they committed whoredoms in Egypt;they committed whoredoms in their youth:there were their breasts pressed, and therethey bruised the teats of their virginity.—Both of these churches have always catered toworldly ideas and people, and even in their youthwere guilty of unions of church with state.Ezekiel 23:4.And the names of them were Aholah theelder, and Aholibah her sister: and they wereMine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thuswere their names; Samaria is Aholah, andJerusalem Aholibah.— Their names aresignificant. Aholah means "her own tent." God isnot in Romanist ecclesiasticism at all; it has itsown tabernacle, called (Acts 7:43) "thetabernacle of Moloch." Satan himself dwells inand actuates the Papal system. Aholibah means"My tent is in her." God's Tabernacle, the trueChurch, has been among the Protestants chiefly.In this picture, an unchase Protestantecclesiasticism is designated "Jerusalem." Theyboth have sons— prominent ones— anddaughters— sectarian churches.Ezekiel 23:5.And Aholah played the harlot when she wasMine; and she doted on her lovers, on the

Assyrians her neighbors.— The Romish churchdates back to apostolic days, when she was God'sChurch [Mine]; but she fell in love with herneighbors, the rulers of that brutal age, andsought temporal power.Ezekiel 23:6.Which were clothed with blue, captains andrulers, all of them desirable young men,horsemen riding upon horses.— The leadersand rulers in worldly affairs were apparentlyfaithful (clothed in blue, typical of faithfulness),and seemed desirable and attractive to beassociated with. They were men of thought andmen of action, riding hobbies of vainphilosophies.FM475Ezekiel 23:7.Thus she committed her whoredoms withthem, with all them that were the chosen menof Assyria, and with all on whom she doted:with all their idols she defiled herself.— TheChurch associated with them for gain of worldlypower, set her affections on them, instead of onthings Above, and defiled herself with theirpagan ideas.Ezekiel 23:8.Neither left she her whoredoms brought fromEgypt: for in her youth they lay with her, andthey bruised the breasts of her virginity, andpoured their whoredom upon her.— Nor didshe give up her worldliness when she took uporiental asceticism.Ezekiel 23:9, 10.Wherefore I have delivered her into the handof her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians,upon whom she doted. These discovered hernakedness: they took her sons and herdaughters, and slew her with the sword: andshe became famous among women; for theyhad executed judgment upon her.— The rulersdiscovered the naked, unprotected condition ofRomanism; and by hundreds of thousandspoured in from the East, literal Tartars, Vandals,

Huns and Turks, and the pagan ideas from thesame sources, and slew the sons and daughters ofRomanism with the literal sword, as well as herchildren spiritually. Among the Pagan religions(women) Romanist "Christianity" became aname and a byword; for the invaders hadexecuted the judgment of God upon her.PROTESTANTISM'S POLLUTIONEzekiel 23:11.And when her sister Aholibah saw this, shewas more corrupt in her inordinate love thanshe, and in her whoredoms more than hersister in her whoredoms.— Protestantismbegan in comparative purity, but later ondeveloped an inordinate love for temporal power.Even more than Papacy she tried in every nation,to "run things."Ezekiel 23:12.She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours,captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously,horsemen riding upon horses, all of themdesirable young men.— She, too, set heraffections on popularity with earth's rulers, greatand small, conservative, radical andrevolutionary.Ezekiel 23:13-17.Then I saw that she was defiled, that they tookboth one way. And that she increased herwhoredoms: for when she saw men portrayedupon the wall, the images of the Chaldeansportrayed with vermilion, girded with girdlesupon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upontheir heads, all of them princes to look to,after the manner of the Babylonians ofChaldea, the land of their nativity: and assoon as she saw them with her eyes, she dotedupon them, and sent messengers unto themFM476into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came toher into the bed of love, and they defiled herwith their whoredom, and she was pollutedwith them, and her mind was alienated from

them.—God saw that both churches, Romishand Protestant, were of like tendency to churchstateunion, especially Protestantism; for shenever saw or heard of a great worldly man, evendown to the local leaders of the smallest ruralcommunities, that she did not desire theirinfluence and help— particularly their money—and systematically invited them to connectthemselves with a church, quite regardless ofwhether or not they remained worldly. So muchdid the prominent people in every place crowdinto the Protestant churches and try to "boss"things, that the rank and file even of ecclesiasticsand of the less prominent supporters ofecclesiasticism grew sick of them.Ezekiel 23:18.So she discovered her whoredoms, anddiscovered her nakedness: then My mind wasalienated from her, like as My mind wasalienated from her sister.— The newspaperwriters, Socialists, anarchists and muck-rakers,exposed the worldliness of the Protestantchurches; and God Himself, from 1878 on, hasbeen alienated from them.Ezekiel 23:19-21.Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in callingto remembrance the days of her youth,wherein she had played the harlot in the landof Egypt. For she doted upon theirparamours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses,and whose issue is like the issue of horses.Thus thou calledst to remembrance thelewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats bythe Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.—Protestant ecclesiasticism multiplied her worldlyalliances; and the prominent and wealthy, "of theearth, earthy," filled the churches with tares,worldlings, desirous or profiting by associationwith prominent people.Ezekiel 23:22.Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the LordGod: Behold, I will raise up thy lovers againstthee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and Iwill bring them against thee on every side.—

Therefore, O Protestantism, thus saith the LordJehovah: I will raise up, in warfare andrevolution, the worldly people in thee, of whomyou are already sick, and bring them against youon every side.Ezekiel 23:23.The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans,Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all theAssyrians with them; all of them desirableyoung men, captains and rulers, great lordsand renowned, all of them riding uponhorses.— The worldly, the worldly-wise(Chaldeans), the officers (Pekod), princes(Shoa), and rulers (Koa), and all the discontentedand anarchistic with them shall come againstyou, riding hobbies destructive to you.FM477Ezekiel 23:24.And they shall come against thee withchariots, wagons, and wheels, and with anassembly of people, which shall set againstthee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout: and I will set judgment before them,and they shall judge thee according to theirjudgments.—They shall war against thy welfarewith organizations of their own (chariots), withleaders (riders, mistranslated wagons), with asystematic plan of operation (wheels), and with agreat following of revolutionists; and they shallcondemn thee by their own perverted ideas ofjustice.Ezekiel 23:25.And I will set My jealousy against thee, andthey shall deal furiously with thee: they shalltake away thy nose and thine ears; and thyremnant shall fall by the sword; they shalltake thy sons and thy daughters; and thyresidue shall be devoured by the fire.—Unknown to Protestantism, God's jealousy hasbeen excited by her worldliness; and He willpermit the masses to deal with her in fury; theywill destroy her spirituality, taking away herability to discern spiritual things (nose), and to

hear (ear) the Word of God. They will forceProtestantism's sons and daughters into service inwar and revolution; and the remnant will bedestroyed in the ensuing anarchy.Ezekiel 23:26.They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes,and take away thy fair jewels.— Protestantismshall be stripped of her robes of selfrighteousnessand of her imitation jewels— thosenot truly Christianized; for they will cast off allpretense of religion.Ezekiel 23:27.Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease fromthee, and thy whoredom brought from theland of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift upthine eyes unto them, nor remember Egyptany more.— Being no longer attractive or usefulto the ruling powers, she will perforce cease heradvances toward the grasping of worldly power.Ezekiel 23:28.For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I willdeliver thee into the hand of them whom thouhatest, into the hand of them from whom thymind is alienated.— All law-abiding people,and especially Protestant ecclesiasticism, hateand fear the lawless forces destructive of society;but into the cruel hands of such shall they bedelivered.Ezekiel 23:29.And they shall deal with thee hatefully, andshall take away all thy labour, and shall leavethee naked and bare; and the nakedness ofthy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thylewdness and thy whoredoms.— These evilforces shall deal hatefully with Protestantism,take away all the results of her work, and stripher completely, because of the ultimate evilswrought by union of church and state.FM478Ezekiel 23:30.I will do these things unto thee, because thouhast gone a whoring after the heathen, and

ecause thou art polluted with their idols.—God will do this because Protestantism hassought and made church-state unions, and hasbeen polluted with worldly ideas and practices.Ezekiel 23:31.Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister;therefore, will I give her cup into thinehand.— She has walked in the way of Papacy;therefore will God give to her also Papacy's cupof tribulation.— Jer. 25:15.Ezekiel 23:32.Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink ofthy sister's cup deep and large; thou shalt belaughed to scorn and had in derision; itcontaineth much.— Protestantism shall drinkdeep and large the measure of Romanism's cupof trouble; it contains much. As a result of warsand devastation brought on by worldliness, in theface of boasted godliness, Protestantism shall bescorned and derided by the whole world.— Rev.9.Ezekiel 23:33.Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness andsorrow, with the cup of astonishment anddesolation, with the cup of thy sisterSamaria.— Protestantism shall be intoxicatedwith the war spirit (Jer. 13:13), and laterstupefied with amazement at the ruinous resultsof her own course, ending in the same cup oftrouble, utter ruin, as confronts her sister-church,Catholicism.Ezekiel 23:34.Thou shalt even drink it and suck it out, andthou shalt break the sherds thereof, and pluckoff thine own breasts: for I have spoken it,saith the Lord God.— Protestantism shall drainthe cup of desolation and sorrow and shall suckout the very dregs. (Isa. 30:14.) It shall be brokenup in anarchy, and shall lose all the features thatmade it attractive to this world's governments forpurposes of union of church and state.

Ezekiel 23:35.Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Becausethou hast forgotten Me, and cast Me behindthy back, therefore bear thou also thylewdness and thy whoredoms.— Because shehas forgotten the Lord and cast Him out of hermind, Protestantism shall endure unaided byHim the results of her own evil course.Ezekiel 23:36.The Lord said moreover unto me: Son ofman, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah?yea, declare unto them their abominations.—In Verses 36 to 49 Romanism and Protestantismare together jointly condemned.Ezekiel 23:37.That they have committed adultery, andblood is in their hands, and with their idolshave they committed adultery, and have alsocaused their sons, whom they bare unto me, topass for them through the fire, to devourthem.— They have both effected church-stateunions. They have blood guilt, for wars, and forcausing the spiritualFM479death of multitudes. They have given their heartsto idol doctrines. They have caused God'schildren to endure fiery troubles, and havescorched, scarred and burned their religious liveswith the eternal torment theory.Ezekiel 23:38.Moreover this they have done unto Me; theyhave defiled My Sanctuary in the same day,and have profaned My sabbaths.— They havedefiled God's Sanctuary, the Church, with souldestroyingdoctrines in the same Day, the GospelAge. They have derided the Millennium, andhave substituted works for the rest of faith, as thebasis of justification before God.

Ezekiel 23:39.For when they had slain their children to theiridols, then they came the same day into MySanctuary to profane it; and lo, thus havethey done in the midst of Mine house.— Theywould slay their people in war and the same daygo to worship God, even in the midst of God'sSanctuary, the Little Flock of the true Church.Ezekiel 23:40.And furthermore, that ye have sent for men tocome from far, unto whom a messenger wassent; and, lo, they came; for whom thou didstwash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedstthyself with ornaments.— They sought forunion with and sent preachers to prominent men,at heart in a condition far from God; for thenthey "whitewashed" themselves, made theirwisdom (eyes) attractive with worldlyphilosophies, and adorned themselves with theimitation jewels of courtesy, tact and politeness.Ezekiel 23:41.And satest upon a stately bed, and a tableprepared before it, whereupon thou hast setMine incense and Mine oil.— They took theirseat upon a stately creed-bed, adapted to worldly,regal purposes, with a table of religious food,teachings, philosophies, not of God, where theygave their hearts' best endeavor and prostitutedwhat measure of the Holy Spirit they had toworldly ends.THE WORST OF MEN TAKENINTO THE CHURCHESEzekiel 23:42.And a voice of a multitude being at ease waswith her; and with the men of the commonsort were brought Sabeans from thewilderness, which put bracelets upon theirhands, and beautiful crowns upon theirheads.— With the ecclesiasticism of Papacy andProtestantism was the voice of a multitude ofworldly church members, thoroughly at ease inapostate Zion. (Amos 6:1.) Among the church

members were men of the blackest character(Sabeans, descendants of Ham, disfavored ofGod), who belonged outside the pale of religion,who adorned themselves with seeming characterjewels and crowns of inherent immortality, notof God, but of Plato.Ezekiel 480Ezekiel 23:43.Then said I unto her that was old inadulteries, Will they now commit whoredomswith her, and she with them?— It seemedimpossible that the churches should unite withsuch evil men, to gain influence and power.Ezekiel 23:44.Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto awoman that playeth the harlot: so went theyin unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewdwomen.— Nevertheless, both Romish andProtestant ecclesiasticism did so.JUDGED BY GOOD MEN,PUNISHED BY EVIL MENEzekiel 23:45.And the righteous men, they shall judge themafter the manner of adulteresses, and after themanner of women that shed blood; becausethey are adulteresses, and blood is in theirhands.— But men with a sense of decency,justice and the fitness of things will condemnboth churches, Romish and Protestant, asadulteresses were judged among the Hebrews—stone them to death with hard facts, and by theravages of revolution and anarchy.Ezekiel 23:46.For thus saith the Lord God, I will bring up acompany upon them, and will give them to baremoved and spoiled.— God will bring upagainst them a great rabble of people with a keensense of outraged justice— Socialists, tradesunionmen, laborites, social democrats, nihilistsand anarchists. Also a multitude of God's

children, begotten of the Holy Spirit, will rise upagainst these apostacies.Ezekiel 23:47.And the company shall stone them withstones, and dispatch them with their swords;they shall slay their sons and their daughters,and burn up their houses with fire.— Thismultitude will down ecclesiasticism with hardfacts, and destroy her with material weapons andwith the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.The anarchists will literally slay church membersby millions; and the sons of God will by HisHoly Word cause them to cease their pretense ofbeing Christians.Ezekiel 23:48.Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out of theland, that all women may be taught not to doafter your lewdness.— Thus will the Lord causethe desire for the union of churches with worldlypower to cease out of human society, that allreligious bodies may learn forever to avoid thisabominable practice.Ezekiel 23:49.And they shall recompense your lewdnessupon you, and ye shall bear the sins of youridols: and ye shall know that I am the LordGod.— Thus shall ecclesiasticism's faithlessapostasy be recompensed upon her when shesuffers the results of the sinfulness of lovingother mighty ones than Jehovah, and thus shallshe learn the supremacy of God in the affairs ofmen.FM481EZEKIEL 24THE BOILING CALDRONEzekiel 24:1, 2.Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, inthe tenth day of the month, the word of theLord came unto me, saying, Son of man, writethee the name of the day, even of this sameday: the king of Babylon set himself against

Jerusalem this same day.— It was in the fall of1916— a year and seven months before the citywas to be smitten in the spring of 1918— that theforces of laborism, revolution and anarchy,began to assert themselves against theestablished order of things in Christendom— thesiege of the city began.Ezekiel 24:3And utter a parable unto the rebellious house,and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God:Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour waterinto it.— Jerusalem is likened to a boilingcaldron from which meat is taken; then it is setempty on the fire and the rust burned out.Ezekiel's wife dies; but he suppresses hisfeelings, and, after the ordinance for a priest,makes no mourning for the dead— a picture ofthe dumb sorrow of the Hebrews on thedestruction of Jerusalem. The prophecy of thischapter was uttered on the same day that the kingof Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, "came, he and allhis host, and pitched against it; and they builtforts against it round about; and the city wasbesieged unto the eleventh year of kingZedekiah." (2 Kings 25:1, 2.) Its antitype is thaton or about November 1, 1916, the date of PastorRussell's death, ecclesiasticism began to enterupon its life-and-death struggle, materially, withthe forces of laborism and anarchy, andreligiously with the consecrated children of God,whose work from then on was increasingly tobear witness to the apostasy and imminentdestruction of churchianity. Ecclesiasticism,rebellious against her God, is as an organization,like a caldron of brass (copper), typing that manyof its members believe the Word of God. It is setamid the fiery troubles of revolution andanarchy. There is water in it, symbolic of whatTruth there is in ecclesiasticism.— Jer. 1:13.Ezekiel 24:4.Gather the pieces thereof into it, even everygood piece, the thigh, and the shoulders: fill itwith the choice bones.— In it are gathered thegreat and prominent (good pieces), and also thestrong ones (bones) of her flock.

FM482Ezekiel 24:5.Take the choice of the flock, and burn also thebones under it, and make it boil well, and letthem seethe the bones of it therein.— Thesocial elements will grow hot in the Time ofTrouble until the truths in ecclesiasticism make itexceedingly warm for her members. Then theheated, excited, troublous condition will betransmitted, and as the truths warm up, will getall the church members into exceedingly hotwater, even the strongest ones.Ezekiel 24:6.Wherefore thus saith the Lord God: Woe tothe bloody city, to the pot whose scum istherein, and whose scum is not gone out of it!bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall uponit.— Woe to Christendom, ecclesiasticism,bloody in the blood of soldiers, peasants,workingmen, martyrs and saints, by the millions,and blood guilty for the spiritual hopes ofmillions, extinguished by her false doctrines. Herrust (R. V.) is in her. Bring out her leadingmembers, one by one, indiscriminately, intocaptivity to the forces of revolution.Ezekiel 24:7.For her blood is in the midst of her; she set itupon the top of a rock; she poured it not uponthe ground, to cover it with dust;— Herinfamy of blood is in her very substance. She hasnot been able to conceal it, but it is exposed tofull view in "the top of her rock," in the kingsand the kaisers, her heads in church-state union.Ezekiel 24:8.That it might cause fury to come up to takevengeance; I have set her blood upon the topof a rock, that it should not be covered.— Thefury of a revolted soldiery and populace will riseup against the heads of the governments, who arealso heads of the churches, to take vengeanceupon ecclesiasticism's sins.

Ezekiel 24:9.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe tothe bloody city! I will even make the pile forfire great.— Innumerable will be the opponentsof churchianity, and blazing hot their wrath.24:10. Heap on the wood, kindle the fire,consume the flesh, and spice it well, and letthe bones be burned.— Heap up the fires ofdiscontent and anarchy, consume the tares inChristendom, as tares Thicken the broth (R. V.),boil it down until the very bones, the strongchurch members, cease to be such.Ezekiel 24:11.Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, thatthe brass of it may be hot, and may burn, andthat the filthiness of it may be molten in it,that the scum of it may be consumed.— Thenecclesiasticism, the clergy class, with emptiedpews, shall sit amid the fiery trouble and beconsumed, that their corruption may be doneaway.Ezekiel 24:12.She hath wearied herself with lies, and hergreat scum went not forth out of her; herscum shall be in theFM483fire.— She has wearied even the preachers withthe dishonesty of preaching things not believedin, and yet they did not cast out her doctrinalcorruption, which shall be fuel for the fire ofanarchy.Ezekiel 24:13.In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I havepurged thee, and thou wast not purged, thoushalt not be purged from thy filthiness anymore, till I have caused My fury to rest uponthee.— Her corruption was in her desire tobecome prominent and powerful through thepower of earth's ‘great ones. God purged her ofthese things to some extent through godlypreachers and reformers; but she was not purgedin heart and quickly reverted to the things

Divinely proscribed. Since 1878 God has madeno further attempt to reform ecclesiasticism; andshe shall not be purged, but the fury of God'sjealousy shall rest upon her.Ezekiel 24:14.I the Lord have spoken it; it shall come topass, and I will do it; I will not go back,neither will I spare, neither will I repent;according to thy ways, and according to thydoings, shall they judge thee, saith the LordGod.— God Himself has spoken this and will doit. He will not go back, neither spare, nor changeHis Plan; but in just recompense for her doingsshall the Socialists and anarchists condemn her.PASTOR RUSSELL A SIGNEzekiel 4:15, 16.Also the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, behold, I take away fromthee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yetneither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neithershall thy tears run down.— God took awayfrom Pastor Russell the desire of his eyes, herwhom he loved, with a stroke, or "plague" ofspiritual error, which completely separated them.By the Mosaic ordinance a priest on the death offather, mother, or wife, was to show no specialsign of grief, but was to remain in theTabernacle, or Temple, and attend as usual to theservice of God. Pastor Russell, as a member ofthe great High Priest and as Christ'srepresentative in the world, the sole steward ofthe "meat in due season," suffered deeply, butshed no tears.Ezekiel 24:17.Forbear to cry, make no mourning for thedead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee,and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and covernot thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.—Rather, he made no mourning for her that was tohim as dead, but continued in the work of thesacrificing priesthood. He was sustained in hisaffliction, not by human aid, but by theconsolations of his Father's Word.

FM484Ezekiel 24:18.So I spake unto the people in the morning:and at even my wife died; and I did in themorning as I was commanded.— He continuedhis addresses and writings to the Lord's people;his wife became to him as one dead; and hecontinued uninterruptedly in the work of theministry.Ezekiel 24:19.And the people said unto me, Wilt thou nottell us what these things are to us, that thoudoest so?— Why was Pastor Russell caused byhis Father to endure the fiery trials andecclesiastical falsehoods in connection with thisincident of his life?THE CHURCHES TO CEASE TO BEEzekiel 24:20, 21.Then I answered them, The word of the Lordcame unto me, saying, Speak unto the houseof Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iwill profane My Sanctuary, the excellency ofyour strength, the desire of your eyes, andthat which your soul pitieth; and your sonsand your daughters whom ye have left shallfall by the sword.— God gives the reason. Itwas as a picture or parable of what is to happento Christendom. Until 1878 the nominal churchhad been in a sense God's sanctuary or Temple;but He was from then on, culminating in 1918, toremove it with a stroke or plague of erroneousdoctrines and deeds Divinely permitted. TheChurch was the strength of Christendom, thatabout which its life centered, and around whichits institutions were built. It was the desire of theeyes of the people, that which all Christiansloved. Nevertheless, God was to make manifestthe profanation which ecclesiasticism had madeof the Christian Church, and to cause the churchorganizations to become to Him as one dead, anunclean thing, not to be touched, or mourned.And the "children of the church" shall perish bythe sword of war, revolution and anarchy, and by

the Sword of the Spirit be made to see that theyhave lost their hope of life on the spirit plane—that "the door is shut."Ezekiel 24:22.And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall notcover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.—So universal and dreadful will be the troublesthat the dead will literally lie unburied andunwept. There can be no mourning for the deadin a period when the living are overwhelmed bytroubles worse than death.Ezekiel 24:23.And your tires shall be upon your heads; andyour shoes upon your feet: ye shall notmourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away foryour iniquities, and mourn one towardanother.—The mourning will be an innersorrow of a people stupefied by terribleexperiences, who pineFM485away and without outward expression sinktogether into the fellowship of helpless grief.Ezekiel 24:24.Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according toall that he hath done shall ye do: and whenthis cometh, ye shall know that I am the LordGod.— Thus the silent sorrow at Pastor Russell'sheart was to be a sign to Christendom. Thesorrowful experiences of Pastor Russell in thisconnection shall later on be those of allChristendom; "and when this cometh" they shallknow that Jehovah God is supreme, and back ofall the judgments of the trouble time.PASTOR RUSSELL DEAD,BUT SPEAKING AGAINEzekiel 24:25, 26.Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in theday when I take from them their strength, thejoy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, andthat whereupon they set their minds, theirsons and their daughters. That he that

escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, tocause thee to hear it with thine ears?— Also,in the year 1918, when God destroys thechurches wholesale and the church members bymillions, it shall be that any that escape shallcome to the works of Pastor Russell to learn themeaning of the downfall of "Christianity."Ezekiel 24:27.In that day shall thy mouth be opened to himwhich is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and beno more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign untothem; and they shall know that I am theLord.— Pastor Russell's voice has been stilled indeath; and his voice is, comparatively speaking,dumb to what it will be. In the time of revolutionand anarchy he shall speak, and be no moredumb to those that escape the destruction of thatday. Pastor Russell shall "be a sign unto them,"shall tell them the truth about the Divineappointment of the trouble, as they consult hisbooks, scattered to the number of ten millionthroughout Christendom. His words shall be asign of hope unto them, enabling them to see thebright side of the cloud and to look forward withanticipation to the glorious Kingdom of God tobe established. Then "they shall know the Lord."Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,As the swift seasons roll!Leave thy low vaulted past!Let each new temple, nobler than the last,Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,Till thou at length art free,Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea.FM486EZEKIEL 25RECOMPENSE UPON THE TARESEzekiel 25:1, 2.The word of the Lord came again unto me,saying, Son of man, set thy face against theAmmonites, and prophesy against them.—Chapter 25 foretells that after the fall of apostate

ecclesiasticism in revolution, in 1918, the end ofthe various discordant non-Christian elements ofChristendom, hostile to true Christianity, whichwill seek to profit by her fall, will come. TheAmmonites (25:1-7) and the Moabites (25:8-11),both children of Lot— who was himself a typeof the Great Company class— are a type of aclass brought into being by their father, the GreatCompany class (Lot), while he was in a state ofdrunken stupor from mixed doctrines, throughLot's daughters, type of the worldly churches ofthe Great Company.The Edomites, descendants of Esau, represent aclass who sell their birthright to sonship of Godfor a mess of pottage, worldly advantage (25:12-14); and the Philistines, a people who migratedfrom Egypt, and aggressively preyed upon theJews, type of a class of aggressive, middlecourse,professing Christians who prey upon trueChristians. The message begins with wordsagainst the Ammonites, types of those believingworldlings who were brought into the churchesby the more or less faithless Great Company, andwho in an aggressive and predatory fashion asJesuits, persecuting Romish priests, andProtestant clergy and their kind persecuted thetrue Christians. The Ammonites are described as"fierce marauders, crafty, cruel, predatory." TheAmmonites worshipped Baal, under the nameChemosh, the god of fire and of fornication, typeof the eternal-torment-purgatory god, theencourager of the spiritual adultery of churchstateunion.AGGRESSIVE WORLDLY ELEMENTTORMENT BELIEVERSEzekiel 25:3.And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the wordof the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God;Because thou saidst, Aha, against MySanctuary, when it was profaned; and againstthe land of Israel, when it was desolate; andagainst the house of Judah, when they wentinto captivity.— When God's true Church shallbe persecuted in the

FM487world-war and revolution, and true Christianfaith shall be desolated, and the multitude ofthose that praise God (Judah, praise) shall gointo captivity to the infidel revolutionists, thepersecuting, world-loving church members(Ammonites) will be glad of it.Ezekiel 25:4.Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to themen of the east for a possession, and they shallset their palaces in thee, and make theirdwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, andthey shall drink thy milk.— God will deliverthis class unto the anarchists, to possess them,and make themselves at home with theirproperty, and to make away with their doctrines(milk).Ezekiel 25:5.And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels,and the Ammonites a couching place forflocks: and ye shall know that I am theLord.— And I will make the lordly clergy class(Rabbah, great) waste and abandoned.Ezekiel 25:6.For thus saith the Lord God; Because thouhast clapped thine hands, and stamped withthe feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thydespite against the land of Israel.— Becausethey shall rejoice greatly, in their despite againstChristianity.Ezekiel 25:7.Behold, therefore I will stretch out Mine handupon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil tothe heathen; and I will cut thee off from thepeople, and I will cause thee to perish out ofthe countries: I will destroy thee; and thoushalt know that I am the Lord.— ThereforeGod will stretch out His hand against them, anddeliver them to be despoiled by the infidelanarchists in their midst. He will cut them off asa class, cause them to cease and destroy them,and they shall know that He is God.

Ezekiel 25:8.Thus saith the Lord God: Because that Moaband Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah islike unto all the heathen.— The Moabites("Seir" should be omitted) were the civilized partof the descendants of Lot, born of incest, of adrunken father, Lot, and worshippers of Baal,while acknowledging Jehovah. They typed achurch membership begotten by the mixture oftruth and error, by the Great Company class,through their world-loving churches (daughtersof Lot), and worshipping the eternal-tormentGod, imagining him to be Jehovah, andpracticing the spiritual harlotry of union ofchurch and state. Moab was "a nation highspirited, wealthy, populous, civilized, and ofwide reputation and popularity." They type a likeclass.Ezekiel 25:9.Therefore, behold, I will open the side ofMoab from the cities, from his cities whichare on his frontiers, the glory of the country,Beth-jeshi-moth, Baal-meon, andKiriathaim.— God will cause this class to beattacked in the anarchy (Beth-jeshimoth, place ofdesolation), on twoFM488grounds, their apostate clergy (Baalmeon, lord ofthe habitation) and church-state system(Kiriathaim, double city).Ezekiel 25:10.Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites,and will give them in possession, that theAmmonites may not be remembered amongthe nations.— The anarchists will alsoovercome the aggressive class (Ammonites).Ezekiel 25:11, 12.And I will execute judgments upon Moab;and they shall know that I am the Lord. Thussaith the Lord God; Because that Edom hathdealt against the house of Judah by takingvengeance, and hath greatly offended, andrevenged himself upon them.— The

professedly Christian "Edomites" (D14-19)—nominally believers in God (descendants ofAbraham), but worshipping a variety of gods ofpower, wealth, and worldliness, especially theeternal-torment God— (Josephus says theEdomites worshipped Coze, the destroyer)—will help greatly in pulling down Christianity.Ezekiel 25:13.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will alsostretch out Mine hand upon Edom, and willcut off man and beast from it; and I will makeit desolate from Teman; and they of Dedanshall fall by the sword.— God will stretch Hishand against this class (Edom-Idumea) and fromend to end they shall fall by the weapons ofdestruction, and by the Sword of the Spirit.—Isa. 34:5, 6; Jer. 49:7-17.Ezekiel 25:14.And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom bythe hand of My people Israel: and they shalldo in Edom according to Mine anger andaccording to My fury; and they shall knowMy vengeance, saith the Lord God.— TheTruth people, shall declare what God will do tothis class in His furious anger.— Isa. 15:1-9; Jer.48:1-47.Ezekiel 25:15.Thus saith the Lord God; Because thePhilistines have dealt by revenge, and havetaken vengeance with a despiteful heart, todestroy it for the old hatred.— The worldlyprofessing Christians (Philistines, emigrantsfrom Egypt) persecute God's true people, andshall in the revolution despitefully aid indestroying Christianity.— Joel 3:4.Ezekiel 25:16, 17.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iwill stretch out Mine hand upon thePhilistines, and I will cut off the Cherethim,and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. AndI will execute great vengeance upon them withfurious rebukes; and they shall know that Iam the Lord, when I shall lay My vengeance

upon them.— God will, through the anarchists,stretch out His hand against this class, and willcut off those that carry out persecution, and deathupon His people (Cherethim, executioners), andall worldly professing Christians as such,including those that border on anarchy (seacoast).FM489EZEKIEL 26DOWNFALL OF PHILOSOPHYEzekiel 26:1.And it came to pass in the eleventh year, inthe first day of the month, that the word ofthe Lord came unto me, saying.— Chapter 26depicts ecclesiasticism in the guise of anelaborate system of philosophy. The name Tyrussignifies "Rock;" and human philosophy,particularly Greek Platonic philosophy, is thereal rock foundation of ecclesiastical teachings.Any true ecclesiastic, when driven by the Wordof God from his untenable errors, claimssanction for them by reference to the philosophyof Plato and the inherent immortality of man, etc.Ezekiel 26:2.Son of man, because that Tyrus hath saidagainst Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken thatwas the gates of the people; she is turned untome; I shall be replenished, now she is laidwaste.— This system and its adherents willmanifest their essentially non-Christian naturewhen Christendom (Jerusalem) falls at the handsof the revolutionists in 1918. Philosophy, HigherCriticism, will rejoice that ecclesiasticism, whichclaimed to be the gateway to God for the people,is broken. They will imagine that the adherentsof a Christianity that has failed will turn tophilosophy, and that the adherents of philosophywill be increased now that ecclesiasticism isdesolated. Human philosophy will seem to be thesole refuge of the people of Christendom.

Ezekiel 26:3.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iam against thee, O Tyrus, and will causemany nations to come up against thee, as thesea causeth his waves to come up.— BecauseChristendom has borne the name of Christ andhad the oracles of God, therefore God is againstphilosophy and will cause the many nations ofChristendom to come up against establishedphilosophy, as a sea of anarchy, with thediscontented masses attacking, wave after wave,endlessly.Ezekiel 26:4.And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, andbreak down her towers: I will also scrape herdust from her, and make her like the top of arock.— The anarchists shall destroy the walls ofdefense, composed of the adherents to humanphilosophy, and shall break down the loftiest andstrongest organizations, its towers of defense.FM490God will remove the last vestiges of humanadherence to Christendom's system ofphilosophy.Ezekiel 26:5.It shall be a place for the spreading of nets inthe midst of the sea: for I have spoken it,saith the Lord God: and it shall become aspoil to the nations.— In the anarchy, humanphilosophy shall be utterly abandoned—deprived of all its former supporters, by wholenations of anarchists.Ezekiel 26:6.And her daughters which are in the field shallbe slain by the sword: and they shall knowthat I am the Lord.— The religiousorganizations (daughters) founded onphilosophy, which are in the world (field), shallbe wiped out; and in the Kingdom their formeradherents shall come to know Jehovah as He is.

Ezekiel 26:7.For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I willbring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king ofBabylon, a king of kings, from the north, withhorses, and with chariots, and with horsemen,and companies, and much people.— JehovahGod declares that against human philosophy(Tyrus) and its systems and adherents, He willarray Satan— the king of this evil world, ruler ofmystic Babylon, "the gateway to Bel," to devilworship, king over the kings and other childrenof disobedience. He shall be permitted to comeby God Himself, (the North) (Jer. 1:14), withteachings (horses), of anarchy, with institutionsbased upon such teachings (chariots), withleaders and teachers riding these hobbies(horsemen), with an organized following(companies) and with many people followingafter anarchy in unorganized mobs (muchpeople).Ezekiel 26:8.He shall slay with the sword thy daughters inthe field: and he shall make a fort againstthee, and cast a mount against thee, and liftup the buckler against thee.— With weaponsof destruction (swords) anarchy shall seek todestroy the philosophical churches and otherreligious organizations (daughters) in the world(field) and shall systematically besiege them.Ezekiel 26:9.And he shall set engines of war against thywalls, and with his axes he shall break downthy towers.— Anarchy shall make war againsttheir defenders (walls), and with keen, strong,cutting arguments (axes), shall break downphilosophy's strongholds (towers).Ezekiel 26:10.By reason of the abundance of his horses theirdust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake atthe noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels,and of the chariots, when he shall enter intothy gates, as men enter into a city wherein ismade a breach.— Anarchistic teachings

(horses) without limit shall fill the air withconfusion (dust); philosophy's defenders (walls)shall fear and quake at the tumult (noise) of theleaders and teachers ofF,491anarchy (horsemen), and of their systematicplans (wheels) of destruction, and of theanarchistic organizations (chariots), whenAnarchy shall pour its forces through the greatones (gates) of Philosophy, for the great oneswill become channels (breaches) for theinpouring teachings of anarchy.Ezekiel 26:11.With the hoofs of his horses shall be treaddown all thy streets: he shall slay thy peopleby the sword, and thy strong garrisons shallgo down to the ground.— With the impact(hoofs) of doctrines (horses) of destruction,anarchy shall beat down all the orderly ways(streets) of philosophy.Anarchy shall destroy the adherents ofphilosophy with weapons of destruction, and thelearned and mighty colleges and universities(garrisons) shall go down in failure and ruin.Ezekiel 26:12.And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, andmake a prey of thy merchandise: and theyshall break down thy walls, and destroy thypleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stonesand thy timber and thy dust in the midst ofthe water.— And the anarchists shall spoil theideals (riches), and stop the teaching(merchandise) of philosophy; they shall breakdown the defense of philosophy's adherents(walls), and destroy the pleasing philosophicalorganizations (pleasant houses). They shallengulf the believers (stones) and supporters(timbers) in the rising tide of anarchy.Ezekiel 26:13.And I will cause the noise of thy songs tocease; and the sound of thy harps shall be nomore heard.— And God will cause the noise ofphilosophy's siren songs, her falsely pleasant

teachings (songs) to cease; and the utterance ofher melodious books (harps) shall be no moreheard forever.Ezekiel 26:14.And I will make thee like the top of rock:thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon;thou shall be built no more: for I the Lordhave spoken it, saith the Lord God.—Philosophy, falsely so-called, shall be utterlydesolated, and shall be built up no more forever;for Jehovah God has spoken it.Ezekiel 26:15.Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall notthe isles shake at the sound of thy fall, whenthe wounded cry, when the slaughter is madein the midst of thee?— The world will be full ofrevolutionary republics (isles), devoid ofChristian principles and following man-madeideas; these republics shall be shaken to theirfoundations when anarchy begins its dreadslaughter of men and of systems.Ezekiel 26:16.Then all the princes of the sea shall comedown from their thrones, and lay away theirrobes, and put off their broidered garments:they shall clothe themselvesFM492with trembling; they shall sit upon theground, and shall tremble at every moment,and be astonished at thee.— Then shall therude rulers of the revolutionary, half-anarchisticrepublics lose their positions of power (thrones),and lay aside their honors (robes), and discardtheir works of revolution (broidered garments);they shall be filled with dread and withtrembling, and shall marvel at the downfall oftheir socialistic and revolutionary philosophies.Ezekiel 26:17.And they shall take up a lamentation for thee,and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, thatwast inhabited of seafaring men, therenowned city, which wast strong in the sea,

she and her inhabitants, which cause theirterror to be on all that haunt it!— They shalllament; for the great systems of humanphilosophy shall be destroyed, where abodepolished cosmopolitan men of the world(seafaring men), the renowned system of thoughtwhich was strong among all peoples (in the sea),even in the midst of a world of restless,discontented masses.Ezekiel 26:18.Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thyfall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall betroubled at thy departure.— Now shall therevolutionary republics (isles) tremble in the yearof philosophy's downfall; the republics in themidst of the anarchistic peoples (sea) shall be introuble with the failure of the system of manmadephilosophy.Ezekiel 26:19.For thus saith the Lord God; When I shallmake thee a desolate city, like the cities thatare not inhabited; when I shall bring up thedeep upon thee, and great waters shall coverthee.— For God will utterly desolatephilosophical teachings; when He brings up thesea of anarchy upon them, and engulfs them inthe tidal wave.Ezekiel 26:20.When I shall bring thee down with them thatdescend into the pit, with the people of oldtime, and shall set thee in the low parts of theearth, in places desolate of old, with them thatgo down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited;and I shall set glory in the land of the living.—God will bring human philosophy down todestruction, without an adherent and in disgraceand reproach (into the pit), in order that He mayestablish His glorious truth in the Kingdom ofresurrection and of life.Ezekiel 26:21.I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be nomore: though thou be sought for, yet shaltthou never be found again, saith the Lord

God.— God will make human philosophy awasted, desolated thing (a terror); never shall itexist any more; though men and devils shouldseek to reestablish it, never shall it be foundagain, saith Jehovah God.FM493EZEKIEL 27PHILOSOPHY'S UTTER RUINEzekiel 27:1.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying.— In Chapter 27 Christendom, regardedas an independent system of pagan philosophy, isrepresented as a gallant ship. Its component partsare represented symbolically (27:4-7), as are itsmariners and pilots (27:8-9). In verses 9 to 25 thefigure reverts to a mercantile city, and thesources of its articles of trade. It is again picturedas a ship, which is steered by its mariners into anangry sea, and wrecked.— Verses 26 to 36.Ezekiel 27:2.Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentationfor Tyrus.— The man-made system of Paganphilosophy must fall.Ezekiel 27:3.And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate atthe entry of the sea, which art a merchant ofthe people, for many isles, Thus saith the LordGod: O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfectbeauty.— O Christendom, thou that hast theentree to the ears of the peoples (sea), which art asalesman (merchant) of philosophical doctrinesfor the people of many revolutionary republics,thus says the Lord God: O Christendom,ecclesiasticism, thou hast regarded thy paganphilosophies as perfect, faultless and beautiful.Ezekiel 27:4.Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thybuilders have perfected thy beauty.— Thou, asan independent pagan religious organization orsystem, belongest among the disobedientchildren (sea) of the world. Thy philosophers,

doctors of divinity, professors and writers, haveperfected thy seemingly beautiful philosophy.Ezekiel 27:5.They have made all thy ship boards of firtrees of Senir; they have taken cedars fromLebanon to make masts for thee.— They havemade as thy fundamental supporters (boards)believers in everlasting human life (firs,evergreen trees), in high stations in society.(Mount Senir, or Hermon, "pointed rock" was inBenjamin, one of the Hebrew tribes, and type ofthe Great Company). They have taken as thesupport (masts) of thy seeming righteousness(linen sails) earth's greatest men and the rulers,believers in inherent immortality (cedars),picturing them as from the loftiest, purestsources. (Lebanon, a great mountain range,means "white, snowy.").FM494Ezekiel 27:6.Of the oaks or Basnan have they made thineoars; the company of the Ashurites have madethy benches of ivory, brought out of the islesof Chittim.— The prominent tares, leaders(oaks), whom other tares fellow and worship,and who are fruitful in producing more tares(Bashan means fruitful), are the mechanism(oars) for making thee move and progress amongthe people. The company of free-thinkers(Ashurite means freemen) have made thy white(supposedly righteous) seats (ivory signifiesdreams—of immediate spirit life when they die)to be the seats (seats of the mighty), of therowers who work the oars.Ezekiel 27:7.Fine linen with broidered work from Egyptwas that which thou spreadest forth to be thysail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishahwas that which covered thee.— Thy ensigns,banners, sails, over thee, to be driven by thewinds of error, are false righteousness (linen),with innumerable works of self-righteousness(broidered work), and of worldliness (Egypt);

thou wast covered with the faithfulness (blue)and royalty (purple) of the worst of earth's paganpeoples (Elishah, descended from Javan,European, the most cruel and ferocious people ofearth, as shown by their history, including thisfurious worldwar.)Ezekiel 27:8.The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thymariners; thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were inthee, were thy pilots.— The adherents of thebelong-to-a-church or go-to-hell idea (Zidonmeant "fortress," and this idea is the fortress ofecclesiasticism), and the supporters of the falselycomforting refuge of Platonic immortality of thesoul (Arvad means refuge, and Platonic heathenphilosophy is the refuge of philosophicChristendom) were thy mariners, the ones who"worked" thy oars; thy philosophers (wise ones),from Plato to Nietsche, charted thy evil course,and were the real "sky-pilots" for the rowers torow by.Ezekiel 27:9.The ancients of Gebal and the wise menthereof were in thee thy calkers; all the shipsof the sea with their mariners were in thee tooccupy thy merchandise.— The doctors ofdivinity (ancients of Gebal) (Psa. 83:7) and thecreed builders said enough on both sides of anyquestion for theological authorities (calkers) tokeep the people (sea) from getting on the inside,or having any real participation in thy affairs. Inthe middle of verse 9 the figure changes back tothat of the prosperous mercantile city that Tyrewas. All the independent religious andphilosophical churches and other organizations(ships) of the sea (peoples and nations) with theirsky-pilots (mariners) were in thee, OChristendom, thou aggregationFM495of confused and contradictory philosophies, toreceive, hold and disseminate thy teachings,doctrines, traditions, fables and philosophies(merchandise).

Ezekiel 27:10.They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were inthine army, thy men of war; they hanged theshield and helmet in thee; they set forth thycomeliness.— Believers in the hell-firesuperstition (Persians were fire worshippers),and middle-course, conservative worldly men ofsin (the people of Lud and Phut were darkskinnedmen, living probably west of Egypt, typeof worldly compromisers with sin) were in thinearmy, those that fight the bad fight of error forthee; in thee they hung the shield of credulity(faith) and the helmet of a false salvation; theyextolled the loveliness of thy philosophy.Ezekiel 27:11.The men of Arvad with thine army were uponthy walls round about, and the GammadimWere in thy towers; they hanged their shieldsupon thy walls round about; they have madethy beauty perfect.— The believers in humanimmortality, thy philosophic refuge (Arvadmeans "refuge") with thine army just mentionedwere wall of thy defense and thy watchmen,college professors, economists (the Gammadimare thought to mean watchmen or guards) werein thy watch towers; upon thy walls, in the mindsof thy supporters (walls) they hanged theirshields of credulity; they have made thyphilosophies and sophistries seem perfectlybeautiful.Ezekiel 27:12.Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of themultitude of all kinds of riches; with silver,iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.—Thy preachers (merchants, trading in philosophyfor gain)were a hard proposition (Tarshish meanshard), with an abundant supply of teachingsregarded worth while by the world; with worldlytruth— silver— with strong earthly authority—iron— with actually worthless philosophies (tinwas as the dross of silver) and with downrightwicked doctrines (lead symbolized wickedness—Zech. 5:7-8) they taught and preached (traded) inthy preaching places (fairs).

Ezekiel 27:13.Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thymerchants: they traded the persons of menand vessels of brass in thy market.— Believersin Greek philosophy (Javan represented theGreek race), and believers in the most farfetchedand uncouth ideas, such as monkey-bornevolution (Tubal and Meshech were the remotestand rudest of nations), were thy preachers(merchants). They sold men into bondage to sin,and presented teachings of human perfection(brass) attainable otherwise than through Christ.Brass should be translated copper, and signifiesperfect human nature.— T18.FM496Ezekiel 27:14.They of the house of Togarmah traded in thyfairs with horses and horsemen and mules.—The representatives of the rudest and crudestideas (Togarmah) preached in thy churches withdoctrines (horses) and with followers of thedoctrines and with mixed human and spiritnature ideas (mules).Ezekiel 27:15.The men of Dedan were thy merchants; manyisles were the merchandise of thine hand: theybrought thee for a present, horns of ivory andebony.— Men of low ideals (Dedan means low)were thy preachers; many revolutionaryrepublics (islands) were thy preaching places;they presented thee with dreams, visions (ivory)of power (horns), good and bad (ebony).Ezekiel 27:16.Syria was thy merchant by reason of themultitude of the wares of thy making: theyoccupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple,and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral,and agate.— Believers in doctrines of lofty selfrighteousness(Syria signifies high land) werethy preachers; they traded for gain inphilosophies of eternal life (emeralds) withoutChrist's purchase, with teachings of self-kingship(purple), with works of self-mastery (broidered

work), with self-righteousness (linen), with animitation ransom (red coral), and imitationcharacter jewels (agate).Ezekiel 27:17.Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thymerchants: they traded in thy market wheatof Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil,and balm.— With thine errors were mingledGod's Truth to make up thy mixed doctrines.Some of thy preachers were really believers inthe Bible (of Judah and Israel), taught thewholesome spiritual Bible truths (wheat), goodteachings for the natural man (Pannag meansmillet), and teachings about Christ's SecondComing (honey), the anointing oil of the HolySpirit (Rev. 10:9, 10), and the balm of thecomfort of the Word of God.— Rom. 15:4.Ezekiel 27:18.Damascus wee thy merchant in the multitudeof the wares of thy making, for the multitudeof all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and whitewool.— Thy preachers (merchants) were amongthe chiefest of the lofty, self-righteous, lordlyones (Damascus was capital of Syria, the highland), trading in all varieties of thy doctrines andphilosophies, especially the mixed doctrines(wine) of earthly prosperity (Helbon,fruitfulness) and in natural human righteousness(white wool).Ezekiel 27:19.Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupiedin thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus,were in thy market.— Apostate Christians (Danwas the seat of idolatry and types a class oncespirit-begotten but fallen away)FM497and Grecian pagans (Javan represented the(Greeks) preached in thy church gatherings;lordship, authority (iron), the claim of apostolicauthority (cassia, deputy-ship), and a claimedknowledge of the Bible (calamus) were in thychurches (markets).

Ezekiel 27:20.Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothesfor chariots.— Preachers of low ideals (Dedan,low) preached that thy church organizations(chariots) should be made presentable by beingrobed in the embroidery of many works, churchfairs and suppers, institutional work, and civicand social service (chariot clothes or robes).Ezekiel 27:21.Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, theyoccupied with thee in lambs, and rams, andgoats: in these were they thy merchants.—Thy preachers, with claims of consecration,separateness (Arabia, wilderness) and all thepowerful right reverends, fathers, and other lords(Kedar, powerful), they traded (exchanged fromone church to another) their converts (lambs),old church members (rams), and out-and-outtares (goats).Ezekiel 27:22.The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, theywere thy merchants: they occupied in thyfairs with chief of all spices, and with allprecious stones, and gold.— The preachers incaptivity (Sheba, captivity) to Satan, and thosewho tremble at Satan's word (Raamah,trembling) set forth a counterfeit of the HolySpirit (principal spices, Exodus 30:23), all kindsand degrees of self-development of character(precious stones), and the alleged inherent sparkof the Divine (!) in man (gold).Ezekiel 27:23.Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchantsof Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thymerchants.— The preachers of New Thought,Theosophy, Christian Science and other phasesof Spiritism, self-styled, strong and enlightened(Haran) set up and distinguished (Canneh) andbelievers in delightful delusions (Eden, delight),are in captivity (Sheba, captivity) to Satan, andreally without hope of Kingdom honors(Chilmad, level, plain, without mountains).

Ezekiel 27:24.These were thy merchants in all sorts ofthings, in blue clothes, and broidered work,and in chests of rich apparel, bound withcords, and made of cedar, among thymerchandise.— These self-reliance preachersset forth the robes of a counterfeit faithfulness(blue), fruitless works of self-improvement(broidered work), and organizations (chests)offering an imitation righteousness (richapparel), bound with cords of free-thought loveand a delusive hope, and represented as havingeternal life (cedar).Ezekiel 27:25.The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thymarket: and thou wast replenished, andmade very gloriousFM498in the midst of the seas.— The mightyindependent religious sects (ships of Tarshish—Isa. 2:16) did preach of thy philosophies andthou wast richly supported (replenished)(replenished) and made of great reputation(glorious) among the peoples and nations (seas).THE SHIP STEERED TO DESTRUCTIONEzekiel 27:16.Thy rowers have brought thee into greatwaters: the east wind hath broken thee in themidst of the seas.— The picture changes back toa gallant ship. Thy strong preachers (rowers)have steered thee into angry seas (anarchy); thedoctrines (winds) from the presence of Christ theSun of Righteousness (east wind) have brokenthy power in the midst of a time of anarchy(seas).27:27.Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise,thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, andthe occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thymen of war, that are in thee, and in all thycompany which is in the midst of thee, shall

fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thyruin.— Thy philosophies, thy churches, thydoctrines, thy preachers, thy philosophers, thyDoctors of Divinity (sky-pilots), thy churchmembers, all thy church workers, and all themultitude that come to church, shall fall in theanarchy in the day of thy ruin.Ezekiel 27:28.The suburbs shall shake at the sound of thecry of thy pilots.— Those affiliated with theeshall quake at the shoutings and threatenings ofthy sky-pilots.Ezekiel 27:29.And all that handle the oar, the mariners,and all the pilots of the sea, shall come downfrom their ships, they shall stand upon theland.— All those that work, the influentialchurch members, the preachers, and all the skypilotsof the anarchistic masses (sea) (Rev.18:17-18), shall abandon their independentorganizations or their heathen religions, and shalltry to find more solid ground to stand on thanthou wast on.Ezekiel 27:30.And shall cause their voice to be heard againstthee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast updust upon their heads, they shall wallowthemselves in the ashes.— They shall speakagainst thee, and cry out with bitterness againstthee, they shall show signs of grief.Ezekiel 27:31.And they shall make themselves utterly baldfor thee, and gird them with sackcloth, andthey shall weep for thee with bitterness ofheart and bitter walling.—It was a custom inancient times for those who had suffered greatcalamities to shave their heads. The Lordpromises such an occasion for weeping to Zion,His professed people.— Isa. 3:24.

FM499Ezekiel 27:32.And in their walling they shall take up alamentation for thee, and lament over thee,saying, What city is like Tyrus, like thedestroyed in the midst of the sea?— In theirbemoaning the downfall of so-called "Christianphilosophy" they shall lament over thee, saying,What organization was ever like Christendom,like her who has been destroyed in anarchy?Ezekiel 27:33.When thy wares went forth out of the seas,thou filledst many people; thou didst enrichthe kings of the earth with the multitude ofthy riches and of thy merchandise.— Whenthy philosophies were accepted by the masses,thou didst satisfy many people. Thou didst enrichmaterially and mentally the rulers and the clergylordsof society with thy innumerablephilosophies and thy doctrines.Ezekiel 27:34.In the time when thou shalt be broken by theseas in the depths of the waters, thymerchandise and all thy company in the midstof thee shall fall.— When thou shalt be brokenand engulfed in the roaring waves of anarchy,thy doctrines shall cease and all thy supportersshall fall.Ezekiel 27:35.All the inhabitants of the isles shall beastonished at thee, and their kings shall besore afraid, they shall be troubled in theircountenance.— All the people of therevolutionary republics shall marvel at thy fall,and the rulers of that brief era shall be troubledand afraid of meeting thy fate in the anarchy.Ezekiel 27:36.The merchants among the people shall hiss atthee; thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt beany more.— The preachers (merchants) thentaking their place among the unbelieving massesshall scoff at thee; thou shalt be a "worn-out and

wasted thing" (literal) and never shalt thou existany more.O bliss of the purified! bliss of the free!I plunge in the crimson tide opened for me;O'er sin and uncleanness exulting I stand,And point to the print of the nails in His hand..O bliss of the purified! Jesus is mine;No longer in dread condemnation I pine;In conscious salvation, I sing of His grace,Who lifteth upon me the light of His face.O Jesus, the crucified! thee will I sing.My blessed Redeemer, my God and my King;My soul filled with rapture shall shout o'er the grave,And triumph o'er death in the "Mighty to save.FM500EZEKIEL 28DESTRUCTION OF THE DEVILEzekiel 28:1.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying.— Chapter 28:1-10 depicts thedestruction of priestcraft by the sword ofrevolution and anarchy and by the Sword of theSpirit, the Word of God.END OF PRIESTCRAFTEzekiel 28:2.Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus,Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heartis lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, Isit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas;yet thou art a man, and not God, though thouset thine heart as the heart of God.— To theexalted class, the clergy (prince) of Christendom,as a system of paganized philosophy: Becauseof thy pride of heart, thou hast said through thychief representative, the Pope of Rome, I am as agod, I am the vice-gerent of Jehovah, my seat is"upon many waters" (Rev. 17:1), upon "peoplesand multitudes and nations and tongues" (Rev.17:15), yet thou art man-made, man-ordained,and not of God, not Divinely ordained, even

though thou set thine heart to pose before thepeople as Divinely ordained.Ezekiel 28:3.Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there isno secret that they can hide from thee.—Behold, thou thinkest that thou art wiser thanDaniel (Z.'05-280); that through supposed Divineinspiration, the confessional and the universalclergy-spy system, there is nothing in Heaven orearth which thou dost not know.Ezekiel 28:4.With thy wisdom and with thineunderstanding thou hast gotten thee riches,and hast gotten gold and silver into thytreasures.— With thy false philosophy and thymisunderstanding thou hast acquired riches,much gold and silver into thy treasury— many,too, of both Little Flock (gold) and GreatCompany (silver) into bondage.Ezekiel 28:5.By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hasthou increased thy riches, and thine heart islifted up because of thy riches.— By scientificsuppositions of infidel Evolution and HigherCriticism, and by good salesmanship of theseworthless goods, thou hast heaped up wealth;and thou hast become proud, because of thyriches of materials, doctrines and membership.FM501Ezekiel 28:6.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becausethou hast set thine heart as the heart ofGod.— Therefore Jehovah says, Because thouhast set thyself up in pride to be as God,claiming to represent Him on earth as God'svicegerent.Ezekiel 28:7.Behold, therefore I will bring strangers uponthee, the terrible of the nations: and theyshall draw their swords against the beauty ofthy wisdom, and they shall defile thybrightness.— I will bring upon thee paganized

anarchists, strangers to thy theories, the terror ofthe nations— and also My pilgrims andstrangers, the sons of God, those whom thyphilosophy dreadest; and the anarchists shall turntheir weapons of destruction against thee, and thesons of God shall smite with the Sword of theSpirit thy falsely beautiful philosophy, and shallexpose the real pollution of thy wisdom.Ezekiel 28:8.They shall bring thee down to the pit, andthou shalt die the deaths of them that are slainin the midst of the sea.— They shall bring theedown to a dishonored oblivion; and materiallyand religiously thou shalt die the deaths of thoseslain in the roaring waves of anarchy.Ezekiel 28:9.Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee,I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and noGod, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.—Though thou sayest to the anarchy that shall slaythee materially and to Him that shall destroy theereligiously, "I represent God!"— yet thou shaltbe seen to be man-made and not ordained byGod, in the power of the destroyer appointed byJehovah.Ezekiel 28:10.Thou shalt die the deaths of theuncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for Ihave spoken it, saith the Lord God.— Thoushalt die the deaths of the wicked by the hand ofthe anarchists, and be destroyed religiously asone of unclean conscience (uncircumcised) at thehand of the sons of God, My strangers andpilgrims in the earth (1 Pet. 1:1); for Jehovahhath spoken it.Ezekiel 28:11.Moreover the Word of the Lord came untome, saying.— Verses 11 to 26 deal with thedestruction of the Devil, pictured as the King ofTyrus.Ezekiel 28:12.

Son of man, take up a lamentation upon theKing of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saiththe Lord God; Thou sealest up the turn, fullof wisdom and perfect in beauty.— Satan, theDevil, the father of lies and king overChristendom's system of pagan philosophy, is bynature the summation of perfection, thepersonification of Wisdom (Wisdom was one ofthe cherubs) and by nature perfect in the beautyof holiness.— Z.'03-135.Ezekiel 28:13.Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;every precious stone was thy covering thesardius, topaz, andFM502the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and thejasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and thecarbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thytabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in theein the day that thou wast created.— Thou wastin the garden of Eden at the fall of man. Everygood fruit of character wast thine adornment(Rev. 21:18-21); with this perfection of characterendowment thou wast created.Ezekiel 28:14.Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;and I have set thee so; thou wast upon theHoly mountain of God; thou hast walked upand down in the midst of the atones of fire.—Before thy fall thou wast appointed the caretaker(coverer) of the innocent pair in Eden.Thou wast the embodiment of Wisdom (cherub),and endowed with the Holy Spirit (anointed);and I so made thee. Thou wast in high position inthe holy heavenly Kingdom of God (Eph. 6:12);thou hast had thy course of life among God'sholy angels Isa. 14:13)— stars, fiery stones.Ezekiel 28:15, 16.Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the daythat thou wast created, till iniquity was foundin thee. By the multitude of thy merchandisethey have filled the midst of thee withviolence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I

will cent thee as profane out of the mountainof God: and I will destroy thee, O coveringcherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.—By their multitudinous trading in mixeddoctrines (merchandise) "for revenue only" thyadherents, demons and clergy, have filled thyfollowing with violence and warfare; and thouhast sinned unto death. Therefore I will cast theeas polluted out of the Kingdom of God (A318);and I will destroy thee from amongst My holyangels.Ezekiel 28:17.Thine heart was lifted up because of thybeauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom byreason of thy brightness; I will cast thee to theground, I will lay thee before kings, that theymay behold thee.— Thou becamest proudbecause of thine endowment of beauteouscharacter. Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom byreason of thy conceited teaching of counterfeitwisdom (brightness); I will humble thee to thedust, and expose thy real character.Ezekiel 28:18.Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by themultitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity ofthy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a firefrom the midst of thee, it shall devour thee,and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earthin the sight of all them that behold thee.—Thou hast defiled the churches of Christendomby thine iniquitous doctrines and the teaching ofthem. Therefore I will utterly destroy thee withannihilation, and thy following with anarchy, inthe sight of all that behold thee, in Heaven andon earth.FM503Ezekiel 28:19.All they that know thee among the peopleshall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be aterror, and never shalt thou be any more.—All shall marvel at thy destruction; thou shallbecome wasted, devastated (a terror), and nevershalt thou exist any more.

CHURCHIANITY TO BE DESTROYEDEzekiel 28:20.Again the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying,— Verses 20 to 26 relate to thedestruction of organized Churchianity.Ezekiel 28:21.Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, andprophesy against it.— Zidon meant "fortress";and the fortress or churchianity since the thirdcentury A. D. has been the doctrine that, to besaved, men must belong to a churchorganization. The King of Zidon typed the Devil.Ezekiel 28:22.And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iam against thee, O Zidon; and I will beglorified in the midst of thee; and they shallknow that I am the Lord, when I shall haveexecuted judgments in her, and shall besanctified in her.— God says, I am against thee,organized churchianity, and I will be glorifiedand made holy in thee, only, when I haveexecuted retribution and justice upon thee.Ezekiel 28:23.For I will send into her pestilence, and bloodinto her streets; and the wounded shall bejudged in the midst of her by the sword uponher on every side; and they shall know that Iam the Lord.— For I will afflict thee with literaland spiritual sickness and death (shed blood).Ezekiel 28:24.And there shall be no more a pricking briorunto the house of Israel, nor any grievousthorn of all that are round about them, thatdespised them; and they shall know that I amthe Lord God.— The adherents to the churchorganizationidea have persecuted and dispersedboth Jews and Christians, but they shall do so nomore.Ezekiel 28:25, 26.Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall havegathered the house of Israel from the people

among whom they are scattered, and shall besanctified in them in the sight of the heathen,then shall they dwell in their land that I havegiven to My servant Jacob. And they shalldwell safely therein, and shall build houses,and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell withconfidence, when I have executed judgmentsupon all those that despise them round aboutthem; and they shall know that I am the Lordtheir God.— The Jews shall enjoy God's earthlyblessings, and the true Christians His Heavenlyblessings, when He has executed justly earnedjudgments upon the people that have adhered toor taught the belong-to-a-church-or-go-to-hellidea.— Z.'94-76.FM504EZEKIEL 29THE EGYPTIANS A TYPEEzekiel 29:1.In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in thetwelfth day of the month, the Word of theLord came unto me, saying.— Chapters 29 to32 are directed against Egypt, its king andpeople, and against the surrounding peoples.Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt,and was known as Mizraim, which meant"Middle Country," and typed organized,entrenched and enthroned middle-courseworldliness. The word Egypt means "that bindsor oppresses," and signifies the bondage of theLord's people to the oppressive, enslaving spiritof the world— the spirit that slew our Lord (Rev.11:8), and has enslaved and slain millions ofGod's saints. Chapter 29:1-7 representsworldliness as a crocodile, the dragon ofRevelation 12:3, etc.Ezekiel 29:2.Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh, kingof Egypt, and prophesy against him, andagainst all Egypt.— This message is againstSatan, the Devil, the king of this present evilworld, and against all worldliness.

Ezekiel 29:3.Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God;Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king ofEgypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midstof his rivers, which hath said, My river ismine own, and I have made it for myself.—Jehovah says, I am against thee, Satan (Pharaohmeans the sun, the god of the sun worshipper,the Devil), the great wicked dragon, also calledPagan Rome (later Papal Rome), that dwells inthe midst of the church denominations (rivers,channels of Truth), and says, The church systemis mine own, and I (not God) made it for my ownpurposes.Ezekiel 29:4.But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I willcause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thyscales, and I will bring thee up out of themidst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thyrivers shall stick unto thy scales.— God willbind thy utterances (jaws) with a chain (hookmeans chain or ring) (Rev. 20:1), and will causethy active worldly church members and otheradherents in thy churches (rivers) to adhere tothy protecting doctrines (scales) and will alienatethy churches from thee (corresponds to drying upEuphrates) and from all thy active supporters.FM505Ezekiel 29:5.And I will leave thee thrown into thewilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers:thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shaltnot be brought together, nor gathered: I havegiven thee for meat to the beasts of the fieldand to the fowls of the heaven.— And I willcause thee to be forsaken (in the wilderness),thee and all thy adherents (fish). Thou shalt fallunprotected into the hands of a cold, cruel world(open fields), not to be established again inpower, but to be destroyed by the evilrevolutionary governments (beasts) of the world(field), in world-wide revolution, and by wickedcriminals, jail birds (fowls) and anarchists.

Ezekiel 29:6.And the inhabitants of Egypt shall know thatI am the Lord, because they have been a staffof reed to the house of Israel.— The worldlypeople who have been no real support to eitherJews or true Christians (Isa. 36:6; Z.'95-144),shall realize that Jehovah is the Lord.Ezekiel 29:7.When they took hold of thee by thy hand,thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder:and when they leaned upon thee, thoubrakest, and madest all their loins to be at astand.—When they in their weakness sought some aid ofthee, thou didst roughly abuse them; and didsttry to destroy them in persecution.Ezekiel 29:8, 9.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iwill bring a sword upon thee, and cut off manand beast out of thee. And the land of Egyptshall be desolate and waste; and they shallknow that I am the Lord: because he hathsaid, The river is mine, and I have made it.—And worldliness shall be destroyed, and thepeople shall know Jehovah as He is; becauseSatan said, The churches are mine.Ezekiel 29:10.Behold, therefore I am against thee, andagainst thy rivers, and I will make the land ofEgypt utterly waste and desolate, from thetower of Syene oven unto the border ofEthiopia.—I am against thee and thy churches,and will utterly destroy worldliness from end toend.Ezekiel 29:11, 12.No foot of man shall pass through it, nor footof beast shall pass through it, neither shall itbe inhabited forty years. And I will make theland of Egypt desolate in the midst of thecountries that are desolate, and her citiesamong the cities that are laid waste shall bedesolate forty years: and I will scatter the

Egyptians among the nations, and willdisperse them through the countries.—Christendom shall be uninhabited and desolatefor forty years after its devastation.Ezekiel 29:13.Yet thus saith the Lord God; At the end offorty years will I gather the Egyptians fromthe people whither they were scattered.—After forty years God will gather into theKingdom the scattered worldly people.FM506CHRISTENDOM'S FUTURE CONDITIONEzekiel 29:14.And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt,and will cause them to return into the land ofPathros, into the land of their habitation; andthey shall be there a base kingdom.— And willbring them back from the dead into their owncountry, where they shall be insignificant.Ezekiel 29:15.It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neithershall it exalt itself any more above the nations:for I will diminish them, that they shall nomore rule over the nations.— This has beenliterally fulfilled upon Egypt, which for manycenturies has not enjoyed self-government.Ezekiel 29:16.And it shall be no more the confidence of thehouse of Israel, which bringeth their iniquityto remembrance, when they shall look afterthem: but they shall know that I am the LordGod.— Neither Jews nor Christians shall everagain look to the worldly people (Egypt), (Isa.30:1-5) for help; for the sight of the worldly willmake them remember Christendom's iniquity.Ezekiel 29:17, 18.And it came to pass in the seven and twentiethyear, in the first month, in the first day of themonth, the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king ofBabylon caused his army to serve a great

service against Tyrus: every head was madebald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet hadhe no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for theservice that he had served against it.— Theforces of anarchy's king, the Devil, will performa great service in the Divine Plan of the Ages,but there will be nothing in it for the anarchists.Ezekiel 29:19.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iwill give the land of Egypt untoNebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shalltake her multitude, and take her spoil, andtake her prey; and it shall be the wages of hisarmy.— Jehovah will live worldly Christendomto anarchy; and this shall be the material rewardof the forces of anarchy.Ezekiel 29:20.I have given him the land of Egypt for hislabour wherewith he served against it,because they wrought for Me, saith the LordGod.— God will give worldly Christendom toanarchy, for its labor in serving the interests ofGod's plans against pagan religion masqueradingas Christendom, because in doing so anarchywill do its part.Ezekiel 29:21.In that day will I cause the horn of the houseof Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee theopening of the mouth in the midst of them;and they shall know that I am the Lord.—During the Time of Trouble God will cause thepower (T42) of the Jews to bud forth in Zionism,and make known the glad tidings of theKingdom, taught in Studies in the Scriptures.—Isa. 19:1-25.

FM507EZEKIEL 30PHARAOH'S TWO ARMS BROKENEzekiel 30:1, 2.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying, Son of Man, prophesy and say, Thussaith the Lord God, Howl ye, Woe worth theday.— Thus saith Jehovah: Weep, and cry! Owoeful day!Ezekiel 30:3.For the day is near, even the day of the Lordis near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time ofthe heathen.— The day is near, the day ofJehovah, a gloomy day— the time of infidelanarchy!— Joel 1:15; Zeph. 1:7.Ezekiel 30:4.And the sword shall come upon Egypt, andgreat pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slainshall fall in Egypt, and they shall take awayher multitude, and her foundations shall bebroken down.— The weapons of anarchy andthe Sword of the Spirit shall come againstworldly Christendom. Great distress shall beupon non-church members (Ethiopia, black)socialists, laborites and revolutionists, whenChristendom's slain shall fall literally andspiritually, when her multitude shall abandonher, and when her foundations— social,economic, moral and religious— shall be brokendown in war, revolution and anarchy.Ezekiel 30:5.Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all themingled people, and Chub, and the men of theland that is in league, shall fall with them bythe sword.— The worst peoples, darkerreligiously and morally— the socialists, laboritesand revolutionists, in touch with worldlyChristendom— shall fall with Christendom byliteral weapons and by the Word of God.

Ezekiel 30:6.Thus saith the Lord; They also that upholdEgypt shall fall; and the pride of her powershall come down: from the tower of Syeneshall they fall in it by the sword, saith theLord God.— All supporters of worldlyChristendom shall fall; her pride of power shallbe humbled; from end to end of Christendomshall they fall.Ezekiel 30:7.And they shall be desolate in the midst of thecountries that are desolate, and her cities shallbe in the midst of the cities that are wasted.—Worldly Christendom shall be utterly desolated.Ezekiel 30:8.And they shall know that I am the Lord, whenI have set a fire in Egypt, and when all herhelpers shall be destroyed.— They shall knowthat Jehovah permitted anarchyFM508to start in Christendom, and will recognize Him,when they see that all their helpers are destroyed.REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLICS TO BEOVERTHROWN IN ANARCHYEzekiel 30:9.In that day shall messengers go forth from mein ships to make the careless Ethiopiansafraid, and great pain shall come upon them,as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.— Atthe time of Christendom's fall, the message fromGod shall be borne by independent religiousorganizations to the too-confident socialists,laborites, and revolutionists that shall make themafraid of anarchy, and great distress shall ensueupon them, as in Christendom's fall.Ezekiel 30:10.Thus saith the Lord God; I will also make themultitude of Egypt to cease by the hand ofNebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.— God willmake the multitude of adherents to worldlyChristendom to cease adhering to her, by the

power of revolution and anarchy and theirinstigator, the Devil.Ezekiel 30:11.He and his people with him, the terrible of thenations, shall be brought to destroy the land:and they shall draw their swords againstEgypt, and fill the land with the slain.— Satanand his followers— devils and humans— themost terrible of all the nations— the anarchists—shall destroy Christendom's worldly order ofthings. They shall attack Christendom with theirweapons and fill the land with their slain— aswill the Sword of the Spirit with those slainspiritually.Ezekiel 30:12.And I will make the rivers dry, and sell theland into the hand of the wicked: and I willmake the land waste, and all that is therein,by the hand of strangers: I the Lord havespoken it.— God will cause the denominationsto become dry of members and of money, willgive the order of things over into the power ofthe wicked anarchists, and will desolateChristendom's order of things and all belongingto it, literally by the power of anarchists,strangers to the existing order of things, andspiritually by the sons of God.Ezekiel 30:13.Thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroythe idols, and I will cause their images to ceaseout of Noph; and there shall be no more aprince of the land of Egypt: and I will put afear in the land of Egypt.— God will destroyChristendom's idols of love of gold, power, etc(Jer. 43:12, 13), and will cause these gods tocease among the more prosperous people ofChristendom (Noph was the Delta and richer partof Egypt); and there shall be noFM509more an exalted class, a worldly clergy class, inChristendom; but God will put in her fear andfailing of heart.

Ezekiel 30:14.And I will make Pathros desolate, and will setfire in Zoan, and will execute judgments inNo.— God will make the upper classes (Pathros,upper Egypt), desolate, will permit anarchy anddestruction to start among them (Zoan, capital ofEgypt), and will execute retributive judgmentsupon the leaders of the upper classes (No, capitalof Upper Egypt).Ezekiel 30:15.And I will pour My fury upon Sin, thestrength of Egypt; and I will cut off themultitude of No.— God will pour His fury uponPapacy, the strength of worldly Christendom,and will cut off the multitudes that support theupper classes.Ezekiel 30:16.And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall havegreat pain, and No shall be rent asunder, andNoph shall have distresses daily.— God will letanarchy start in Christendom. Papacy shall havegreat distress; the upper classes shall be rentasunder, and the lower classes shall suffer dailydistress.Ezekiel 30:17.The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shallfall by the sword: and these cities shall gointo captivity.— The young men who followChristendom's vain show (Aven, vanity), and herhonors (Pi-beseth, very exalted), shall fall by thesword of anarchy; for these things shall come totheir end in anarchy.Ezekiel 30:18, 19.At Tehaphnehes also the day shall bedarkened, when I shall break there the yokesof Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shallcease in her: as for her, a cloud shall coverher, and her daughters shall go into captivity.Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: andthey shall know that I am the Lord.— For thelower classes also (Tehaphnehes, in LowerEgypt), it shall be a dark day when God breaksthe bondage imposed by worldly Christendom.

Her pompous power shall cease. A cloud oftrouble shall cover her, and her churches(daughters) shall be taken and lost in anarchy.CHURCH AND STATE GO DOWN TOGETHEREzekiel 30:20, 21.And it came to pass in the eleventh year, inthe first month, in the seventh day of themonth, that the word of the Lord came untome, saying, Son of man, I have broken thearm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shallnot be bound up to be healed, to put a rollerto bind it, to make it strong to hold thesword.— Ecclesiasticism, Satan's right arm shallbe broken, never to be healed. The Lord's timefor their punishment has come.FM510Ezekiel 30:22.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iam against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and willbreak his arms, the strong, and that whichwas broken; and I will cause the sword to fallout of his hand.— God is against Satan, themighty king of worldliness, and will break alsothe civil powers, and make him powerless to usehis sword.Ezekiel 30:23.And I will scatter the Egyptians among thenations, and will disperse them through thecountries.— God will scatter the worldly peopleamong the anarchists.Ezekiel 30:24.And I will strengthen the arms of the king ofBabylon, and put My Sword in his hand: but Iwill break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groanbefore him with the groanings of a deadlywounded man.— God will strengthen the civiland philosophic (infidel, anarchistic religions)powers of Anarchy; and anarchy shall both usethe Bible (God's Sword) and shall wield thesword of earthly weapons, as His own sword;

and this evil order of things, with powers brokendown, shall utter its dying groans of distress.Ezekiel 30:25.But I will strengthen the arms of the king ofBabylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall falldown; and they shall know that I am theLord, when I shall put My sword into thehand of the king of Babylon, and he shallstretch it out upon the land of Egypt.— Butthis order of things, with powers broken, and theanarchistic state of affairs with strengthenedpower, shall realize that it is of Jehovah's might,when anarchy grows in power and attacks theexisting order of things.30:26. EzekielAnd I will scatter the Egyptians among thenations, and disperse them among thecountries; and they shall know that I am theLord.— And the worldly peoples scatteredeverywhere, shall by the fulfillment of thisprophecy know that Jehovah rules in the affairsof men.Mine eyes can see the glory of the presence of the Lord;He is trampling out the winepress where his grapes of wrath are stored;I see the flaming tempest of His swift descending Sword:Our King is marching on.I can see His coming judgments, as they circle all the earth,The signs and groanings promised, to precede a second birth;I read His righteous sentence, in the crumbling thrones of earth:Our King is marching on.FM511EZEKIEL 31CHRISTENDOM NOT TO ENDUREEzekiel 31:1, 2. And it came to pass in theeleventh year, in the third month, in the firstday of the month, that the Word of the Lordcame unto me, saying, Son of man, speak untoPharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude;Whom art thou like in thy greatness?—Chapter 31 represents Christendom as a cedartree which is cut down. It opens with a message

especting Satan (Pharaoh, the sungod) king ofworldly Christendom (Egypt) and her multitudes.What comparison could be made of hergreatness!Ezekiel 31:3.Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanonwith fair branches, and with a shadowingshroud, and of a high stature; and his top wasamong the thick boughs.— Behold, Satan andhis counterfeit Christian system (tree; "Assyrian"should probably read "teashur," a box-tree),thought of as never to end (cedar, type of manwith eternal life), and as a righteous kingdom(Lebanon, a mountain, white, snowy), having asmembers (branches, like the branches ofChristendom) the great, the evil and the good,worldly people, with protecting power(shadowing shroud) and very prominent, withthe greatest people at the very top.Ezekiel 31:4.The waters made him great, the deep set himup on high with her rivers running about hisplants, and sent out her little rivers unto allthe trees of the field.— The peoples and thesecular truth (waters) made Satan's system great;the great nations and the apparently profoundtruths of liberty, fraternity and equality, made itprominent, with its roots (plantings) nourishedby nations and sects (rivers) and sending outnational and denominational influencesthroughout all the systems of the world.Ezekiel 31:5.Therefore his height was exalted above all thetrees of the field, and his boughs weremultiplied, and his branches became longbecause of the multitude of waters, when heshot forth.— Therefore Christendom'sprominence was exalted above everything like itin the world; and its mighty members wereincreased in number and made of far reachinginfluence, because of the multitude of theirpeople and of their teachings.

Ezekiel 31:6.All the fowls of heaven made their nests in hisboughs, and under his branches did all thebeasts of the field bring forth their young, andunder his shadow dweltFM512all great nations.— All the jail-birds (fowls) ofthe powers of spiritual control, made their churchorganizations (nests) among its members; andunder the power of its membership (branches)did all of the governments (beasts) of this world(field) bring forth their progeny; and under itsdefense (shadow) dwelt all nations.Ezekiel 31:7.Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the lengthof his branches: for his root was by greatwaters.— Thus was it magnificent in itsgreatness, and in the extent of its ramifications;for it was rooted in great peoples and in greatsecular truths.Ezekiel 31:8.The cedars in the garden of God could nothide him: the fir trees were not like hisboughs, and the chestnut trees were not likehis branches; not any tree in the garden ofGod was like unto him in his beauty.— InChristendom's egotism there was nothing equalto her in this age or the next.Ezekiel 31:9.I have made him fair by the multitude of hisbranches; so that all the trees of Eden, thatwere in the garden of God, envied him.—Christendom felt itself the envy of everything,present and to come.Ezekiel 31:10.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Becausethou hast lifted up thyself in height, and hehath shot up his top among the thick boughs,and his heart is lifted up in his height.—Because of Christendom's self-exaltation andpride.

Ezekiel 31:11.I have therefore delivered him into the handof the mighty one of the heathen; he shallsurely deal with him: I have driven him outfor his wickedness.— God will deliverChristendom into the power of the god (el,mighty one) of the heathen, the devil himself; Heshall surely deal vengeance to her; He will driveher out of existence.Ezekiel 31:12.And strangers, the terrible of the nations,have cut him off, and have left him: upon themountains and in all the valleys his branchesare fallen, and his boughs are broken by allthe rivers of the land; and all the people of theearth are gone down from his shadow, andhave left him.— The anarchists, the terror of thenations, will lay her low; upon the kingdoms(mountains), and among the people (valleys) hermembers (branches) will fall, and be broken offby her seceding denominations; all the people ofthis order of things will leave her protection, andabandon her.Ezekiel 31:13.Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heavenremain, and all the beasts of the field shall beupon his branches.— The jail-birds ofecclesiasticism, and all the revolutionarygovernments of this state of affairs, shall profitby her ruin and through her members (branches).FM513Ezekiel 31:14.To the end that none of all the trees by thewaters exalt themselves for their height,neither shoot up their top among the thickoughs, neither their trees stand up in theirheight, all that drink water; for they are alldelivered unto death, to the nether parts ofthe earth, in the midst of the children of men,with them that go down to the pit.— No otherearthly system may follow her proud example;for all of them are delivered, as systems, into

death, to a dishonored place among the lowest insociety.Ezekiel 31:15.Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when hewent down to the grave I caused a mourning:I covered the deep for him, and I restrainedthe floods thereof, and the great waters werestayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn forhim, and all the trees of the field fainted forhim.— In the year 1918, when Christendomshall go down as a system to oblivion, (Sheol) tobe succeeded by revolutionary republics, Godwill cause mourning. He will restrain and deferfor a brief period the threatening waves ofanarchy. He will cause the nations to mourn forChristendom, and all the man-made systems(trees) of the world (field) to become weak onaccount of her fall.— E392, 372.Ezekiel 31:16.I made the nations to shake at the sound of hisfall, when I cast him down to hell (Sheol) withthem that descend to the pit: and all the treesof Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, allthat drink water, shall be comforted in thenether-parts of the earth.— God will cause thenations to shake with gigantic revolutions, whenHe shall cast worldly Christendom, as anorganized system, down to oblivion (as He didthe Jews in the Dives parable).Ezekiel 31:17They also went down into hell (Sheol) withhim, unto them that be slain with the sword;and they that were in his arm, that dweltunder his shadow in the midst of theheathen.— But they also shall go down tooblivion (Sheol) (E392,372), with Christendom,as well as those that were her power, that dweltunder her defense among the people.Ezekiel 31:18.To whom art thou thus like in glory ingreatness among the trees of Eden? yetthough shalt be brought down with the treesof Eden unto the nether parts of the earth;

thou shalt lie in the midst of theuncircumcised with them that be slain by thesword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,saith the Lord God.— Though worldlyChristendom is unsurpassed in glory and ingreatness among other systems, yet shall she bebrought down to be one of the most disesteemedgrades of the social order; she shalt be counted asone of the ungodly. The Egyptians practicedcircumcision, typical of worldly Christendom'scounterfeit ease of conscience through belief inerror. This is said of Satan, the god ofChristendom and all his multitude.FM514Ezekiel 32:1, 2.EZEKIEL 32CHRISTENDOM'SUTTER DOWNFALLAnd it came to pass in the twelfth year, in thetwelfth month, in the first day of the month,that the word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation forPharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him,Thou art like a young lion of the nations, andthou art as a whale in the seas: and thoucamest forth with thy rivers, and troubledstthe waters with thy feet, and fouledst theirrivers.— In Chapter 32 Christendom'sdestruction is depicted in several ways: as thecatching of a sea monster (32:1-6); as the puttingout of her light (32:7-8); also, in addition thedownfall of her systems (32:9-10) as a worldlysystem destroyed by anarchy (32:11-16); as thegoing down of worldly Christendom to oblivion(32:17-21); as the fall into oblivion of theanarchists (32:22-23); of the Eastern mysticismin Christendom (32:24-25); of her worst classes(32:26-28); of the worldly religious people(32:29); of the church organization ofecclesiasticism (32:30), and of Christendom'sking, Satan, and all his multitudes. (32:31-32.)The message begins with a lamentation overSatan (Pharaoh), king of worldly Christendom

(Egypt), and his visible representatives, theapostate clergy. Among the nations they are as alion in power and ferocity (lion also symbolizesthe Devil); and as a monstrous power (whale)among the peoples (seas); they came with theirsects (rivers), and muddled the Truth (waters)with their earthly-minded members, the clergy(feet), and filled their churches (rivers) withworldliness.Ezekiel 32:3.Thus saith the Lord God; I will thereforespread out My net over thee with a companyof many people; and they shall bring thee upin My net.— God will gradually bring the Timeof Trouble upon Christendom like a snare, as amovement toward liberty for the people, througha multitude of progressives, radicals,revolutionists and anarchists; and these shallensnare her unknowingly in the great tribulation,and bring her up out of favor with the people(out of the sea.)Ezekiel 32:4.Then will I leave thee upon the land, I willcast thee forth upon the open field, and willcause all the fowls of the heaven to remainupon thee, and I will fill the beasts of thewhole earth with thee.— Then God will leaveherFM515defenseless against the whole world, and willcause the worst classes (birds) of an apostateChristianity (heavens) to feed upon her, and willcause the evil revolutionary governments(beasts) of the whole earth to fill themselves upwith her former members.Ezekiel 32:5.And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains,and fill the valleys with thy height.— And herprominent members shall die, and of her lesserpeople a great number.

Ezekiel 32:6.I will also water with thy blood the landwherein thou swimmest, even to themountains; and the rivers shall be full ofthee.— The loss of life shall extend to herhighest government officials and rulers(mountain); and the churches shall be full of herdead.Ezekiel 32:7, 8.And when I shall put thee out, I will cover theheaven, and make the stars thereof dark; Iwill cover the sun with a cloud, and the moonshall not give her light. All the bright lights ofheaven will I make dark over thee, and setdarkness upon thy land, saith the LordGod.— When God shall put out Christendom'slight in 1918. He will blind the minds ofecclesiasticism (heaven) (A318), and deprivetheir pulpit stars of wisdom from the trueapostolic stars, the Apostles. (D591). He willdarken the understanding of the Gospel (sun) ofJesus Christ (D590) with the cloud of the Timeof Trouble; and the light (truth) of the MosaicLaw shall not shine forth in her.Ezekiel 32:9.I will also vex the hearts of many people,when I shall bring thy destruction among thenations, into the countries which thou hast notknown.— God will also trouble the hearts ofmany other peoples, when He shall visit thesame Time of Trouble upon other nations, wherethe clergy had no sway.Ezekiel 32:10.Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee,and their kings shall be horribly afraid forthee, when I shall brandish My Sword beforethem; and they shall tremble at everymoment, every man for his own life, in theday of thy fall.— Yea, He will make manynations to marvel at Christendom's fall; and theirrulers shall fear and quake on account of herdestruction, when they are threatened with

destruction by anarchy. Every moment shallevery man of them tremble for his life.Ezekiel 32:11.For thus saith the Lord God; The sword ofthe king of Babylon shall come upon thee.—The destructive weapons of the Devil, the Kingof Confusion (Babylon), of Anarchy, shall beturned against worldly Christendom.Ezekiel 32:12.By the swords of the mighty will I cause thymultitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, allof them: and they shall spoil the pomp ofEgypt, and all the multitude thereof shall bedestroyed.— By the weapons of aFM516mighty, revolted soldiery will God cause theirmultitudes to fall, even all the terrible men of allChristendom; and the anarchists shall take astheir spoil the pomp of the nations, and all theadherents of the nations of Christendom shallcease to support them.Ezekiel 32:13.I will destroy also all the beasts thereof frombeside the great waters; neither shall the footof man trouble them any more, nor the hoofsof beasts trouble them.— God will destroy allof the ferocious governments from beside thegreat nations (waters); neither shall worldly mentrouble the people any more, nor thedowntreading oppression of savage governmentsmake them trouble.Ezekiel 32:14.Then will I make their waters deep, and causetheir rivers to run like oil, saith the LordGod.— Then will God give the people peace(deep waters), and make their course to run withquiet smoothness. They shall know the deepthings of God, and have the Holy Spirit.Ezekiel 32:15.When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate,and the country shall be destitute of that

whereof it was full, when I shall smite all themthat dwell thereln, then shall they know that Iam the Lord.— When God shall have madeworldly Christianity desolate, and worldlinessshall be destitute of its prosperous worldlings,when He shall have smitten with the greattribulation all that are at home in theirworldliness, then, in the better days to come,shall they know Him as He is.Ezekiel 32:16.This is the lamentation wherewith they shalllament her: the daughters of the nations shalllament her: they shall lament for her, evenfor Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith theLord God.— The heathen religions (daughters)shall lament worldly Christendom's downfall,and the downfall of her adherents.Ezekiel 32:17, 18.It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in thefifteenth day of the month, that the word ofthe Lord came unto me saying, Son of man,wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast themdown, even her, and the daughters of thefamous nations, unto the nether parts of theearth, with them that go down into the pit.—These verses depict the mourning for themultitudes of worldy Christians, tares, when theyand worldly Christendom and the churches(daughters) of the great powers (nations), arecast down to the disesteemed lower strata of thesocial order, with those that die a disreputabledeath (pit).Ezekiel 32:19.Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down,and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.—Worldly Christendom has imagined herself ofunsurpassable desirability,FM517but she shall go down to oblivion, with thoseregarded as polluted (uncircumcised).

Ezekiel 32:20.They shall fall in the midst of them that areslain by the sword: she is delivered to thesword: draw her and all her multitudes.—Her populace shall fall by weapons ofdestruction, and by the Sword of the Spirit; she isdelivered to destruction. They shall draw her as asystem, and her adherents, as adherents, away forburial!Ezekiel 32:21.The strong among the mighty shall speak tohim out of the midst of hell with them thathelp him: they are gone down, they lieuncircumcised, slain by the sword.— The onestrong among Christendom's great men, nolonger men of power, and those that helped hershall speak of her downfall, in their fallencondition (Sheol); they shall have fallen fromhigh positions, and be as men outcast andpolluted, reduced to lowliness by the might ofanarchy, and by the Sword of the Spirit.— E392,372.Ezekiel 32:22, 23.Asshur is there and all her company: hisgraves are about him: all of them slain, fallenby the sword: Whose graves are set in thesides of the pit, and her company is roundabout her grave; all of them slain, fallen bythe sword, which caused terror in the land ofthe living.— The revolutionists (Asshur,Assyria, the revolutionary anarchists) inmultitudes shall go down to oblivion, deadliterally or dead to their order of things.Ezekiel 32:24.There is Elam and all her multitude roundabout her grave; all of them slain, fallen bythe sword, which are gone downuncircumcised into the nether parts of theearth, which caused their terror in the land ofthe living; yet have they borne their shamewith them that go down to the pit.— There inoblivion shall be buried New Thought, ChristianScience, and other forms of Oriental religion or

Mysticism (Elam, Persia, home of Mysticism),and the multitude of their believers, ceased thento be mystics; all fallen by the literal sword or bythe Sword of the Spirit.Ezekiel 32:25.They have set her a bed in the midst of theslain with all her multitude: her graves areround about him: all of them uncircumcised,slain by the sword: though their terror wascaused in the land of the living, yet have theyborne their shame with them that go down tothe pit: he is put in the midst of them that beslain.— The anarchists shall put Mysticism torest in destruction.Ezekiel 32:26.There is Meshech, Tubal, and all hermultitude: her graves are round about him:all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword,though they caused their terror in the land ofthe living.— There shall be the worst classes ofChristendom, the anarchists themselves, inoblivion, all in disrepute, destroyed in thedestruction they wrought.FM518Ezekiel 32:27.And they shall not lie with the mighty that arefallen of the uncircumcised, which are gonedown to hell with their weapons of war: andthey have laid their swords under their heads,but their iniquities shall be upon their bones,though they were the terror of the mighty inthe land of the Iiving.— And they shall not bementioned, not even with these great men whohave gone down as evil but with some smalldegree of repute; and with them shall be the endof war (H16); but the very memory of theanarchists shall be as of iniquity personified.Ezekiel 32:28.Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of theuncircumcised, and shalt lie with them thatare slain with the sword.— They shall bethought of as evil only, slain with the sword, anddisesteemed by the Word of God.

Ezekiel 32:29.There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes,which with their might are laid by them thatwere slain by the sword: they shall Iie withthe uncircumcised, and with them that godown to the pit.— In the general ruin shall beworldly apostate persecuting Christendom, slainby anarchy's weapons and by the Word of God.They shall be polluted, and come to adisreputable end.ORGANIZED ECCLESIASTICISM GONEEzekiel 32:30.There be the princes of the north, all of them,and all the Zidonians, which are gone downwith the slain; with their terror they areashamed of their might; and they lieuncircumcised with them that be slain by thesword, and bear their shame with them thatgo down to the pit.— The great ecclesiasticallords (north) and all the adherents of the belongto-a-church-or-go-to-helldoctrine (Zidonians,among whom was Jezebel) shall go to oblivion.Though a dreadful terror in their activities, theyshall be ashamed; they shall go down, aspolluted with iniquity.Ezekiel 32:31.Pharaoh shall see them, and shall becomforted over all his multitude, evenPharaoh and all his army slain by the sword,saith the Lord God.— Satan (Pharaoh), the godof worldly Christendom, then bound for athousand years, shall see the fall of these hismultitudes, slain by the literal sword, or by theWord of God.Ezekiel 32:32.For I have caused My terror in the land of theliving: and he shall be laid in the midst of theuncircumcised with them that are slain withthe sword, even Pharaoh and all hismultitude, saith the Lord God.— Satan and hismultitude shall cease to trouble the earth, gone

down finally to oblivion, as one polluted with'iniquity.From chapters 25 to 32 Ezekiel prophesiedagainst seven foreign nations (Ammon, Moab,Edom, Philistia, Lyre, Sidon and Egypt),indicating ALL non-Christian elements.FM519EZEKIEL 33WHY ECCLESIASTICISMMUST PERISHEzekiel 33:1, 2.Again the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, speak to the children ofthy people, and say unto them, When I bringthe sword upon a land, if the people of theland take a man of their coasts, and set himfor their watchman.— A mutual responsibilityexists between one of God's watchmen and Hispeople, the one to speak and the other to listen.(33:1-19.) Ezekiel recites his warning ofJerusalem's fall. (33:20-29.) The people listen,but do not believe. (33:30-33.) This chapterrepeats the statements of 3:17-21 and 18:5-29regarding the watchman set to warn the people ofChristendom, his message and responsibility,and the responsibility of the Christian peopletoward the watchman— Pastor Russell, and hismessage and warning from God. "A man of theircoasts" refers to the clergy class appointed andordained by the people, and set by them as theirwatchman.Ezekiel 33:3.If when he seeth the sword come upon theland, he blow the trumpet, and warn thepeople.— Who of the clergy class have blownthe trumpet of Truth and warned "their" peopleof the impending doom of Christendom?Ezekiel 33:4.Then whosoever heareth the sound of thetrumpet, and taketh not warning; if the swordcome, and take him away, his blood shall be

upon his own head. He heard the sound of thetrumpet, and took not warning; his bloodshall be upon him. But he that taketh warningshall deliver his soul.— The people who haveheard the warning have only themselves toblame.— Isa. 58:1.Ezekiel 33:6.But if the watchman see the sword come, andblow not the trumpet, and the people be notwarned; if the sword come, and take anyperson from among them, he is taken away inhis iniquity; but his blood will I require at thewatchman's hand.— The clergy have an awfulresponsibility. Faithful watching on their partwith their great influence among the people,would have saved tens of millions from physicaldeath, and a host from the religious death thatwill overtake so many. The outraged people willturn on the clergy, as they did in the FrenchRevolution, and in a frightful carnival will exactfull toll for the lives lost in war. Responsibilityfor the Time of Trouble lies squarely at the doorof ecclesiasticism; forFM520had the clergy taken a united stand upon theWord of God against industrial, social, political,moral and religious evils, they could havereformed Christendom and prevented the worldwar and the ensuing revolution and anarchy. OurLord said, prophetically, "Upon this generationshall come all the blood— to the blood ofZechariah, whom you will murder between thesanctuary and the altar." (Matt. 23:35 Diaglott,foot-note.)Josephus says of this man that he boldly accusedthe clergy of Jerusalem with being the cause ofthe trouble upon the city. He was tried, accusedof inciting anarchy, was found innocent, and wasthen slain by the clergy class. His fate representsexperiences coming upon the Lord's true peopleshortly.

Ezekiel 33:7-9.So thou, O son of man, I have set thee awatchman unto the house of Israel; thereforethou shalt hear the word at My mouth, andwarn them from Me. When I say unto thewicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die;if thou dost not speak to warn the wickedfrom his way, that wicked man shall die in hisiniquity; but his blood shall I require at thinehand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked ofhis way to turn from it; if he do not turn fromhis way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thouhast delivered thy soul.— Pastor Russellfaithfully taught that "the wages of sin is death"(Rom. 6:23), and not eternal torment. He alsowarned the wicked systems of earth, political,economic and religious, that they should surelyperish from the earth, if they did not turnwholeheartedly to Jehovah, the God of infiniteLove.Ezekiel 33:10.Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto thehouse of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, if ourtransgreslions and our sins be upon us, andwe pine away in them, how should we thenlive?— The nominal Christians of our, day weretyped by the Hebrews who went to Ezekiel withinsincere objections. They have treated PastorRussell with a seeming but insincere respect.When they inquired into his writing andpredictions, based upon the Word of God, theyhad no sincerity either in their questions or theirprofessions toward him or the Word let forth byhim.CLERICAL SEEDS OF ANARCHYEzekiel 33:11-19.Say unto them, As I live, salth the Lord God, Ihave no pleasure in the death of the wicked;but that the wicked turn from his way andlive: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; forwhy will ye die, O house of Israel? Therefore,thou son of man, say unto the children of thypeople, The righteousness of the righteous

shall not deliver him in the day of histransgression: as for theFM521wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fallthereby in the day that he turneth from hiswickedness; neither shall the righteous be ableto live for his righteousness in the day that hesinneth. When I shall say to the righteous,that he shall surely live; if he trust to his ownrighteousness, and commit iniquity, all hisrighteousness shall not be remembered; butfor his iniquity that he hath committed, heshall die for it. Again, when I say unto thewicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn fromhis sin, and do that which is lawful and right;if the wicked restore the pledge, give againthat he had robbed, walk in the statutes oflife, without committing iniquity; he shallsurely live, he shall not die. None of his sinsthat he hath committed shall be mentionedunto him: he hath done that which is lawfuland right; he shall surely live. Yet thechildren of thy people say, The way of theLord is not equal: but as for them, their wayis not equal. When the righteous turneth fromhis righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, heshall even die thereby. But if the wicked turnfrom his wickedness, and do that which islawful and right, he shall live thereby.— Godhas no pleasure in the destruction ofChristendom. If it had turned from its spiritualidolatry and hariotry to obey God it would havebeen saved from its impending doom. Itsdestruction is traceable directly to a "small groupof willful men," leaders and guides of themasses; namely the pope, the cardinals, bishops,priests, ministers, revivalists and other religiousleaders who have mistaught rulers and people,and by their combination of worldly andreligious teachings brought the world into acondition where the social elements are workingtheir mutual destruction. God pity the clergy forwhat is coming upon them; for the people willsurely recognize the part they have signallyfailed to play in not, by concerted preaching of

true godliness, checking the world's mad rush toanarchy and annihilation.Literally the Scriptures foregoing are anaffirmation that any one who kept the MosaicLaw perfectly should enjoy life indefinitely aslong as he kept the law. Spiritually it teaches theChristian that if he has turned from sin to serveGod; under the spirit of the Divine Law of Love,he shall have life everlasting. (Rom. 8:13, 14)Symbolically it speaks to this evil state of affairs,or world, especially to that wicked one,ecclesiasticism, and enumerates its iniquities: ithas sinned before God: it has broken God's Lawof Love and every other Law, and excused thebreach by sophistries. Romanism, with whichProtestantism has linked hands, teaches the mostiniquitous and wicked things.FM522"A culprit or a witness questioned by a judge, butin an illegal manner (of which the culprit, ofcourse, is the judge) may swear that he knowsnothing of the crime about which he isquestioned, although he knows it well, meaningmentally, that he knows nothing in such manneras to answer."— Alphonso Maria de Liguori,Popish theologian, bishop and founder of theorder of Redemptorists. 1696-1787.Again "Saint" Liguori: "He may swear that heknows nothing, when he knows that the personwho committed the crime committed it withoutmalice; or if he knows the crime, but secretly,and there has been no scandal.When a crime has been well concealed, thewitness and even the criminal, may and evenmust, swear that the crime has never beencommitted. The accused may deny his crimeunder oath, understanding that he has notcommitted this crime in such a manner as to beobliged to confess it. He who has sworn to keepa secret is not obliged to keep his oath, if anyconsequential injury to him or to others isthereby caused. If any one has sworn before ajudge to keep the truth, he is not obliged to saysecret things. (A woman who has really

committed adultery may deny it under oath,provided she has been to confess: for then thesin has been pardoned, and has really ceased toexist.) It is right to advise any one to commit arobbery, or a fornification, in order to avoid amurder. We may be allowed to conceal the truth,or disguise it under ambiguous or equivocalwords or signs, for a just cause, and where thereis no necessity to confess the truth." And Liguoriis still a "saint" in the Roman eccleasiastism,"where Satan's seat is," and with whomEpiscopalians, Church of England men, andProtestants generally, are trying to come togetherin a church union or federation, destinedfortunately to an early decease."They are not to be called oaths, but ratherperjury, which are in opposition to the welfare ofthe Romish church."— The Lateran Council("infallible"). "If any, either alone or before others, whetherasked or of his own accord, or for the purpose ofsport, or for any other object, swears that he hasnor done something else which he has not done,or in a different way from that in which he hasdone it, or any other truth that is added, he doesnot really lie, nor is he perjured."— PopeInnocent XI, another of the "saints." 1611-1689."A man may swear that he never did such a thing(though he actually did it), meaning withinhimself that he did not do so on a certain day, orbefore he was born, or understanding any othersuchFM523circumstances, while the words which heemploys have no such sense as would discoverhis meaning." "Promises are not binding, whenthe person in making them had no intention tobind himself."— "Saint" Antonio Escobar ofMendoza, a Spanish Casuist and Jesuit, 1589-1699 ("Papacy and Civil Power," page 607)."I pronounce all Roman Catholic priests,bishops, popes, monks, friars and nuns to be themost deliberate and willful set of liars that everinfested this or any other country, or disgraced

the name of religion."— William Hogan, aprominent southern lawyer, formerly a priest, onpage 172 of his book, "Popery."Stealing is authorized by Popish ecclesiasticism:"A servant has the right to rob his master, a childhis father, and a poor man the rich. The poorman who has concealed the goods and effects ofwhich he has need, may swear that he hasnothing." In Romish theology it is ordinarily amortal sin to steal two pieces of gold; but, "Ifany one steal small sums at different times, eitherfrom the same or from different persons, nothaving the intention of stealing large sums, norof causing a great damage, his sin is not mortal.If several persons steal from the aims master, insmall quantities, each in such a manner as not tocommit a mortal sin, though each knows that allof these little thefts together cause a considerabledamage to their master, yet no one of themcommits a mortal sin, even when they steal at thesame time. A son does not commit a mortal sinwhen he steals only twenty or thirty pieces ofgold from a father who has an income of 150pieces of gold."— "Saint" Liguori.Ecclesiasticism, the dominant power of theGospel Age, authorizes murder: "A man whohas been excommunicated by the Pope may bekilled anywhere, because the Pope has anindirect jurisdiction over the whole world, evenin temporal things."— Dens, a Roman Catholictheological authority in his "TheologicaMorales" Pope Gregory VII (alias "Saint"Hildebrand), 1020-1085, pronounced that it wasno murder to kill an excommunicated person."This rule has been for 700 years and continuesto be, part of the ecclesiastical law.One of the later popes has declared that themurder of a Protestant is so good a deed that itatones and more than atones for the murder of aCatholic."— Lord Acton in the London Times,July 26, 1872. Says Dr. Isaac J. Lansing in"Romanism and the Republic;""Every person who had anything to do with theassassination of Abraham Lincoln was RomanCatholic. John Wilkes Booth was Roman

Catholic; Payne and Atseroth, also Dr. Nudd,who dressed Booth's leg; Garrett, in whosepremises he was killed; also Harold wasFM524a Roman Catholic; Mrs. Suratt and her son wereRoman Catholics; their house was theheadquarters for Roman Catholics and for theJesuit priests. All this was brought out before themilitary tribunal which condemned some of themto death. When John Suratt fled fromWashington he was taken charge of by Jesuits,and under a Jesuit convoy was carried toFrance."— Page 272."Catholics who shall assume the cross for theextermination of heretics, shall enjoy the sameindulgences and be protected by the sameprivileges as are granted to those who go to thehelp of the Holy Land. We decree, further that allwho may have dealings with heretics, shall beexcommunicated."— The Lateran Council(composed of candidates for Roman Catholic"saintship.').Papacy, the mother of harlots, also permits herclergy to become criminals: "Were even thelives of her ministers debased by crime, they arestill within her pale, and therefore lose none ofthe powers with which her ministry investsthem."— Catechism of the Council of Trent."A mortal sin is that which kills the soul anddeserves hell," says Archbishop John Hughes, ofNew York. Papal ecclesiasticism controls theeducation of the nations under threat of mortalsin: "Catholic electors (voters) in this country,who do not use their electoral (voting) power inbehalf of separate (religious public) schools, areguilty of mortal sin. Likewise parents not makingthe sacrifices necessary to secure such schools,or sending their children to mixed schools.Moreover, the confessor (priest) whowould giveabsolution to such parents, electors or legislatorsas support mixed schools, to the prejudice ofseparate schools, would be guilty of a mortalsin."— Right Reverend Charbonnel, Bishop ofToronto, Canada.

The chastity of an attractive and obedient youngnun may hang by the following slender thread:"When a nun receives precept from her prelate,superior, or confessor, she should immediatelyexecute it, not only to please them, butprincipally to please God, whose will is knownby their command. If then, you receive acommand from one who holds the place of God(a man-made priest!) you should observe it as ifit came from God Himself. There is morecertainty of doing the will of God by obedienceto our superiors than by obedience to JesusChrist should He appear in person and give Hiscommand. The nun shall be most certain of nothaving to render an account of the actionsperformed through obedience; for these thesuperiors only, who commands them, shall beaccountable."— Liguori, "Saint," in Popishconstellation of fallen stars. According toCardinal Manning, a bright star in the RomanFM525Catholic heavens (page 89 of his "True Story orthe Vatican Council") the pope is infallible inmatters of faith and morals: and the canonizingor "saints" comes under this head. CardinalNewman on page 84 of his "Via Media," 1887edition, asserts concerning the canonizing of"Saints:""The infallibility of the church must certainlyextend to this solemn and public act,canonization; and that because so serious amatter, affecting the worship of the faithful, thechurch, that is, the Pope, must be infallible." Oneof the persons duly authorized by infallibleRomish canonization is "Saint" Bridget, wholived in 1360.This "saint" says: "The Pope is a murderer ofsouls. He destroys the flock of Christ and fleecesit. More savage is he than Judas, and more unjustthan Pilate, and worse and more wicked thanLucifer. He has exchanged all the tencommandments of God for this single one of hisown, "Give me money, money, money.'

The Pope with his clergy are the forerunners ofAntiChrist, rather than the servants of Christ.The Pope's court on earth plunders the Heavenlycourt of Christ. The clergy never read the Bookof God; but they are ever studying the book ofthis world. I once loved priests more than menand even angels. The kiss of those fornicatingpriests is the kiss of Judas when he betrayed ourLord!"— Montagu, pages 305-6.An essential factor in the power of this evil one,and an important part of the iniquity ofecclesiasticism is the Romish confessional,which many Episcopal and Protestantecclesiastics would, if they could, establish in theharlot daughters, the daughter, churches,Protestantism. This feature is of Pagan origin."Auricular confession was enjoined in theElusinian mysteries, by Zoroaster in Persia, byBuddha in India, and was practiced by theancient Babyionians and Egyptians, theMexicans before Cortez, the Peruvians beforePizarro, by the Japanese, the Siamese, andothers." The confessional has made of everypriest a spy upon the privacy of the home, theinner secrets of business and the confidentialaffairs of city, state, province, and nation.Theoretically the confessions are confidential, asDr. Dens says: "It is not lawful to revealanything that is told in confession, though it beto avoid the greatest evil that can happen; butactually the secrets of the confessional arerevealed."De Sanctis," page 122, says: "While thepenitent arraigns his faults with all the fatuity ofa simpleton, what is the confessor doing?Laughing at the simplicity of the penitent: andafterwards in the priestly orgies that follow amorning of great confessions, in the hilarity thatflows from wine, amid coarse explosions oflaughter, they describe the stupid folly of theirFM526penitents; and each priest vies with his fellows inrendering his own penitents more ridiculous than

the rest. This breach of faith extends to thehighest of Rome's degraded ecclesiasticism."History records that Pope Pius V, "saint" (1504-l572) "for the punishment of certain offencestook advantage of the confessional, which oughtto be an inviolable sanctuary." Pope Sextus V(1521-1590) told the under clergy that "theycould make a report to the Pontiff, without anydanger attached to revealing a confession, hegiving them absolution for the whole."Elliott, a former priest, in "Delineation of RomanCatholicism," says, "All our conversation ranupon the stories he [another priest] heard inconfession. It is the ordinary discourse of thepriests, when they meet, to inform one another ofwhat they have heard in confession. I was oftenpresent at such conferences, where theconversation was so indecent that even an honestpagan would have blushed.""Every day they (the Dominican monks) cameand talked most licentiously, relating things thathad happened at the Holy office at Perugia,confessions they had heard, etc."— ScipioneRicca, Bishop of Pistoria, and an Italianreformer. 1741-1810.Bishop Hugh Latimer, of England (1485-1555),whom the Romish ecclesiasticism caused to beburned at the stake, said: "And so they came toknow all the secrets that were in men's hearts, sothat neither emperor nor king could say nor do,nor think anything in his heart, but they knew it,and so applied all the purposes and intents ofprinces to their own commodities. And this wasthe fruit of their auricular confession."Finally, from De Sanctis, page 133, etc:"Confession in relation to society may be definedas an universal spydom, organized and complete.Confessors are not content to know the sins ofthose who confess; but they must lean theregulation and management of the family; andwhen an ingenuous youth or innocent maidencomes under the fangs of a knavish confessor(and which of them is not a knave?) they do notescape until they have first revealed the secrets

of the family circle— without, however, beingaware of it.""De Sanctis" continues: "Encouragement isgiven to theft, as to every other crime, by thefacility of obtaining pardon, and absolutions aregiven to robbers, usurers, murderers, withouttheir having made any restitution whatever. Theyrepair to the confessor, present him with agoodly offering for a mass; or, if they are robbersof celebrity, men abounding in wealth, theyfound a chapelry, a benefice, or something of thekind. At Rome, for instance, every one knowsthat Pitts VII (1742-1823) grantedFM527to all who hear confessions in the Holy housePonterotto, the privilege of absolving fromrestitution all who have defrauded the Rev.Apostolic Chambers, or the government; and alldefraud, and run there to receive absolution. Butthis is not enough. Leo X (1475-1521), in hisbull beginning with "Postquan ad Apostulatus"gives confessors the privilege not only ofabsolving robbers, but of permitting them toretain in all good conscience, the fruits of theirusury, robberies, thefts, etc., on condition thatpart of the goods be given to the church!"Ecclesiasticism is a greedy robber: "Byconfession many families are immersed inpoverty; because the grasping confessor, takingadvantage of the weak moments of a dying man,has had the will made to the profit of the clergy;and facts of the kind may be reckoned by themillion. The grasping cupidity ofecclesiasticism's willhunters, and the consequentruin of innocent and helpless families, formedthe subject of an indignant remonstrance of theGerman princes at the Diet of Nuremberg. Tosuch a length was this execrable practicesometimes carried that the last sacraments weredenied to the dying man until he consented tomake a will in the priest's favor."Ecclesiasticism's apostasy, in teachings and inlife, has sown the seeds of the fiery harvest ofanarchy: "The horrible consequence for religion

is that infidelity advances with huge strides,especially in Roman Catholic countries. Theenlightenment of the age no longer permits mento believe in the priests blindly, as in the times ofignorance. Free discussion alone could show thatthe doctrines of the Roman church are not thoseof the Gospel; discussion, as it would prove theirfalsehood to a demonstration, would establishthe truth. Discussion being prevented, it followsthat, seeing clearly the falsehood and iniquity ofthe Roman doctrines, men believe them, becausethey are not discussed, to be the doctrines of theChristian religion, and abandon them, and live inindifference and infidelity."Protestantism, ecclesiasticism, has been an aptfollower of Papacy in suppression of discussion.Witness the systematic world-wide ban on anydiscussion of Present Truth as presented byGod's watchman, Pastor Russell!Ecclesiasticism, priestcraft, had for agessupplanted the workship of God with paganism,and in the Gospel Age has insidiouslytransformed the Gospel of Christ, has tried todestroy liberty and progress and has built up agigantic system of oppression and destruction ofthe friends of the Truth. The most ferocious ofthe popes are made the "saints" of Satan'schurch. And, says De Sanctis: "In canonizingsuch men, the Popes have canonized theirdoctrines;FM528hence it cannot be said that despotism,obscuration [suppression of Truth], oppression ofnations, and hatred for any kind of progress,exist through the mal-practice of any one of thepopes; they exist by the very system of thePapacy. The corruption of religion ought not tobe attributed to abuse of it by the individual, butto the system; therefore the Gospel ought toreign in its purity, and ought to be delivered fromthis great enemy; and Italy and Rome ought toconfer upon the world this great benefit ofdespoiling the popes of their unspured power."Why not reform, purge, cleanse ecclesiasticism?As well try to reform cancer. The sole safeguard

is the destruction, excision of the germs. Anyreal reform would cause the prompt dropping outof the system-loving millions who would soonreorganize into another vicious system. The veryconstitution of ecclesiasticism forbids its everbeing other than what the Wall Street Journaldenominates, "that international nuisance, thechurch-state."Here are some of the articles of Papacy's present,past and future constitution (infallible): 1. Allhuman power is evil, and must therefore beunder the Pope. 2. The temporal powers must actunconditionally, in accordance with the orders ofthe spiritual. 3. The Church is empowered togrant or take away any temporal possession. 4.The Pope has the right to give countries andnations which are non-Catholic to Catholicregents, who can reduce them to slavery. 5. ThePope can make slaves of those Christian subjectswhose prince or ruling power is interdicted bythe Pope. 6. The laws of the Church concerningthe liberty of the Church and the Papal power arebased upon Divine inspiration. 7. The Pope hasthe right to practice the unconditional censure ofbooks. 8. The Pope bas the right to annul statelaws, treaties, constitutions, etc.; to absolve fromobedience thereto, as soon as they seemdetrimental to the rights of the Church, or thoseof the clergy. 9. The Pope possesses the right ofadmonishing, and if needs be of punishing, thetemporal rulers, emperors and kings, as well asof drawing before the spiritual forum any case inwhich mortal sin occurs. 10. Without the consentof the Pope no tax or rate of any kind can belevied upon a clergyman or upon any churchwhatsoever. 11. The Pope bas the right toabsolve from oaths, and obedience to the personsand the laws of the princes whom heexcommunicates. (Note. All Protestants areexcommunicated.) 13. The Pope can annul alllegal relations of those in ban, especially theirmarriage. 11. The Pope can release from everyobligation, oath, vow, either before or after beingmade. 14. The execution of Papal

FM529commands for the persecution of heretics causesremission of sins. 15. He who kills one that isexcommunicated is no murderer in a legalsense."— The Canon Law, by Dr. G. F. vonSchulte, Professor of Canonical Law at Prague.Here the crafty and wicked Mother of Harlots,ecclesiasticism, asserts her infallible right topermit, directly or indirectly, any and everycrime possible for depraved humanity to commit.ECCLESIASTICISM A HOPELESS CASEProtestantism longs for the old-time power of theclergy. It has the spirit, disposition, of spiritualfornication, goes to the limit in its efforts tocontrol affairs through local, state, and nationalgovernmental agencies, and now is ready andwilling to ally itself with liberty-destroying papalecclesiasticism. It displays its true nature and itsindifference to the good of the people in itswilling eagerness to unite in any manner with theforce which has for centuries throttled liberty,banished the Word of God, and stified freedomin blood. Let not the people of Christendomoverlook this when the Protestant clergyadvocate church union, as they will. What can bedone with such an organization as apostateecclesiasticism? The truly Christian individual'sanswer must be to obey the Divine command,"Come out or her, My people, that ye be notpartakers [partners in] of her sins [outlinedforegoing, ad nauseam] and that ye receive notof her plagues." (Rev. 18:4.) The Lord's people,all that really have the Holy Spirit, will and must"come out of her," clean away from thisunhallowed partnership and federation withiniquity. Ecclesiasticism, however, may restassured that she will not suffer greatly in loss ofmembers or of persons of wealth and power; forbut few of the Lord's people are in her. Eachecclesiastic can be assured that "his people," thetares, the worldly church members, theBabylonians, the spiritual idolators andfornicators, the congregation of Molech, willstick by him until the heat of the fiery trials of

the time of trouble drives even "the clergy'speople" out into the open of worldliness.Verse 13 shows that, in view of the enormity ofecclesiasticism's iniquity, both Roman andProtestant, their partnership in criminality, andtheir stubborn and willful persistence in evil,"For his iniquity that he hath committed, he shalldie."Ezekiel 33:20.Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal.O ye house of Israel, I will judge you everyone after his ways.— O house of nominalchurchianity, the time hasFM530come for God to judge you, to recompense youdouble, according to your ways!— Rev. 18:6.PASTOR RUSSELL HEARD AGAINEzekiel 33:21And it came to pass in the twelfth year of ourcaptivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth dayof the month, that one that had escaped out ofJerusalem came unto me, saying, The city issmitten.— In 24:25-27, after having cited theskepticism of the Jews as to Ezekiel's message, itwas stated that from the time of Jerusalem's falluntil the tidings of the fall should arrive, Ezekielwas to be dumb, having no new message to beheard by the people. The intervening prophecies,chapters 26 to 32 are not against the Hebrews,but against the heathen nations. The city fell onthe eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, the fourthmonth, the ninth day (2 Kings 25:2, 3), fromwhich to the coming of the tidings of the city'sfall, on the twelfth year, tenth month and fifthday, was one year, five months, twenty-six days.On that momentous day came the tidings, "The city is smitten!" Pastor Russell's voice wasstilled in death on October 31, 1916. If anapplication of Ezekiel's period of dumbness isvalid here as a time feature, the tidings, therealization that Christendom is smitten by theonslaughts of revolution, might be expected to

flash throughout the world on or about April 27,1918, a year, five months and twenty-six daysafter the death of God's great watchman. As inEzekiel 24:27, this would be a sign, an indicationto Christendom of the truth of Pastor Russell'scommission from the Almighty.Ezekiel 33:22.Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in theevening, afore he that was escaped came; andhad opened my mouth, until he came to me inthe morning; and my mouth was opened, andI was no more dumb.— The Lord made goodHis promise while the news was approaching,and removed Ezekiel's dumbness half a daybefore, in the evening, before the morning whenthe tidings arrived. It was on the same day; for inthe Hebrew system of time, the evening beganthe day. This signifies that perhaps half a yearprior to the general realization of Christendom'sdownfall, Pastor Russell, though dead, shallagain speak through this, the seventh volume ofhis Studies in the Scriptures— for this is but thecompletion of his great work of admonition andwarning for the Church and for Christendom.Ezekiel 33:23, 24.Then the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, they that inhabit thosewaste of the land of Israel speak, saying,Abraham was one, and heFM531inherited the land: but we are many; the landis given us for inheritance.— After Jerusalemhad been sacked and King Zedekiah captured, asrelated in 2 Kings 25, "the captain of the guardleft of the poor of the land to be vine-dressersand husbandmen." These ("those inhabitingthose wastes of the land of Israel") imagined that"the land is given to us for an inheritance." Theythought they would be left in undisturbedpossession, but certain of them came into furtherconflict with the Assyrians. Then the land wasmade utterly desolate. This signfiles, in

fulfillment, that while the revolutionoverthrowing ecclesiasticism will make quite aclean sweep, there will still remain some of themore lowly adherents of ecclesiastical systems,who will imagine that they and their ideals are toprosper and spread even to the control of therevolutionary order of things.Ezekiel 33:25, 26.Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith theLord God; Ye eat with the blood, and lift upyour eyes toward your idols, and shed blood;and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand uponyour sword, ye work abomination, and yedefile every one his neighbor's wife; and shallye possess the land?— But God knows theirhearts, and is against them, for their continuancein the evil ways of ecclesiasticism.Ezekiel 33:27.Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the LordGod; As I live, surely they that are in thewastes shall fall by the sword, and him that isin the open field will I give to the beasts to bedevoured, and they that be in the forts and inthe caves shall die of the pestilence.— A sadawakening awaits them. As Jehovah lives, thosetares then surviving the ravages of revolutionshall be slain by the sword of anarchy, and shallhave taken away all pretense of being Christians.Those that have the spirit of earthly ambitionshall be given to be destroyed by the savagery ofanarchy; and those in the strongholds and in theprotected conditions of revolution shall dieliterally of pestilence and be destroyedreligiously by the pestilential teachings of thoseevil days.Ezekiel 33:28.For I will lay the land most desolate, and thepomp of her strength shall cease; and, themountains of Israel shall be desolate, thatnone shall pass through.— God purposes toutterly desolate this evil order of things and tocompletely abase the last vestiges of its pride andpomp, and to cause the governments of this Age,

even in their changed forms of revolution, topass away.Ezekiel 33:29.Then shall they know that I am the Lord,when I have laid the land most desolate,because of all their abominations which theyhave committed.— Then at lastFM532the people that remain will realize that the war,revolution and anarchy, were the righteousjudgments of the Almighty against the spiritual,political and economic abominations ofChristendom.Ezekiel 33:30.Also, thou son of man, the children of thypeople still are talking against thee by thewalls and in the doors of the houses, andspeak one to another, every one to his brother,saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what isthe Word that cometh forth from the Lord.—Reverting to the present time, aboutcontemporary with the realization thatChristendom is smitten, the hypocrisy ofprofessed Christians is spoken against. The taresin their churches (houses) will talk of PastorRussell and his works and words— they willread this book, and will urge one another to "hearwhat is the Word that cometh from the Lord."Ezekiel 33:31.And they come unto thee as the peoplecometh, and they sit before thee as My people,and they hear thy words, but they will not dothem; for with their mouth they show muchlove, but their heart goeth after theircovetousness.— They will come in numbers,apparently "as My people;" and like all tares,imitation Christians, they will listen respectfullyto God's Words urging haste in consecration forthe coming Kingdom; but they will not do thethings they hear. They will manifest with theirmouths great love for God, but will at heart bethe self-seekers they always were!

Ezekiel 33:32.And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovelysong of one that hath a voice, and can playwell on an instrument: for they hear thywords, but they do them not.— To thesepeople, in their insincerity and hypocrisy, PastorRussell's works will be scarcely a grade higherthan an entertainment, a beautiful song, "thesong of Moses and the Lamb," well played onthe many-stringed harp, the Bible, but notheeded as of solemn import.Ezekiel 33:33.An when this cometh to pass (lo, it will come),then shall they know that a prophet hath beenamong them.— But when the things predictedin the entire seven volumes of the Studies in theScriptures come to pass, then shall the tares, toolate, realize that a great and Divinely ordainedpreacher "hath been among them."FM533Master, speak! Thy servant heareth,Longing for Thy gracious Word,Longing for Thy voice that cheereth;Master, let it now be heard.I am listening, Lord, for Thee;What hast Thou to say to me?EZEKIEL 34THE UNFAITHFUL SHEPHERDSEzekiel 34:1, 2.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, prohesy against theshepherds of Israel, prophesy and say untothem, Thus saith the Lord God unto theshepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israelthat do feed themselve! should not theshepherds feed the flocks?— God is against theclergy. Chapter 34 is a burning arraignment ofecclesiasticism. It is to be taken in a dual senseas concerning the clergy's treatment or God's truepeople, the true Church on the spiritual plane,and of the Jews on the earthly plane, both ofwhom the self-appointed shepherds, the clergy,

have neglected, abused and scattered. (34:1-8,17-21.) God will judge ecclesiasticism (34:9, 10,16, 17, 20, 22), and will Himself, through Hisown agencies, regather and bless His true flock,Jewish and Christian. (34:10, 11-17, 22-31.) Thewords "shepherd" and "pastor" have the samemeaning (D62; F287).Thus saith Jehovah God to the clergy, from Popeto preachers, Woe— in the revolution andanarchy, from 1918 on— woe to the clergy thatselfishly look out for "No. 1," that seek bigsalaries, live in tax-free and rent-free parsonagesand rectories, that apply to themselves everypromise of the Divine Word. Should not theclergy, the pastors, unselfishly feed the flock ofGod?Ezekiel 34:3.Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with thewool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feednot the flock.— Ye live on the choicestofferings of the people. Ye "fleece" the sheep oftheir golden fleece. Them that are fed to fatnesswith the Word of God, ye kill spiritually if yecan. Ye have literally killed over fifty millions inbloody persecutions. Ye have preached millionsinto a dreadful death in the trenches. Ye doeverything to the sheep but feed them. Did I notcommand you thrice, "Feed My sheep?"— John21:17; 1 Pet. 5:2.Ezekiel 34:4.The diseased have ye not strengthened,neither have ye healed that which was sick,neither have ye bound up that which wasbroken, neither have ye brought again thatwhich was driven away, neither have yesought that which was lost; but with force andwith cruelty have ye ruled them.— Thoseweakened by spiritual disease— by thepestilence of false doctrines— ye have notstrengthened

FM534with the pure Word of God, the Bread of Life.Rather ye have thrown them poisonous, deathdealingdoctrines (1 Cor. 10:21) from the "tableof devils." Ye have not healed with the DivineWord of comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-7; Rom. 15:4) thosespiritually sick with temporary ailment of thesoul. Ye have not bound up, with the strongpromises of God, the broken in spirit. (Isa. 61:1.)Neither have ye brought back into renewedfaithfulness those driven away by your treatment,nor sought to find and bring to renewed relationto God those sheep that have strayed from him inlife and doctrine. Rather than feed them, serveand shepherd them, ye have ruled them, lordedover God's heritage (1 Pet. 5:3), as concerns bothGod's true Christian sheep and His sheep of theHebrew race.Ezekiel 34:5.And they were scattered, because there is noshepherd: and they became meat to all thebeasts of the field, when they werescattered.— "My sheep know My voice [oflove], and a stranger will they not follow." (John10:4, 5.) They were not kept together, cared forand cherished in the bonds of Christian love.There was not among you the true undershepherdshaving My Spirit of Divine Love; andyou, adulterous priests of Baal, and of Molech—the cruel, fiery-torment God— none having MySpirit could hear or follow. And when they werescattered, they, the inoffensive, unresisting ones,became the prey of every evil government and ofevery evil employer and corporation. Ye madethem cannon-fodder by the thousands for theblood-guilty kaisers, czars, kings and generals ofyour evil order of things.Ezekiel 34:6.My sheep wandered through all themountains, and upon every high hill: yea, Myflock was scattered upon all the face of theearth, and none did search or seek afterthem.— My people wandered homeless andfriendless throughout all the nations of this evil

world. My flock of Apostles, martyrs, sacrificers,was scattered throughout all human society. Notone of the selfish, idolatrous clergy of eitherRomanism or Protestantism cared for them, orloved My beloved ones enough to seek afterthem; but rather ignored them, ostracized them,compelled their silence, drove them out from thechurches, and stilled their voices in persecutionand in death.Ezekiel 34:7.Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the Word of theLord.— Ye have done this for centuries; andGod permitted you to continue, because the timehad not come. But now has come the hour ofyour judgement, ye popes, cardinals, bishops,priests, preachers, revivalists, and clergy of Baal,of every order and grade. Hear ye the Word ofJehovah.FM535THE GOOD SHEPHERDEzekiel 34:8.Am I live, saith the Lord God, surely becauseMy flock became a prey, and My flockbecame meat to every beast of the field,because there was no shepherd, neither aidMy shepherds search for My flock, but theshepherds fed themselves, and fed not Myflock.— As I live, salth the Living God, surelybecause My true flock became a prey, and wasexploited by every evil ruler and employer,because there was no true shepherd among you,and you clergy did not love and cherish and seekfor My beloved flock, but you loved and fedyourselves, and starved My true people with afamine for the hearing of the Word of God.—Amos 8:11.Ezekiel 34:9.Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word ofthe Lord.— Therefore, ye clergy, hear the Wordof the true God, Jehovah.

Ezekiel 34:10.Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I amagainst the shepherds; and I will require Myflock at their hand, and cause them to ceasefrom feeding the flock; neither shall theshepherds feed themselves any more; for Iwill deliver My flock from their mouth, thatthey may not be meat for them.— Thus saithJehovah God; Behold, I am against the clergy(H12), great and little, high and low; and I willexact from them an accounting for My belovedpeople; I will take My flock entirely from them."Come out of her, O My people, and touch notthe unclean thing." (Rev. 18:4; 2 Cor. 6:17.)And I will cause the clergy to cease from feedingor attempting to preach to My flock, or any flockin My name; for in a Time of great Trouble Ideliver My people from the mouths of the clergy(Rev. 9:17-19), that My flock may not furnishthem support any more, that My people may notever again be preached by the clergy intoslaughter.Ezekiel 34:11.For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, evenI, will both search My sheep, and seek themout.— Jehovah will ignore the hireling, faithlessclergy, and through an agency of His own lowlydespised, caluminated, ostracised will patiently,persistently, lovingly search for all His "littleones," those having His Spirit, and will seekthem out.Ezekiel 34:12.As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the daythat he is among his sheep that are scattered;so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliverthem out of all places where they have beenscattered in the cloudy and dark day.— As anoriental shepherd, who knows and loves hissheep and is known and loved of them, seeksthem out, when they are scattered (John 10:4-15), so will God seek

FM536out every one of His beloved ones, and willdeliver them out of the condition of loneliness,distress, famine and persecution, where theyhave been scattered by the apostate clergy in thetroublous and dark period of the Gospel Age.Ezekiel 34:13.And I will bring them out from the people,and gather them from the countries, and willbring them to their own land, and feed themupon the mountains of Israel by the rivers,and in all the inhabited places of thecountry.— God himself will bring them togetherfrom the various paganized "Christian"denominations, into the joy and peace and loveof a condition at one with Himself and withothers of like precious faith. Upon the height ofthe Heavenly Kingdom will He feed them, byrivers of crystal clear Truth, and amid therejoicing throngs of the Heavenly courts. Hischosen people, the Jews, will God bring by theagency of the resurrected Ancient Worthies toPalestine, where He will feed them upon thehistoric mountains of that hallowed land, in thethen great cities of a realized Zionism.Ezekiel 34:14.I will feed them in a good pasture, and uponthe high mountains of Israel shall their foldbe: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in afat pasture shall they feed upon the mountainsof Israel.— God will feed His Little Flock, onPresent Truth and then, at the Marriage Supperof the Lamb He will appoint their place as Kingsand Priests of the Kingdom. He will make themabide forever in the place, the Divine spiritnature, which Christ went to Heaven to prepare.Upon the Word, fresh from the mind of God,shall they feast forever, in the spiritual phase ofthe Kingdom. To the Jews will be fulfilled thesepromises in the earthly phase of the Kingdom.Ezekiel 34:15.I will feed My flock, and I will cause them tolie down, saith the Lord God.— God will feed

His Flock with Present Truth, and will give themthe rest of "the peace that passethunderstanding."— Phil. 4:7.Ezekiel 34:16.I will seek that which was lost, and bringagain that which was driven away, and willbind up that which was broken, and willstrengthen that which was sick; but I willdestroy the fat and the strong; I will feedthem with judgment.— Not one true sheepshall be lost. God's unerring eye will seek everyone, and bring all back, first into the Truth, andthen into the Kingdom. He will bind up thebroken in spirit and strengthen the spirituallysick. In the latter part of this verse the picture ofthe shepherds is dropped and a new parablebegins, likening the clergy and their strongsupporters and "laity" to different classes ofsheep and goats (cattle). God purpose in theimpending revolution and anarchy to destroy allthe fat priestsFM537and clergy of all grades— as priests and clergy,at least— and those that, like the Pharisees ofold, are sure they will securely stand in thepresence of the Lord. "Let him that thinketh hestandeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10:12.)He will feed them with famine and destruction,and with the judgments pronounced in His Word.Ezekiel 34:17.And as for you, O My flock, thus saith theLord God; Behold, I judge between cattle andcattle, between the rams and the goats.— Thenominal flock is made up of clergy and laity ofsheep and goats. In the flock God discerns theweaker sheep and the stronger rams and thegoats— the clergy, class-leaders, etc.,— some ofwhom are real sheep and some goats, destined tothe left side of disfavor. Many of these are evenwolves in sheep's clothing.— Matt. 7:15.Ezekiel 34:18.Seemeth it a small thing unto you to haveeaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread

down with your feet the residue of yourpastures? and to have drunk of the deepwaters, but ye must foul the residue with yourfeet?— The stronger ones have not helped theweak to feed and grow strong; but, as though itwere a small matter, the clergy, have lived on thefat of the land, relatively to their poorercongregations. They have eaten up the goodWord of God for themselves, particularly theRomish clergy; and what spiritual food they havegiven the laity, they have walked all over withmuddy feed— mingled it with earthly doctrines,social and civic betterment and traditions of men.They have drunk of the water of Truth (C65)coming from the Bible, but have spoiled thewaters by mingling it with Evolution and HigherCriticism.Ezekiel 34:19.And as for My flock, they eat that which yehave trodden down with your feet; and theydrink that which yet have fouled with yourfeet.— And the laity, God's flock, whom Godcommissioned the shepherds to feed with thegood Word of God, have eaten and drunkspiritual food polluted by the clergy withdoctrines of devils.Ezekiel 34:20.Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them;Behold I, even I, will Judge between the fatcattle and between the lean cattle.— ThereforeGod Himself is about to judge and make amanifest difference between the unfaithful, richin learning and opportunity, and the poorer oneson whom they have imposed.Ezekiel 34:21.Because ye have thrust with side and withshoulder, and pushed all the diseased withyour horns, till ye have scattered themabroad.— Because the rich, learned andexclusive have shoved aside the weaker ones,and have, by their earthly power, pushed out ofthe churches all His flock, those not "at ease inZion."— Amos 6:1; Isa. 66:5.

FM538Ezekiel 34:22.Therefore will I save My flock, end they shallno more be a prey; and I will judge betweencattle and cattle.— Therefore will God Himselfsave His own in these troublous times, byteaching them Present Truth; and they shall"come out of her" (Rev. 18:4), out of thechurches altogether, so that the clergy and the"best" people can no longer exploit them.Ezekiel 34:23.And I will set up one Shepherd over them,and He shall feed them, even My servantDavid; He shall feed them, and He shall betheir Shepherd.— God has established Jesus(David) the Beloved (Jer. 23; 4, 5; John 10:11),and Pastor Russell as a faithful and wiseundershepherd, to bring forth from the BibleStorehouse truths new and old, to feed the sheep.Ezekiel 34:24.And I the Lord will be their God, and Myservant David a prince among them; I theLord have spoken it— Jehovah (not the eternaltormentMolech God) wilt be their God, and Hisbeloved Son, and his under-Shepherd, shalloccupy exalted places among them. In the Timesof Restitution the Beloved Christ, Head andbody, (David, beloved) will be the true Shepherdto the earthly flock, the Jews.Ezekiel 34:25.And I will make with them a covenant ofpeace, and will cause the evil beasts to ceaseout of the land: and they shall dwell safely inthe wilderness and sleep in the woods.— Withthe truly Christian flock God will make acovenant of the peace that passeth understanding(Phil. 4:7); and with the Jews will make the NewCovenant, through its Mediator, The Christ. Hewill cause the roaring lion (Isa. 35:9), Satan, tocease from troubling (Job 3:17), and will foreverrestrain in oblivion the evil governments. Hisflock shall dwell securely, even in the wildernesscondition, until their change come (Job. 14:14),

and shall rest in the cooling shadows (Cant. 2:3),in the refreshing truths brought forth from theStorehouse by righteous, strong teachers andleaders among them.Ezekiel 34:26.And I will make them and the places roundabout My hill a blessing; and I will cause theshower to come down in his season; thereshall be showers of blessing.— The Lord willmake the Truth people, His flock, and everythingand every condition related to His Kingdom, ablessing to others (Mal. 3:10); they shall be theSeed of Abraham, to bless all the families of theearth. (Gal.3:8.) God has caused showers of truthto descend upon His flock at their appointedtimes, down-pours of spiritual blessing in the"Studies in the Scriptures." At the appointed timeof the beginning of returning favor to the Jews,1878, the latter rains began to fall in Palestine,making that fertile land a fit habitation again forthe chosen nation.FM539Ezekiel 34:27.And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit,and the earth shall yield her increase, andthey shall be safe in their land, and shall knowthat I am the Lord, when I have broken thebands of their yoke, and delivered them out ofthe hand of those that served themselves ofthem.— Thinking, manly men, gathered intoPresent Truth from the world, yield their fruitageof spirit fruits of character; and the blessedcondition in which they are yields its increase ofspiritual blessing and food; they are safe in theirplace, "seated with Christ in the Heavenlies"(Eph. 1:3, 20), where they assuredly know Godwith heart knowledge. God has broken the bandsof the heavy yoke of ecclesiasticism, anddelivered them out of the hand of a clergy thatlived upon His flock, calling it "their people."For Fleshly Israel and those who shall becomeIsraelites there shall be the blessings of anearthly Eden, with an abundance of fruitage fromtrees and soil (A192).

Ezekiel 34:28.And they shall no more be a prey to theheathen, neither shall the beast of the landdevour them; but they shall dwell safely, andnone shall make them afraid.— God's flock ofspirit-begotten ones shall be no more preyedupon by paganized "Christians," nor persecuted,devoured, destroyed, by the great "beast" ofChristendom, the Papacy, with its "HolyInquisition;" but they shall dwell safely in thehollow of His hand, His power, and none canmake afraid those sealed in their foreheads withthe Truth.Ezekiel 34:29.And I will raise up for them a plant ofrenown, and they shall be no more consumedwith hunger in the land, neither bear theshame of the heathen any more.— God raisedup, in 1878, in the First Resurrection of the dead,the Body members of His Son, "the Stem ofDavid," and previously in 1874, had sent againHis Son to feed the flock, to serve them (Luke13:3, 7), and sup with them (Rev. 3:20) in a feastof fat things spiritual— the Present Truth. Thosein the Truth shall never again suffer from famineof the Word of God; nor shall they, when raisedup to sit with Christ in power and glory (Matt.19:28), ever again bear reproach from apaganized "Christian" apostasy.Ezekiel 34:30.Thus shall they know that I the Lord theirGod am with them, and that they, even thehouse of Israel, are My people, saith the LordGod.— This is the way that the Lord's SpiritualFlock and both Jews, and nominal Christians,shall come to know of a certainty that Jehovah iswith them, that they are His people.Ezekiel 34:31.And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, aremen, and I am your God, saith the LordGod.— This prophecy, this type, thissymbolism, refers to the people who constituteGod's flock, Jewish and nominal.

FM540EZEKIEL 35EDOM A TYPEEzekiel 35:1, 2.Moreover the Word of the Lord came untome, saying, Son of man, set thy face againstmount Seir, and prophesy against it.— MountSeir and Edom are practically synonymous; forthe Edomites inhabited the mountain rangeregion along the east side of the valley,extending from the Dead Sea to the Elamitic orPersian Gulf. What Edom types Pastor Russellmakes clear in volume IV of Scripture Studies,pp. 14, 20.One of the features of the Time of Trouble willbe upon the fleshly-minded Christians, tares,who after the fall of ecclesiasticism, willrepudiate Christianity, and take their stand asworldings, Edomites— the "people of MountSeir," mere tares. These, having assisted in thedownfall of ecclesiasticism, will seek to take theplace and power of defunct Christendom in anutterly Christless arrangement of things.Ezekiel 35:3.And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God,Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, andI will stretch out Mine hand against thee, andI will make thee most desolate.— The godlessnations that will succeed fallen Christendom willalso find God against them, and that His power isstretched out against them and will make them,too, most desolate.Ezekiel 35:4.I will lay the cities waste, and thou shalt bedesolate, and thou shalt know that I am theLord.— God will, through anarchy, lay wastethe Socialistic, labor-union, social-democraticand other governments which will emerge as theoutcome of the revolutions of Christendom.

Ezekiel 35:5.Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,and hast shed the blood of the children ofIsrael by the force of the sword in the time oftheir calamity, in the time that their iniquityhad an end.— These economic-politicalmovements— Socialism, labor-unionism,syndicalism, nihilism, and others, but notincluding anarchy, which will swallow themup— have had a long standing hatred againstecclesiasticism, have spoken and worked againstit, and against the social order characteristic ofthe past age. In the overthrow of ecclesiasticism,the fleshly-minded tares, "Edomites" and theclasses mentioned, will turn on theFM541clergy and laity of the churches, as well as uponthe Lord's spirit-begotten children— upon anyremaining to profess Christianity, whetherthrough adherence to the church systems orthrough consecration to God— and willslaughter them by thousands.Ezekiel 35:6.Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I willprepare thee unto blood, and blood shallpursue thee; since thou hast not hated blood,even blood shall pursue thee.— In gatheringsof Socialists, there is no end to the differences ofopinion as to what Socialism is and how it is tobe worked out in practice. This factional divisioncontains the seeds of the destruction of the shortlivedgovernmental system of Socialism, underwhatever name, for a bloody end. They courtedrevolution and shall receive of the same.Ezekiel 35:7.Thus will I make mount Seir meet desolate,and cut off from it him that passeth out andhim that returneth.— Thus will God cause thebrief Socialistic phase of the Time of Trouble tobecome "most desolate." Not one personconnected with it shall escape the universalanarchy, the last and worst phase of thetribulation.

Ezekiel 35:8.And I will fill his mountains with his slainmen; in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in allthy rivers, shall they fail that are slain withthe sword.— The Socialistic, labor-riddennations (mountains), shall be filled with theslain; among the upper classes of socialism, andamong the more insignificant people (valleys)and in connection with all their channels ofSocialistic truth (rivers), the people of that orderof things shall be slain. In a sense the Sword ofthe Spirit, will slay them; it foretells theirdestruction.Ezekiel 35:9.Will make thee perpetual desolations, and thycities shall not return; and ye shall know thatI am the Lord.— The Socialistic state shall beutterly destroyed, and its various forms ofgovernment (cities) go to oblivion.Ezekiel 35:10.Because thou hast said, These two nations andthese two countries shall be mine, and we willpossess it; whereas the Lord was there.— Thethen non-religious Socialists, laborites, etc., willsay: "These two systems, (nations), Catholic andProtestant, and the condition of thingscharacteristic of them, shall come under the swayof Socialism, and we Socialists, etc., shall ruleover and control them", whereas they willoverlook the all-important fact that God has beenamong these people, and they were called God'speople.— "The Lord was there."Ezekiel 35:11.Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I willeven do according to thine anger, andaccording to thine envy, which thou hast usedout of thy hatred against them; and I willmake Myself known among them, when Ihave judged thee.— Therefore as the Socialists,etc., will turnFM542upon ecclesiasticism and Christianity in angerand fury and with hateful envy, so God will do to

the Socialistic, laborite order of things. As theyaid in smiting down Christianity, so will theanarchists smite them down.Ezekiel 35:12.And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, andthat I have heard all thy blasphemies, whichthou hast spoken against the mountains ofIsrael, saying, They are laid desolate, they aregiven us to consume.— The laborites, etc., willlearn that God rules in the affairs of men, andthat the Almighty will pay attention to theirutterances against the nations (mountains) ofChristendom (Israel), when, afterecclesiasticism's fall, the laborites shall say, "Thenations have been desolated, and are given to usworking people to divide up for ourselves."Ezekiel 35:13.Thus with your mouth ye have boastedagainst Me, and have multiplied your wordsagainst Me: I have heard them.— TheSocialistic and kindred movements, whilespeaking savagely against capitalism, andcovertly against Christianity, have in reality beenspeaking against an order permitted by God, andin which God was— in the indwelling of HisHoly Spirit, in such true Christians as were in thesystems. In expressing the determination to leadthe world out of the darkness of evil economic,social and political conditions, they unwittinglyboast against God by presuming to perform whatGod previously planned to be done by Hisfaithful Church, and which by any lesser agencyis absolutely impossible of accomplishment, Godwill not pass by unnoticed the words ofSocialists, syndicalists, laborites, etc. He willhear them, and remember them for justrecompense.Ezekiel 35:14.Thus saith the Lord God; When the wholeearth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.—When the Times of Restitution of all thingscome, one of the things not to be restored is theSocialist, laborite movement. When all societyrejoices in the new order of things ordained of

God, the Socialistic state will have been utterlyand forever desolated.Ezekiel 35:15.As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of thehouse of Israel, because it was desolate, so willI do unto thee; thou shalt be desolate, Omount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it:and they shall know that I am the Lord.— Asthe fleshly-minded apostates from Christianity,siding with the radicals and revolutionaries, willrejoice at the inheritance of desolation that willbe Christendom's after 1918, so will God do tothe successful revolutionary movement; it shallbe utterly desolated, "even all of it." Not onevestige of it shall survive the ravages of worldwideall-embracing anarchy, in the fall of 1920.(Rev. 11:7-13.)FM543EZEKIEL 36CHRISTENDOM'SEARLY RESTORATIONEzekiel 36:1.Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto themountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains ofIsrael, hear the Word of the Lord.— InChapter 6 is described the iniquities of thenations of Christendom and their doom. Chapter36 describes the rejoicing of the non-Christianelements over her fall, and God's jealous angeragainst them. It foretells the early re-peopling ofthe nations of Christendom, their conversion totrue Christianity, and the reason for God's actionin behalf of the nations just previously destroyed.Taken literally, it foretells the same good futurefor His chosen but long-chastised people, theJews. This is the message to the nations(mountains) of Christendom, as the Word ofJehovah concerning them.36:2. EzekielThus saith the Lord God; Because the enemyhath said against you, Aha, even the ancienthigh places are ours in possession.— Because

the revolutionists, who shall overthrow thenations of Christendom, shall say against them,"Aha, even the oldest and greatest nations ofChristendom are under the control of usrevolutionists, Socialists and laborites."36:3. EzekielTherefore prophesy and say, Thus saith theLord God; Because they have made youdesolate, and swallowed you up on every side,that ye might be a possession unto the residueof the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lipsof talkers, and are an infamy of the people.—Thus saith Jehovah God to the nations ofChristendom: Because the revolutionists shallhave justly made you desolate and overrun youin every direction, so that you might be ruledover by pagan, fleshly-minded, infidel,revolutionary rulers, and because you shall bethe subject of flippant discussion among therevolutionaries, and through your fall becomeinfamous among all the heathen peoples of theworld, in Europe, America and elsewhere.—Lam. 2:15, 16.Ezekiel 36:4.Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear theWord of the Lord God; Thus saith the LordGod to the mountains and to the hills, to therivers and to the valleys, to the desolatewastes and to the cities that are forsaken,which became a prey and derision to theresidue of the heathen that are roundabout.— Therefore, ye nations of Christendom,thus saith Jehovah to the nations, great andFM544small, to the religious denominations, to thelowly members of society, to the masses wastedand desolated by war and revolution, to thegovernments, local and national, that shall beabandoned, which shall become the victims ofthe Socialists, laborites and other revolutionists,who shall hold you in derision for your fall fromeminence to desolation.Ezekiel 36:5.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely inthe fire of My jealousy have I spoken againstthe residue of the heathen, and against allIdumea, which have appointed My land intotheir possessions with the joy of all theirheart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out fora prey.— Therefor, saith God, surely I amjealous over the reflections they cast upon Me,and at the mouths of many prophets have Iforetold the destruction by anarchy of the rest ofthose who falsely profess My name and thenhelp to desolate Christendom— the "Christian"infidels and all the former fleshly-mindedChristians (Idumeans) who shall have presumed,with malicious joy, to overthrow the order ofthings which bears My name— Christendom!Ezekiel 36:6.Prophesy therefore concerning the land ofIsrael, and say unto the mountains and to thehills, to the rivers and to the valleys, Thussaith the Lord God; Behold I have spoken inMy jealousy and in My fury, because ye haveborne the shame of the heathen.— O nationsof fallen Christendom, My people, because youshall have borne shame and reproach from theungodly revolutionists, I will bring My jealousfury to bear upon your destroyers.Ezekiel 36:7.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I havelifted up Mine hand, Surely the heathen thatare about you, they shall bear their shame.—Jehovah has sworn (lifted the hand) that theSocialists, laborites, etc., shall bear a similarshame and reproach, when their short-lived orderor things has in turn been desolated by theanarchists.Ezekiel 36:8.But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shootforth your branches, and yield your fruit toMy people of Israel; for they are at hand tocome.— A branch signifies a person born fromanother; as, Christ was a Branch of David. Herethe branches shooting forth from the mountainsare the people of Christendom, slain in

evolutions and anarchy, springing forth, risingfrom the dead, to people Christendom again. Butyou, O nations, of Christendom, your dead shallrise up from their sleep in the dust of the earth, tothe earthly, restitution— resurrection; you shallyield proper fruitage as the truly Christian peopleof Christendom; for they are close at hand tocome back in the dust of the earth, in the mire oftrenches, fortresses and battle fields. They sleepin death, ready to come, for "All that are inFM545their graves shall hear the voice of the Son ofGod, and shall come forth" to resurrection.—John 5:28, 29.Ezekiel 36:9.For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn untoyou, and ye shall be tilled and sown.— Nowthat the Times of Restitution are at the door, Godwill be for them and will turn his favor untothem, and they shall be cultivated by trulyChristian preachers commissioned by theresurrected Ancient Worthies at Jerusalem, andsown with the seed of the true Gospel of theKingdom of restitution and blessing for allpeople.Ezekiel 36:10.And I will multiply men upon you, all thehouse of Israel, even all of it; and the citiesshall be inhabited, and the wastes shall bebuilded.— The dead, fallen by the sword of war,revolution and anarchy, shall come forth fromtheir graves to inhabit the earth. ‘Thus, as theymultiplied the dead, will God multiply the living,to the number of all the dead of Christendom,even every one of them; they shall become in Hissight, not dead in trespasses and sins, but living,true-blue, manly men for the Christ of divinelove. The governments (cities) shall bereestablished; and commerce, transportation,industry and art, wasted by the Time of Trouble,shall be built up again, upon the foundation ofthe wholly righteous principles of the New Era.

Ezekiel 36:11.And I will multiply upon you man and beast;and they shall increase and bring fruit; and Iwill settle you after your old estates, and willdo better unto you than at your beginnings:and ye shall know that I am the Lord.— Godwill multiply useful workers in industries, andthe invention of labor-saving machinery— thebeasts of burden and of the productive arts andtrades. They shall increase in numbers and inservice to mankind, and shall multiply theproductivity of the workers, bringing forth withthe busy, happy hum of industry, plenty for all,fruitage abundant for the needs of humanity, Godwill settle them, establish them in permanentconditions, and will do for them far better thanHe could do in the former days of Christendom,when the operation of His Spirit energizing mindand spirit in invention, art, industry, commerceand religion, was hindered by apostasy of clergyand rulers. Men shall learn by happy experiencehow good is Jehovah and how truly He is love,and not the fire-god, eternal-torment Molech,whom they ignorantly worshipped, thinking theydid Jehovah service.Ezekiel 36:12.Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, evenMy people Israel: and they shall possess thee,and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thoushalt no more henceforth bereave them ofmen.— God will cause men, perfected byFM546processes of restitution and resurrection, to liveIn the nations of resurrected Christendom. Menof this highly exalted type shall possessChristendom, when Christ's Kingdom shall beinherited by the kingly men for whom it wasprepared from the foundations of the earth.Never more shall the nations of Christendombereave themselves of men, as they have done incenturies of oppression, misrule and persecution,and especially in the Time of Trouble.

Ezekiel 36:13.Thus saith the Lord God; Because they sayunto you, Thou land devourest up men, andhast bereaved thy nations.— Because theinfidel revolutionists will throw at Christendomthe taunt, "Your social order, economic, politicaland religious, eats up, destroys men, in industry,persecution, war, and revolution, and bereavesthe nations of their best men."Ezekiel 36:14.Therefore thou shalt devour men no more,neither bereave thy nations any more, saiththe Lord God.— Never shall this be any more,says God.Ezekiel 36:15.Neither will I cause men to hear in thee theshame of the heathen any more, neither shaltthou bear the reproach of the people anymore, neither shalt thou cause thy nations tofall any more, saith the Lord God.— Neitherwill God permit men to hear the infidel peoplesput Christendom to shame, nor to heap reproachupon her; for Christendom shall be no more areproach among the heathen, nor shall she causeits nations to fall again.Ezekiel 36:16, 17.Moreover the Word of the Lord came untome, saying, Son of man, when the house ofIsrael dwelt in their own land, they defiled itby their own way and by their doings: theirway was before Me as the uncleanness of aremoved woman.— While ecclesiasticism andits adherents control Christendom, they defile itspiritually by their traditions, doctrines andactions. Their spiritual condition is before Godas a church polluted, unclean spiritually, unfit totouch, which ought to be "cut off from socialprivileges and her citizenship among God'speople put in abeyance," as long as thespiritually unclean condition lasts, anuncleanness which may be removed only by aliberal application of "the waters of separation"(Lev. 15:19-31)— the cleansing reformation of

the pure, unadulterated, fearlessly preached andapplied Word of God, "the water or theWord."— Eph. 5:26.Ezekiel 36:18.Wherefore I poured My fury upon them forthe blood that they had shed upon the land,and for their idols wherewith they hadpolluted it.— The penalty for wilful violation ofthe Hebraic precepts regarding uncleanness wasthe final cutting off of the culprit from the Lord'seople. Wherefore God shall pour out uponecclesiasticismFM547His fury in war, revolution, and anarchy, for thelives— physical and religious— takenthroughout the lengths and breadths of humansociety, and for the idolatrous worship ofMolech, the eternal-torment God, and of Baal,the god of adulterous church-state union,wherewith she has polluted Christendom.Ezekiel 36:19.And I scattered them among the heathen, andthey were dispersed through the countries:according to their way and according to theirdoings I judged them.— God will scatter thechurch adherents among the revolutionists, anddisperse them throughout a variety of infidel,Socialistic, laborite and other like conditions,judging the ecclesiastics according to theirapostasy.Ezekiel 36:20.And when they entered unto the heathen,whither they went, they profaned My holyname, when they said to them, These are thepeople of the Lord, and are gone forth out ofHis land.— Wherever these fleshly-mindedChristians shall be scattered, they will blasphemeGod's holy name, with the reproach that thoughthey had claimed to be Jehovah's people, Godhad been unable to safeguard them and they hadabandoned all pretense of being Christians.

WHY GOD WILL RESTORE CHRISTENDOMEzekiel 36:21.But I had pity for Mine holy name, which thehouse of Israel had profaned among theheathen, whither they went.— But God willhave regard for the prestige of His reputation forjustice, power, love and wisdom, which theapostate of Christendom shall impugn during therevolutionary order of things.Ezekiel 36:22.Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thussaith the Lord God; I do not this for yoursakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holyname's sake, which ye have profaned amongthe heathen, whither ye went.— ThereforeJehovah says that what He is about to do, He willnot do for their sakes, for they deserve nothing atHis hand but the judgments justly visited uponthem; but that He will do it for His holy name'sreputation, which they have persistentlymisrepresented and blasphemed.Ezekiel 36:23.And I will sanctify My great name, which wasprofaned among the heathen, which ye haveprofaned in the midst of them; and theheathen shall know that I am the Lord, saiththe Lord God, when I shall be sanctified inyou before their eyes.— God will make Hisname sacred, and forever hallowed, among thepagan peoples, the name which apostateChristians have profaned and defamed amongthem; and God will make the infidel peoples toFM548know of a certainty that He is the all-wise, just,loving and almighty Jehovah, when He finallyconverts all such to true Christianity.Ezekiel 36:24.For I will take you from among the heathen,and gather you out of all countries, and willbring you into your own land.— God will saveHis professed people from the faithless,unbelieving condition of the revolutionists and

the professedly pagan peoples, and will gatherthem out of all the evil conditions into whichthey shall fall, into a condition of genuineconversion and consecration to Himself. Howmuch like God! all will exclaim, who knowJehovah. What an example does the Father set toHis children, the sons of God!— Eph. 5:1; Z.'92-63.Ezekiel 36:25.Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness,and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.—Then will Jehovah wash His apostate peoplewith the pure, unpolluted water of the Word ofTruth; and from all their filthiness of flesh andspirit, of life and of doctrine, and from theiridolatry of Molech and of Baal, will He cleansethem; and they shall be clean.— A333; Z.'92-64.Ezekiel 36:26.A new heart also will I give you, and a newspirit will I put within you; and I will takeaway the stony heart out of your flesh, and Iwill give you a heart of flesh.— God judges thethoughts and iintents of the heart, and He willgive His professed people a pure heart to serveHim and to love Him with fullness ofconsecration. He will take away from them thestony heart (Jer. 31:33), wherewith for sake ofearthly emoluments and honor of men, they haveresisted Him and hardened their consciencesagainst His Truth. He will put within them a newspirit which they have not known— the spirit ofwilling service and obedience to Jehovah, thespirit of the truth, the spirit of wisdom, ofcourage, of a sound mind, and of Divine love.—2 Tim. 1:7; Z.'99-187; A310; Z.'03-171.Ezekiel 36:27.And I will put My Spirit within you, andcause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shallkeep My judgments, and do them.— God willgive them His Holy Spirit and cause them towalk in His "royal law of love" (Jas. 2:8), so thatthey shall keep that law and do it.— Z.'99-188.

Ezekiel 36:28.And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave toyour fathers; and ye shall be My people, and Iwill be your God.— And they shall abide in thecondition of Divine favor that the fathers walkedin, and truly be God's people; and Jehovah, theGod of love— not Molech, nor Baal— shall betheir God.Ezekiel 36:29.I will also save you from all yourncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, andwill increase it, and layFM549no famine upon you.— God will save thepeople now constituting His professed, butapostate church, from all their spiritual andfleshly uncleanness. He will call for the wheat,the bread of life, the Word of God, and will givethem to feed on this good Word, and will permitno more famine of the Word of God amongthem.Ezekiel 36:30.And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, andthe increase of the field, that ye shall receiveno more reproach of famine among theheathen.— God will multiply the fruits ofrighteousness, and cause the new social order toincrease its character fruitage, so that Christiansshall receive no more from the heathen thereproach that there is among them a famine ofGod's Word, and that they fail to practise whatthey profess.— Amos. 8:11.Ezekiel 36:31.Then shall ye remember your own evil ways,and your doings that were not good, and shallloathe yourselves in your own sight for youriniquities and for your abominations.—Then,in the abundance of the wonderful andundeserved goodness and love of God, God'sprofessed people shall remember their formerevil doctrines, that misrepresented His holycharacter, and their doings that were not good,especially their grasping for world power and

their persecution of the sons of God. Then theyshall loathe themselves for their iniquitousdoctrines and for their sectarian abominations.Ezekiel 36:32.Not for your own sakes do I this, saith theLord God, be it known unto you: be ashamedand confounded for your own ways, O houseof Israel.— Be it known, in advance, thatJehovah will do these good things, not for theirsakes in any sense; for they merit far differenttreatment at His hands. They shall be ashamedand utterly confounded at His goodness. Thus,with goodness and with love overflowing willGod recompense the evil they have done Himand His true children.Ezekiel 36:33.Thus saith the Lord God; in the day that Ishall have cleansed you from all youriniquities I will also cause you to dwell in thecities, and the wastes shall be builded.— In thel,000-year day, the Millennium, the "Times ofRestitution of all things" (Acts 3:19-21), whenGod shall have cleansed those who are now Hisprofessed people from their iniquities, He willcause them to abide in new governments of thenations and cities of Christendom (Luke 19:17),whose wasted arts, manufactures, industries,transportation and commerce shall be built upagain.Ezekiel 36:34.And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereasit lay desolate in the sight of all that passedby.— Christendom, utterly desolated in war,revolution and anarchy, and lying desolate in thesight of the whole world, shall be cultivatedFM550in the arts, sciences, trades and professions, andespecially with the true Gospel of the Kingdom.Ezekiel 36:35.And they shall say, This land that wasdesolate is become like the garden of Eden;and the waste and desolate and ruined cities

are become fenced, and are inhabited.— Andthe infidel peoples shall exclaim, "Christendomthat was utterly desolated, has become like theGarden of Eden!" For governments, national,city, and local, which were wasted, desolated andruined, have been replaced by better andpermanent (fenced) arrangements brought aboutby the mighty power of Jehovah's Love.Ezekiel 36:36.Then the heathen that are left round aboutyou shall know that I the Lord build theruined places, and plant that was desolate: Ithe Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.—Then the unbelieving peoples will come to therealization that the One that shall rebuild ruinedChristendom and plant the desolate people withthe seed of the glad gospel of the Kingdom isJehovah. Jehovah has spoken it, and will bring itto pass.Ezekiel 36:37.Thus smith the Lord God; I will yet for this beinquired of by the house of Israel, to do it forthem; I will increase them with men like aflock.— God will yet be supplicated bydesolated Christendom to do this for them. Then,in answer to their prayers, He will, byawakenings from the dead, increase theirnumbers with men in multitudes.Ezekiel 36:38.As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem inher solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities befilled with flocks of men: and they shall knowthat I am the Lord.— Like as vast flocks ofsheep and cattle were gathered for sacrifice at theannual feasts at Jerusalem, so shall thedevastated nations of Christendom be filled withgreat crowds of consecrated, holy men, eachdevoted as a willing thank offering forever tolive for God. And they shall know, when Godhas brought them back from the dead, that He isJehovah, a God of infinite Justice, Power, Loveand Wisdom.

FM551Hail to the brightness of Zion's glad morning!Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain!Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning!Zion, in triumph, begins her glad reign.See the dead risen from land and from ocean;Praise to Jehovah ascending on High;Fall'n are the engines of war and commotion;Shouts of salvation are rending the sky.EZEKIEL 37THE VALLEY OF DRY BONESEzekiel 37:1.The hand of the Lord was upon me, andcarried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, andset me down in the midst of the valley whichwas full of bones.— Chapter 37:114 has afourfold application: (1) to the Valley ofJehoshaphat, the Adamic death, into which theHebrew nation has gone; (2) to the captivity ofthe Hebrews in literal Babylonia; (3) thecaptivity of the Hebrews in Mystic Babylon,Christendom; and (4) the dead condition of thehopes of Christendom in and after the Time ofTrouble. It is because the Jews were types of theChristians that the blessed fulfilment of thisprophesy applies with peculiar force toChristendom in and after the Time of Trouble.The power (hand) of Jehovah was upon Ezekielto enable him to see and expound this vision forthe benefit of the Hebrews and their dead hopesin captivity (2) in literal Babylon, (3) in MysticBabylon (Christendom) and (1) in the Adamicdeath. (Z.'99-190; ‘01-358.)The power of God is now upon His people tounderstand the application of the vision of drybones as pertaining to the hopes of (4) the peopleof Christendom, who, though believers in God,have not the Holy Spirit to illuminate theirmental vision, and who will find themselves inthe depths (valley) of despair in and after theTime of Trouble.The condition of the withered hopes ofChristendom in the Time of Trouble and death is

pictured by the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2,9-14): "I will gather all nations, and will bringthem down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat [ofjudgment and death], and will plead [in war,revolution and anarchy] with them there for Mypeople and My heritage Israel [the true Church]whom they have scattered among the nations,and parted My land [into several hundreddenominations]. Proclaim ye this among thenations: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men,let all the men of war draw near; let them comeup; beat your plowshares, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak [Belgium forexample] say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves,and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselvestogether round about; thither cause thy mightyones [the Little Flock, mighty in the power of theLord] to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen [inChristendom, and out]FM552be wakened, and come up to the Valley ofJehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all theheathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for theharvest [of the vine of the earth, (Rev. 14:19)Christendom] is ripe; come, get you down; forthe press is full, the fats overflow; for theirwickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes inthe valley of decision [for or against God andHis Word] for the Day [of vengeance] of theLord is near in the valley of decision."— Joel3:2, 9-15.Vast will be the slaughter, complete thedevastation, heart-rending the ruin and thedesolation of the hopes and aspirations ofChristendom in the dark and gloomy valley ofthe Day of Vengeance of Jehovah. It will indeedbe a valley— a cast down, humbled, lowlycondition, in which the people of proudChristendom will suddenly find themselves, acondition full of the memories of ruined hopes,(bones) (Mal. 4:1.)The valley is full of dried-up hopes (bones): (1)the twelve tribe of Israel in death; (2, 3) theHebrews in captivity to literal and mysticalBabylon; and (4) the hopes of Christendom.

Ezekiel 37:2.And caused me to pass by them round about:and behold, there were very many in the openvalley; and lo, they were very dry.— Thehopes of the Hebrews, held out to them inScripture, were very many, but until theregathering out of literal and mystical Babylon,and from the dead, were and shall be lifeless.Pastor Russell, in Volume IV of Studies in theScriptures, compassed the entire range of theafflictions and desolated hopes of mankind inwar, revolution and anarchy of the great Time ofTrouble.Ezekiel 37:3.And he said unto me, Son of man, can thesebones live! And I answered, O Lord God,Thou knowest.— "Is there any hope for thescattered people of Israel, that they will ever berestored as a nation? Can the good hopes ofChristendom, ruined by war, revolution andanarchy, be revived!" "O Jehovah God, Thouknowest and hast foretold the answer by themouths of Prophets and Apostles, and Thine ownSon!"Ezekiel 37:4.Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon thesebones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones,hear the Word of the Lord.— And God saysabout the Scriptural hopes of both Jews and ofChristendom, whose fall, ignominy and captivityin literal Babylon, in mystic Babylon, in theAdamic death and in the Time of Trouble havecaused, and will cause, so great sufferings and somany tears. "Hear the good Word of Jehovahconcerning thy ruined hopes."Ezekiel 37:5.Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones;Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you,and ye shall live.— Thus saith Jehovah Godabout the hopes of Christendom:

FM553Behold, in the blessed Times of Restitution, thetime for His great love for men to be revealed,He shall cause the people that are left among theHebrews and in Christendom to talk and prayabout their good hopes for the uplift ofthemselves and all the world to better, higherthings. And their hopes shall live again; for Godwill cause the spirit of life, life-energy, to enterinto their hopes and into their dead— thosecaptive in the Adamic death and in the ruin ofthe great tribulation.— E341, 316.Ezekiel 37:6.And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bringup flesh upon you, and cover you with skin,and put breath in you, and ye shall live; andye shall know that I am the Lord.— God willmake their hopes strong; for His Wordencourages their realization; and He gives thempower, form and substance and protection, andwill finally give them vitality, and they shall live,shall become a bright and vital reality. Then withthanksgiving they shall know Him truly asJehovah.— E341, 316.Ezekiel 37:7.So I prophesied as I was commanded: and asI prophesied, there was a noise, and behold ashaking, and the bones came together, bone tohis bone.— While Ezekiel was speaking therebegan "a shaking"— the commotion incident tothe fall of Babylon and the transfer of the empireto the Medes and Persians, typifying the comingTime of Trouble. And while Pastor Russell waspreaching there began— in 1914— the shakingof Christendom, in wars, revolutions andanarchy, preparatory to the transfer of therulership from Mystic Babylon, Christendom, tothe two-phase, spiritual and natural, Kingdom ofGod; also the Zionistic hopes of the Jews beganto assume definite, connected and Scripturalform. In due time, after the hopes ofChristendom shall have been utterly ruined in thetrouble, there will be "a noise," as of the rushingwind of a second Pentecostal outpouring of the

Holy Spirit "upon all flesh." It will be upon allChristendom, where men will be awaiting it withprayer and supplication. And behold! allChristendom will be shaken with emotion andwith a revival of hope; and all the good hopes ofChristendom, whose realization hitherto hadbeen vague and disconnected, will be seen intheir proper and Divinely appointed relation(bone to his bone).— Z.'99-191.Ezekiel 37:8.And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and theflesh came up upon them, and the skincovered them above: but there was no breathin them.— As a result of Ezekiel's prophesyingamong the Hebrews captive in Babylon, hopegrew strong and positive, and the protection ofJehovah (skin) was seen to be upon it, but yetthere was no vitality to it. The time was not ripefor the fruition of hope.FM554Pastor Russell, too, preached to the Jews abouttheir Zionist hopes, and pointed them to theHebrew Bible to understand the properfulfillment of their hopes; and while he waspreaching Zionism grew into a strong movement.There is a due time also for Christendom's hopesto be strengthened by the books of Pastor Russellin millions of homes throughout Christendom.The surviving people of Christendom will readthe Studies in the Scriptures during and after thetime of the ruination of their hopes. But eventhen something will be lacking—the Spirit,power, to cause the fulfillment of hope.— E341,316.Ezekiel 37:9.Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto thewind, prophesy, son of man, and say to thewind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come fromthe four winds, O breath, and breathe uponthese slain, that they may live.— Ezekiel wascommissioned to say, as the Word of GodHimself, concerning the operation of the HolySpirit (wind, ruach) or power of God, that thewhole power (four winds) of God as concerned

the Hebrew nation in captivity in literal Babylonshould be exercised to cause the revival of theirnational and Messianic hopes. "The words that Ispeak, they are Spirit." The whole Word of God(four winds, the whole Spirit) foretold theregathering of the willing and obedient of theHebrews from Babylon to Jerusalem, afterseventy years' captivity.Pastor Russell, as Ezekiel's antitype, wascommissioned to say to the Hebrews scatteredthroughout the world in captivity in MysticBabylon, Christendom, that the whole Word ofGod pointed to two great blessings: (1) therevival of their Zionist hope and its realization inthe regathering of many Hebrews to Jerusalem,and the founding there of the world-wideHebrew dominion over the whole world, intowhich should be gathered, out of MysticBabylon, all the Hebrews in the world, whereverthey might remain; and (2) the regathering of theHebrews of all ages from the captivity ofdeath— the tomb— to live on earth again in theearthly phase of the Kingdom of God, under theinvisible spiritual dominion of Christ, Head andBody, and under the visible earthly rulership ofthe resurrected Ancient Worthies. Beginning inOctober, 1910, Pastor Russell called the attentionof Hebrews by thousands, throughout the world,to the fact that the whole Old Testament foretoldthis as the legitimate aspiration of the Hebrews.For the Christian people of the world.Pastor Russell has a similar message: (1) Forbelieving Christians having the Holy Spirit, herevived their hopes and pointed out clearly theirgathering out from captivity in Mystic Babylonand in death, unto the glorious spirit phase of theKingdom of God. (2) For theFM555mass or professing Christians, who through somemeasure of unbelief or of unfaithfulness are notbegotten of the Spirit to a change of nature fromhuman to spiritual, he has a Divine message,which in due time will bring strong hope andcomfort. As the Time of Trouble progresses,professing Christians by the millions, losing

faith, as did the Apostles when, on the arrest ofChrist they all forsook Him and fled, will forsakeChristianity and all profession of beingChristians. They will lose all the hopes they hadas Christians. Then Pastor Russell's message willpreach to Christendom the necessity of receivingthe Holy Spirit in its entirety, in order to realizetheir hopes; will turn the people to the wholeTruth of the Word of God (the four winds, all theTruth), all the witness of the Spirit for them, that"salvation cometh of the Jew" (John 4:22), andthat they must connect themselves with theAncient Worthies, resurrected and reigning atJerusalem; for without these Worthies theirhopes must remain inactive— through themalone hope can be vitalized. Then Christendomwill pray to God, "We submit ourselves whollyto Thee in heartfelt consecration. Come, O Spirit,all the Spirit, in the appointed way, and breathelife into our hopes, that they may live at last!"Ezekiel 37:10.So I prophesied as He commanded me, andthe breath came into them, and they lived,and stood up upon their feet, an exceedinggreat army.— From paying attention toEzekiel's message, the Hebrews captive inBabylon realized their hopes at the end of theseventy years captivity. As a result of PastorRussell's teaching, Zionistic hopes have gainednew vitality; and in due time the Hebrew deadwill come forth from the Adamic death inmultitudes. From his teachings to the trueChurch, captive in Mystic Babylon,Christendom, the Scriptural hopes of the Churchwere clearly seen, and vitalized for those inPresent Truth. From his teachings hope willgrow afresh in the hearts of the survivors ofdesolated Christendom; and as a result of theirprayers the dead of Christendom will come forth,an exceeding great army.— E341, 316.Ezekiel 37:11.Then He said unto me, Son of man, thesebones are the whole house of Israel: behold,they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope islost: we are cut off for our parts.— The dried

ones represent all the Hebrews, Fleshly Israel,and all the professing Christians, Spiritual Israel.As outlined foregoing, they say that their hopesare lost, and that they are cut off from Divinefavors for their evil course in life.— Isa. 49:14;Z.'99-191.Ezekiel 37:12.Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thussaith the Lord God; Behold, O My people, Iwill open yourFM556graves, and cause you to come up out of yourgraves, and bring you into the land of Israel.—The various classes mentioned were to bebrought up from their condition— dead as totheir hopes— and brought, the Hebrews intoPalestine; the true Christians, into the Spiritphase of the Kingdom; and the nominalChristians, into a place of favor in the earthlyphase of the Kingdom.— Isa. 60:21; Z.'99-190.Ezekiel 37:13, 14.And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when Ihave opened your graves, O My people, andbrought you up out of your graves, And shallput My Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and Ishall place you In your own land: then shallye know that I the Lord have spoken it, andperformed it, saith the Lord.— They shall allknow that God is the Jehovah of infinite Justice,Wisdom, Love and Power, when the wonderfulpower of God has thus wrought in them for theirblessing.—E341, 316; Z.'99-190.TWO STICKS MADE ONEEzekiel 37:15.The Word of the Lord came again unto me,saying.— Verses 15-28 recount the separation ofthe Hebrews into two distinct kingdoms; Israel,the corrupt ten tribes; and Judah, the less corrupttwo tribes. In antitype it represents corruptCatholicism, the larger branch of Christendom,and Protestantism, the smaller and less corrupt.

Ezekiel 37:16, 17.Moreover, thou son of man, take thee onestick, and write upon it, For Judah, and forthe children of Israel his companions: thentake another stick, and write upon it, ForJoseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all thehouse of Israel and his companions: And Jointhem one to another into one stick; and theyshall become one in thine hand.— By thepower of God the two were to be made onenation in the return of the Hebrews fromBabylonia, and again will be made one in theirreturn from Mystic Babylon, Christendom, toPalestine. Likewise the denominational divisionsof Christian people have been obliterated amongthose gathered out of Mystic Babylon intoPresent Truth, as they will yet be in theregathering of the dead of Christendom in theresurrection, and in the unifying influences thatwill work among the survivors of Christendom'strouble. All these are to have as their Princeforever, the Beloved (David, beloved) of God,The Christ in glory.Ezekiel 37:18.And when the children of thy people shallspeak unto thee, saying, Wilt Thou not showwhat Thou meanest by these?— Both Jews andChristians have long inquired what God hassignified by this prophecy.FM557Ezekiel 37:19.Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God;Behold I will take tho stick of Joseph, which isin the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes ofIsrael his fellows, and will put them with him,even with the stick of Judah, and make themone stick, and they shall be one in Minehand.— The reuniting of the Hebrews and of thedivisions of Christians will be by the power ofGod, and they shall remain one.Ezekiel 37:20.And the sticks whereon thou writest shall bein thine hand before their eyes .— The uniting

of the Hebrews was apparently due to theprophecy of Ezekiel. That to come— of theHebrews and of the Christians— will be inaccordance with the teachings of Pastor Russell.Ezekiel 37:21, 22.And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God;Behold, I will take the children of Israel fromamong the heathen, whither they be gone, andwill gather them on every side, and bringthem into their own land: And I will makethem one nation in the land upon themountains of Israel; and one king shall beking to them all; and they shall be no moretwo nations, neither shall they be divided intotwo kingdoms any more at all.— In 536 B. C.God regathered the Natural Israelites intoPalestine as one nation, and will soon regatherthem out from all the nations of the world. Hewill gather true Spiritual Israel into the Heavenlyphase of the Kingdom, where they shall ever beone people in mind in Christ, no longer separatedas Little Flock, loving Heavenly things, andGreat Company, loving the earthly. He willregather nominal Spiritual Israel from the deadand from their hopeless earthly condition, intothe earthly phase of the Kingdom, no longerdivided as Catholic and Protestant.— Jer. 50:4-6.A GREAT RELIGIOUS REFORMATIONEzekiel 37:23.Neither shall they defile themselves any morewith their idols, nor with their detestablethings, nor with any of their transgressions;but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and willcleanse them: so shall they be My people, andI will be their God.— God will cleanse them allfrom everything relating to this present evil ageand will save them out of their dwelling places—the spirit children from their corrupt bodies; theGreat Company from their spiritual bondage; thenominal Christians from their sects; and the Jewsfrom their domiciles in all nations; and allclasses from the sleep of death. They shall all be

truly God's people; and Jehovah, Just, Wise,Loving and Powerful, their God.Ezekiel 37:24.And David My servant shall be king overthem; and they shall all have One Shepherd:they shall also walkFM558in My judgments, and observe My statutes,and do them.— Over them as King shall beChrist Jesus, the Beloved Head of His Body theChurch, and the whole Beloved Christ, Head andBody, for all the other classes. Christ Jesus theHead shall be the Shepherd of the Spirit classes;and The Christ, Head and Body, the Shepherdand Pastor of all the others. All classes inHeaven and on earth shall walk in the royal Lawof Love.Ezekiel 37:25.And they shall dwell in the land that I havegiven unto Jacob My servant, wherein yourfathers have dwelt; end they shall dwelltherein, even they and their children, andtheir children's children for ever: and Myservant David shall be their prince for ever.—The promise to Jacob is to be understood as bothspiritual and earthly, a place spiritually typifyinga condition. The Jews, living and resurrecteddead, shall dwell forever in Palestine, given byGod to Jacob, wherein their fathers, Abraham,Isaac and Jacob, dwelt. The Little Flock and theGreat Company will dwell forever in theHeavenly condition, where their great Fatherdwells. The nominal Christians will dwell in thewhole earth, wherein their then Father, TheChrist, Head and Body, dwelt in bodies ofhumiliation and sacrifice. The Christ shallforever be their King.Ezekiel 37:26.Moreover I will make a covenant of peacewith them; it shall be an everlasting Covenantwith them: and I will place them, andmultiply them, and will set My Sanctuary inthe midst of them for evermore.— God will

make effective with the Jews the everlastingNew Covenant, guaranteeing eternal earthlyblessings to the willing and obedient; and thenominal professing Christians will come underthe benefits of the Covenant. He will makeeffective the complete fulfillment of theCovenant of Grace for the Church in the spiritphase of the Kingdom. He will set both classesup in power— the Church as spiritual Kings andPriests unto God; and the Jews as the rulers ofthe earth. He will multiply their numbers by theresurrection. He will dwell in the spiritual class,making them His Sanctuary to the earthly class.Ezekiel 37:27.My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, Iwill be their God, and they shall be Mypeople.— God's abode will be in the spiritualclass; and they will be God's Temple orDwelling-place, from which the Law of Loveshall proceed for the earthly class.Ezekiel 37:28.And the heathen shall know that I the Lorddo sanctify Israel, when My Sanctuary shallbe in the midst of them for evermore.— Thenwill follow the conversion of the heathen peoplesof the earth.— "the residue of men, even all theGentiles."— Acts 15:17.FM559EZEKIEL 38FINAL OVERTHROW OF PRIDEEzekiel 38:1, 2.And the Word of the Lord came unto me,saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog,the land of Magog, the chief prince ofMeshech and Tubal, and prophesy againsthim.—The Truth people, the reformers, are toset themselves against the proud, lofty rulers(Gog, high, mountain, D554) of therevolutionary republics after the war and the fallof Christendom, and of the ignorant, degradedrevolutionists. (Magog was Scythia, a rude,ignorant, degraded people, including the savages

of Europe [D556], savage by nature and madedoubly so in the most barbarous wars of history.Meshech, north of Armenia, and Tubal, south ofthe Black Sea, and also Spain, represented theremotest and rudest nations of the world.) Theprophecy is to have a double fulfillment, for itrefers also to the gathering, at the close of the1,000 years, of Satan, and the deceivable amongrestored mankind against the camp of thesaints.— Rev. 20:7-10.Ezekiel 38:3.And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, Iam against thee, O Gog, the chief prince ofMeshech and Tubal.— God will be against therulers of the worst of earth's peoples.Ezekiel 38:4.And I will turn thee back, and put hooks intothy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and allthine army, horses and horsemen, all of themclothed with all sorts of armour, even a greatcompany with bucklers and shields, all ofthem handling swords.— God will lead themon (Revised Version) and bring them forth to dothis deed, them and all their multitude, equippedwith every conceivable weapon of destruction.Ezekiel 38:5.Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all ofthem with shield and helmet.— The darkpeoples of Africa (descendants of Ham, typicalof sinful, degraded peoples), trained andequipped in the European war.Ezekiel 38:6.Gomer, and all his bands; the house ofTogarmah of the north quarters, and all hisbands; and many people with thee.— Theremotest peoples of Europe (D556) (Gomer wasancestor of the Celts, Scotch, etc.; Togarmah wasnorth of Armenia) and their armies, and amultitude with them; and, a thousand years later,all whose heart attitude answers this description.

FM560Ezekiel 38:7.Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself,thou, and all thy company that are assembledunto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.—The foregoing and their savage multitudes ofrevolutionists are to be the vanguard of the evilhost. These people symbolize also those after the1,000 years whose heart condition will be likethe actual state of these savages.Ezekiel 38:8.After many days thou shalt be visited: in thelatter years thou shalt come into the land thatis brought back from the sword, and isgathered out of many people, against themountains of Israel, which have been alwayswaste: but it is brought forth out of thenations, and they shall dwell safely all ofthem.— After the career of the Ezekiel class isterminated in the flesh, the nations of Europe(and after the thousand years are finished thehosts of Satan, unbound) shall be called to dotheir dreadful work. At the close of the turbulentrevolutionary era. Europe shall come againstPalestine, then living in a peace contrasting withtheir turbulence; and, at the close of theMillennium Satan shall come against theMillennial order of things, abounding in holinessand peace.Ezekiel 38:9.Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm,thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land,thou, and all thy bands, and many people withthee.— They shall make the attack in vastnumbers.Ezekiel 38:10.Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come topass, that at the same time shall things comeinto thy mind, and thou shalt think an evilthought.— At the end of the revolutionary eraturbulent Europe and Africa will be obsessedwith an idea full of evil for them and for theHebrews; and at the close of the Millennium

Satan and the hosts in sympathy with hisdeceptions will dream of seizing the establishedKingdom of God.Ezekiel 38:11.And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land ofunwalled villages; I will go to them that are atrest, that dwell safely, all of them dwellingwithout walls, and having neither bars norgates.— They shall say that they will go upagainst Palestine, against the Hebrews living inunwonted peace in a turbulent world.— D553.Ezekiel 38:12.To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turnthine hand upon the desolate places that arenow inhabited, and upon the people that aregathered out of the nations, which have gottencattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of theland.— They will seek to plunder their property,to turn their weapons against once desolatePalestine, against the regathered Hebrews,enjoying some measure of prosperity. In likemanner the hosts of Satan will seek to seize therestored Kingdom of God, at the close of the1,000 years.FM561Ezekiel 38:13.Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants ofTarshish, with all the young lions thereof,shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take aspoil? hast thou gathered thy company to takea prey? to carry away silver and gold, to takeaway cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?—The people surrounding Palestine (D556), withtheir soldiers, will join in the plunder. After theMillennium all classes not in heart harmony with"the camp of the saints," will seek to capture theKingdom, to take captive the power of the LittleFlock and the Great Company (silver and gold),and the masses of perfect humanity (cattle, etc.)Ezekiel 38:14.Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say untoGog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that daywhen My people of Israel dwelleth safely,

shalt thou not know it?— When God's people,the Hebrews, are living peacefully in Palestine,the fact will be well known by revolutionaryEurope and Africa. After the Millennium Satanand his former associates, the apostate clergy ofChristendom and the Hebrew Pharisees, boundfor a thousand years, and loosed for a short time,will behold the prosperity of restored mankind.Ezekiel 38:15.And thou shalt come from thy place out of thenorth parts, thou, and many people with thee,all of them riding upon horses, a greatcompany, and a mighty army.— Europe's hostsshall come from the countries north (D555) ofPalestine with many people, riding on horses,motor cars and railroad trains, a vast and mightyarmy. And a thousand years later, Satan willappear, permitted to come by the spiritual phaseof the Kingdom (the north), with many new,lying doctrines (horses) to deceive the people.Ezekiel 38:16.And thou shalt come up against My people ofIsrael, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall bein the latter days, and I will bring thee againstMy land, that the heathen may know Me,when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog,before their eyes.— The revolutionists willcome against the Hebrews in the closing years ofthe Time of Trouble, just at the outbreak ofanarchy (D555).This invasion will be permitted by God, that thepeoples may know that Jehovah is God, whenHis mighty power shall perform a dreadful workupon these wicked peoples, raised up and setapart (sanctified) for the enhancing of Divineprestige. It will also be to demonstrate the Divineattributes that the Satanic hosts will be permittedlater to conspire against "the camp of the saints."Ezekiel 38:17.Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he ofwhom I have spoken in old time by Myservants the prophets of Israel, whichprophesied in those days many years, that I

would bring thee against them?— Jehovahdeclares thatFM562these evil multitudes, who will shortly organize acrusade against the Jews, will be the ones ofwhom, thousands of years before, the HebrewProphets wrote.Ezekiel 38:18.And it shall come to pass at the same timewhen Gog shall come against the land ofIsrael, saith the Lord God, that My fury shallcome up in My face.— The Divine wrath offurious retribution will be against these classes.Ezekiel 38:19.For in My jealousy and in the fire of Mywrath have I spoken, Surely in that day thereshall be a great shaking in the land ofIsrael.— In jealous love for His beloved peopleand in jealous destructive (fire) wrath againsttheir assailants (D527) has God foretold a worldshakingholocaust of the hosts of evil in the landof Palestine, and a thousand years later of theminions of the Devil.Ezekiel 38:20.So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls ofthe heaven, and the beasts of the field, and allcreeping things that creep upon the earth, andall the men that are upon the face of the earth,shall shake at My presence, and themountains shall be thrown down, and thesteep places shall fall, and every wall shall fallto the ground.— The result will be that the men(fishes, C214) not under religious restraint(Z.'86:1), the most execrable of the people of theworld (fowls, C162), the revolutionarygovernments (beasts, A261), and all the lowestof mankind shall be thrown into revolutionarycommotion; and the nations (mountains, A318)shall be overthrown in anarchy, together with allthe civil powers (walls, D40) of the world.

Ezekiel 38:21.And I will call for a sword against himthroughout all My mountains, saith the LordGod: every man's sword shall be against hisbrother.— God will do His dreadful work ofending this present evil world, and will call forthe universal arming of mankind with destroyingweapons, so that every man's weapons will beagainst every other man.Ezekiel 38:22.And I will plead against him with pestilenceand with blood; and I will rain upon him, andupon his bands, and upon the many peoplethat are with him, an overflowing rain, andgreat hailstones, fire, and brimstone.— Godwill fight miraculously against the hosts of evilwith pestilence and death, and will overwhelmthem with a flood of Truth— with hard facts, tosmite their hearts—and with anarchy,destruction, utter and complete. So also will theAlmighty deal with the rebels of a thousandyears later.Ezekiel 38:23.Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctifyMyself; and I will be known in the eyes ofmany nations, and they shall know that I amthe Lord.— So will God magnify His reputationas the One to be reverenced, and the fame of Hispower will spread throughout the world.FM563EZEKIEL 39DEATH OF PRIDE'S MULTITUDEEzekiel 39:1.Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy againstGog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God;Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chiefprince of Meshech and Tubal.— This has atriple fulfillment: (a) the destruction of theliteral armies that will attack the Hebrews at thebeginning of the Millennium; (b) the destructionof their pride and their sophistries by the Truth;

and (c) at the end of the Millennium the literalannihilation of the hosts that will then bedeceived by Satan, and the destruction of theirerrors by the loyal members of the Kingdom.Jehovah is against these evil leaders and theirmultitude. The greatest curse of God's people inall times has been pride.— Matt. 5:3; 1 John3:12; John 8:44; Isa. 14:14; Psa. 119:113; Prov.6:17; Psa. 101:5; Prov. 8:13; Isa. 2:12; Prov.16:18; 2 Thess, 2:4; Mal. 3:15; Mark 10:43.Ezekiel 39:2.And I will turn thee back, and leave but thesixth part of thee, and will cause thee to comeup from the north parts, and will bring theeupon the mountains of Israel.— Jehovah willlead them on (R. V.), controlled and directed bythe spiritual phase of the Kingdom (north) to (a,b) bring a host against restored Israel; and (c) athousand years later another Satanic multitudeagainst the entire restored Kingdom.Ezekiel 39:3.And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand,and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thyright hand.— God will (a, b) destroy theweapons and the power of the anti-Hebrewcrusade; and (b, c) He will also end, in thosehosts, their hatred (bow) and their bitter words(arrows).Ezekiel 39:4.Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel,thou, and all thy bands, and the people that iswith thee: I will give thee unto the ravenousbirds of every sort, and to the beasts of thefield, to be devoured.— These evil hosts (a, b,c) shall die; and God will give the first one to bedisorganized, disrupted and destroyed by themost execrable of mankind (birds and beasts);and He will deliver (b) both it and (c) the secondinto the power of the spiritual phase of HisKingdom, to be wiped out.

Ezekiel 39:5.Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I havespoken it, saith the Lord God.— They shall falldefenseless at the hands of their destroyers.FM564Ezekiel 39:6.And I will send a fire on Magog, and amongthem that dwell carelessly in the isles: andthey shall know that I am the Lord.— Godwill (a, b) send anarchy (fire) among the peoplesof the revolutionary republics (isles); and literalmiraculous annihilation upon the second uprisingof Satan and his deceived followers.Ezekiel 39:7.So will I make My holy name known in themidst of My people Israel; and I will not letthem pollute My holy name any more: andthe heathen shall know that I am the Lord,the Holy One in Israel.— Through thismiraculous deliverance (a) the Hebrews shall beconverted to the Truth, so that they shall neveragain be a discredit to God's name; and (b, c) allmankind also shall thereby learn fully to knowGod.Ezekiel 39:8.Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith theLord God; this is the day whereof I havespoken.— It shall surely come; it shall be done;thus shall be the day of the end of evil and thefinal establishment of right, whereof God hasspoken in His Word.Ezekiel 39:9.And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shallgo forth, and shall set on fire and burn theweapons, both the shields and the bucklers,the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves,and the spears, and they shall burn them withfire seven years.— The regathered Hebrews ofPalestine (a) shall be seven years burning anddestroying the weapons of war of this evilrabble. (a) The hosts of heaven and of earth (b, c)shall eternally (seven years) recount the lesson of

the utter end of Satan's deceptive doctrines, ofcredulity (shield) of hatred (bows), evilspeaking(arrows) and other evil character-fruits.Ezekiel 39:10.So that they shall take no wood out of thefield, neither cut down any out of the forests;for they shall burn the weapons with fire:and they shall spoil those that spoiled them,and rob those that robbed them, saith theLord God.— So numerous will be the weaponsof war (a) of those Divinely vanquished armiesthat the Hebrews will need no other firewood,but will burn the weapons. They shall plunderthose that plunder them. The innumerablesophistries (b, c) by which Satan's legions shallseek to grasp the Kingdom power, and theirmiraculous overthrow, shall forever furnishlessons to help the inheritors of the Kingdom.Ezekiel 39:11.And it shall come to pass in that day, that Iwill give unto Gog a place there of graves inIsrael, the valley of the passengers on the eastof the sea; and it shall stop the noses of thepassengers: and there shall they bury Gogand all his multitude: and they shall call it,The valley of Hamon-gog.— God will give (a)the self-exalted anti-FM565Semite crusaders a place of burial in Palestine. Inthe valley used as a highway east of the DeadSea, the dead shall be a stench to the passers-by;and there shall they bring the proud (Gog, high,proud ones) hosts to their end, and they shall callit the Valley of Pride's Multitude (Hamon,multitude). Then, and a thousand years later (b,c), the memory of the proud dead shall beoffensive to all that recall it.Ezekiel 39:12.And seven months shall the house of Israel beburying of them, that they may cleanse theland.— For seven months (a) the Hebrews shallbe burying the crusaders, that they may cleansethe land defiled by the dead. And then, and after

the Millennium (b, c), for many years shall thespiritual members of the Kingdom beneutralizing the sophistries of Satan, that theymay thoroughly cleanse the Kingdom of itsspiritual defilement.Ezekiel 39:13.Yea, all the people of the land shall burythem; and it shall be to them a renown theday that I shall be glorified, saith the LordGod.— Yea (a) all the nations shall bury thedead; and the day of pride's (Gog's) overthrowshall be a celebrated day among them. All thepeople of the Kingdom (b, c) shall loyally assistin cleansing their beloved Kingdom of thespiritual defilement. It will always be a day to beremembered.— Mal. 4:1.Ezekiel 39:14.And they shall sever out men of continualemployment, passing through the land, tobury with the passengers those that remainupon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: afterthe end of seven months shall they search.—After the seven months (a) men shall be hiredregularly to search through the land, incooperation with any travelers, for any deadremaining on the earth, to thoroughly cleanse theland. And then, and after the thousand years (b,c) spiritual teachers shall be detailed to removeany remaining spiritual defilement, by teachingthe Truth.Ezekiel 39:15.And the passengers that pass through theland, when any seeth a man's bone, then shallhe set up a sign by it, till the buriers haveburied it in the valley of Hamon-gog.— Anytravelers (a) passing by, that see even a humanbone, shall mark it for the buriers to bury in theValley of Pride's Multitude. And then, and athousand years later (b, c) any one noticing anyvestige of death-dealing error shall mark it forthe special teachers to cleanse away with truth.

Ezekiel 39:16.And also the name of the city shall beHamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.—There shall (a) be a city there named Multitude(Hamonah, Multitude). Thus shall they cleansethe land; and then (b, c) and beyond the thousandyears there shall be a perfect government (city)FM566— not such a government as Satan wouldestablish again, not usurped by the few, Satanand his agents, but a government, under God—of multitudes of restored and perfect men— aDivine Republic, called "Multitude."Ezekiel 39:17.And, thou son of man, thus saith the LordGod; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and toevery beast of the field, Assemble yourselves,and come; gather yourselves on every side toMy sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even agreat sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel,that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.— Godsays: (a) When the proud revolutionists shall setthemselves in array against His people, to call tothe most execrable of men (fowls) and to therevolutionary rulers (beasts); Come to the greatdestruction of hosts of rebellious humanity,where you, in anarchy, shall destroy thesepeople; symbolically (b, c) a call to the farsightedspiritual ones (eagles) and the believingones of earth (beasts— members of the Lion ofthe Tribe of Judah) to gather themselves to feastupon, to destroy with the weapons of DivineTruth, the evil doctrines (flesh, as the flesh ofJesus symbolizes true doctrines) and thecorrupting errors (blood) of Satan.Ezekiel 39:18.Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drinkthe blood of the princes of the earth, of rams,of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of themfatlings of Bashan.— They shall (b, c) consumethe sophistries of Satan (the mighty), andannihilate the errors of earth's great falseteachers and rulers— New Thought doctrines of

devils relating to the attainment of perfection, towhatever kind and degree desired— to be asmature leaders (rams), among the sheep, astender-charactered lambs, as self-willed, selfmastersthrough thought-power (goats), or asperfect human beings (bullocks), all imaginingthemselves actually, fully developed (fatlings),under the delusions of Satan's fruitful mind(Bashan, fruitful).Ezekiel 39:19.And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drinkblood till ye be drunken, or My sacrificewhich I have sacrificed for you.— They shall(b, c) with the Truth consume and destroy thesefalse philosophies, until satiated with theglorious witness for God's Truth.Ezekiel 39:20.Thus ye shall be filled at My table with horsesand chariots, with mighty men, and with allmen of war, saith the Lord God.— Thus (b, c)at God's table of spiritual food, His people shallhave an abundant feeding upon the truths whichshall destroy the errors of the Time of Trouble,the doctrines and the organizations actuated bythese doctrines and the rulers, philosophies,teachers and workers in the cause of evil.FM567Ezekiel 39:21.And I will set My glory among the heathen,and all the heathen shall see My judgmentthat I have executed, and My hand that I havelaid upon them.— God will (a, b, c) makeHimself renowned among all nations; and theyshall realize that He shall have executedjudgment upon them, and that it is His hand ofJustice that has been laid upon them for theirmisdeeds.Ezekiel 39:22.So the house of Israel shall know that I am theLord their God from that day and forward.—Thus shall (a) the Hebrews and (b, c) allprofessing Christians know Jehovah as theirGod, from that time on forever.

Ezekiel 39:23.And the heathen shall know that the house ofIsrael went into captivity for their iniquity:because they trespassed against Me, thereforehid I My face from them, and gave them intothe hand of their enemies; so fell they all bythe sword.— The whole world shall know thatthe Hebrews (a) went into captivity to literalBabylon and to Mystic Babylon, and that theunfaithful professing Christians went intocaptivity (b) to Mystic Babylon and (c) to Satan'sdeceptions, because they sinned against God. Forthis reason He disfavored them and gave themover into the power of their enemies. So shallthey fall, by literal weapons of destruction and(b, c) be slain by the Sword of the Spirit.Ezekiel 39:24.According to their uncleanness and accordingto their transgressions have I done unto them,and hid My face from them.— According totheir physical, mental, moral and spiritualpollution, and to their sinfulness, God willrecompense and disfavor them.Ezekiel 39:25.Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will Ibring again the captivity of Jacob, and havemercy upon the whole house of Israel, andwill be jealous for My holy name.— Thenwhen the punishment is over (D557), will God(a) release the Hebrews (A300) from theircaptivity in Mystic Babylon and in the tomb, andantitypically that of Christendom. He will showHis mercy and love toward all the Hebrews,living and dead (D557), and (b, c), toward all ofChristendom, the quick and the dead, and willvindicate His reputation for righteousness.Ezekiel 39:26.After that they have borne their shame, andall their trespasses whereby they havetrespassed against Me, when they dwelt safelyin their land, and none made them afraid.—After they (a) have thus (D558) endured theirshame and the punishment for all their sins,

wherein they have erred against the Lord, whilethe Jews were peacefully dwelling in Palestine(b, c) and the professing Christians inChristendom, and while no one made themafraid, the sure results shall follow.FM568Ezekiel 39:27.When I have brought them again from thepeople, and gathered them out of theirenemies' lands, and am sanctified in them inthe sight of many nations.— In Zionism (a)God shall regather the Jews and (b, c) bring Jewsand Christians alike back from the great enemy,death, and by their holy, consecrated lives, Hewill be hallowed in the regard of the wholeworld.Ezekiel 39:28.Then shall they know that I am the Lord theirGod, which caused them to be led intocaptivity among the heathen: but I havegathered them unto their own land, and haveleft none of them any more there.— Then shallthey in humble thankfulness appreciate that Godis the beloved Jehovah, the Just One, who shallhave punished them with captivity among thenations, and then in infinite Wisdom, Power andLove shall have gathered all of them, living anddead, (a) back to their former homes in Palestine(b, c) and in Christendom, and shall have left notone in captivity any more.Ezekiel 39:29.Neither will I hide My face any more fromthem: for I have poured out My Spirit uponthe house of Israel, saith the Lord God.— Godwill not disfavor them any more; for He willpour out upon them (a) Jews and (b, c) Christianstogether, His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to abidein them forever.

FM569HOW WE LEARNGreat truths are dearly bought. The common truth,Such as men give and take from day to day,Comes in the common walk of easy life,Blown by the careless wind across our way.Great truth are dearly won; not found by chance,Nor wafted on the breath of summer dream;But grasped in the great struggle of the soul,Hard buffeting with adverse wind and stream.Not in the general clash of human creeds,Nor in the merchandise ‘twixt church and world,Is truth's fair treasure found, ‘mongst tares andweeds;Nor her fair banner in their midst unfurled.Truth springs like harvest from the well-ploughedfields, Rewarding patient toil, and faith, and zeal.To those thus seeking her, she ever yieldsHer richest treasures for their lasting weal.EZEKIEL 40-48GOD'S TEMPLE ANDRIVER OF TRUTHThis vision of the prophet Ezekiel depicts theestablished theocratic Kingdom of God on earth,civil and religious, spiritual and earthly. Whilethe Temple is an architectural possibility, asshown in the accompanying illustrations, (andmay be erected at Jerusalem), it, in its variousparts, surroundings, rites and worshippers, is atype and symbol of "better things to come," afterthe wars, revolutions and anarchy of the periodfrom 1914 to 1925 have passed.The Timeof the establishment of the Kingdom in power isindicated as "in the fourteenth year after that thecity (Christendom) was smitten"— or fourteenyears after 1918, viz., in 1932.— Ezek. 40:1.

PlaceThe Temple was seen in the "land of Israel"— inPalestine. As a place types a condition, the landof Israel is typical of the condition of the wholeworld of mankind; and the city, at the south sideof a very high mountain, is symbolic of theestablished earthly phase (south) of the DivineGovernment overshadowed by the autocratic(very high) spiritual phase of the Kingdom(mountain).— Ezek. 40:2.By WhomThe one who showed the Temple to the Church,the Elijah class, was "the man in linen"— PastorRussell. The brass (copper) of vs. 3 representshis justification. In his power (hand) were theDivine standards of measurement— the reed(Word of God) and the "line of flax" (linen,righteousness). His standing was in the east gateof the Sanctuary— in Christ (gate). With theWord he measured the Temple (the Church, andthe subsidiary classes) and with the standard ofperfect Divine righteousness (flax, linen) hemeasured the progress of the life-giving River ofTruth.— Ezek. 40:3; 43:6; 44:4; 47:1-3.PurposeThe vision is important. Those that have eyes tosee and ears to hear, must set their heart upon allthat the Laodicean steward shows them, "for tothe intent that I might show them unto thee, artthou brought hither." (40:4.) The hearers are todeclare all that they see, to professing Christians(house of Israel), that they may be ashamed offormer beliefs and practices, and in completeconsecration seek to conform themselves to allthe Divine standards.— Ezek. 43:10-12; 44:4-6;47:6.FM570The MeasuresThe standards of the Kingdom will be the fulnessof the Word of God (the reed of 9 feet of six

"great cubits," each about 18 inches, or of a 15-inch cubit and a handbreadth) (Ezek. 40:3, 5),and the standard of Divine righteousness.—Ezek. 40:3, 47:3.An interchangeable decimal system of dry andliquid measures is given, symbolic of just andrighteous dealing. An ephah (dry measure)equals a bath (liquid measure), and ten of eitheris a homer or cor. The homer is about 75 gallonsand the ephah and the bath, one tenth of a homer,or 7 1/2 gallons each. (Ezek. 45:10-11). Thetable of weights is (Ezek. 45:12, etc.):Grains AvoirdupoisTalent 960,000 137 1/7 lb. 1Maneh 16,000 2 1/4 lb. 60 1Shekel 320 3/4 oz. 3,000 50 1Beka 160 2/5 oz. 6,000 100 2 1Gerah 16 1/27 oz. 60,000 1000 20 10 1The measures of volume are to be used chiefly inconnection with the sacrifices— so many ephahsof wheat or baths of oil as a meat or drinkoffering with a bullock, etc.Symbolisms of NumbersNumbers are used as symbols of completeness orperfection, or their opposites. The commonconception of the symbolisms of numbers is:One— Unity, self-sufficiency.Two— Duality, couples.Three— That in itself complete, invisible,infinite.Four— That in which God reveals Himselfcompletely, as the four cherubim, the four-sidedaltar, and the cubic shaped Most Holy.Five— Used in connection with ten,completeness in the stage, degree, or powerattained or ordained; or a relative imperfection.Six— Secular completeness, or completenessaccording to the measure designed in the Wordof God.

Seven— The sum of three and four; religious orDivine completeness or perfection; the covenantnumber. The half of seven (3 1/2), the brokennumber, appears in connection with suffering.Ten— The natural symbol of perfection,completeness, complete development, acomplete and perfect whole.Twelve— Three times four; the number of thecovenant people; completeness of organization;national completeness.Multiples or powers of these numbers combineor intensify their symbolism.FM571THE TEMPLE SEEN IN VISION BY EZEKIEL.FM572Symbolism of DirectionsThe north points to spiritual things, the south toearthly things, the east to Christ and His ransomsacrifice. The right is the side of favor, the left ofless favor, or of disfavor. Higher elevationsrepresent higher planes of being or of power;lower planes the opposite.The Land and its DivisionsAs places typify conditions, the land of Canaan,of the children of Israel, types the whole worldof mankind. Its division among the twelve tribes,in equal parts varying in nearness to the centralsacred portion, suggests, among restored

humanity, twelve conditions or degrees of honorin the Kingdom, each individual being accordeda place befitting his loyalty and love during histrial or judgment period. The meaning of thenames of the tribes is suggestive, the namesbeing inFIG. 1 DIVISION OF THE LAND.FM573order of nearness to the central sacred portion.(See Figure 1.)— See Rev. 7.To the north of the sacred portion: Judah (praise,Gen. 49:8-12); Reuben (behold a son, Gen. 49:3-4); Ephraim (doubly fruitful, Gen. 48:15-20);Manasseh (causing forgetfulness, Gen. 48:15-20); Naphtali (wrestling, Gen. 49:21); Asher(happy, Gen. 49:20); and at the extreme north,Dan (judge, Gen. 49:16-18).— Ezek. 48:1-7.To the south of the central sacred portion:Benjamin (son of the right hand, Gen. 49:27);Simeon (hearing, Gen. 49:5-7); Issachar (bearingreward, Gen. 49:14-15); Zebulun (dwelling, Gen.49:13); and at the extreme south, Gad (seer, lot,fortune, Gen. 49:19). (Ezek. 48:23-29.) Thename meanings and Jacob's prophetic blessingsare significant of Kingdom conditions.

Figure 1 shows the division of Palestine into thestrips assigned to the tribes and the central sacredportion.The Boundaries of the Land(Ezek. 47:13-21) are through places whosename-meanings are suggestive of Kingdomconditions. On the north side: Hethlon(stronghold), Hamath (defended, walled),Berotha (food), Sibraim (double hill), Hazar-Hatticon (middle court), Hauran (cave district),Hazar-enan (court of the fountains) andDamascus (similitude of burning). On the eastside: Gilead (strong, rocky), Israel (ruling withGod), and Jordan (descender). On the south side:Tamar (palm), and Kadesh (holy). On the west:the Great Sea (peoples and nations).The land is to be apportioned by lot, symbolizingthat the station of Kingdom honor of individualsin the Times of Restitution is not predestinatedbut the result of the degree of effort and ofconsecration. (Ezek. 45:8.)Whatever the honor attained, it cannot be takenaway. (Ezek. 46:18.) All are to have an equalchance. (Ezek. 47:14.) Former pagan andheathen persons (strangers) are to have the samechance as God's chosen people, the Jews, asthough born to the same honored favor.— Ezek.47:22-23.The Holy Offering of Land(Figure 2.) The people are not to occupy all theland, but are to devote as a sacred offering, or"oblation," a central strip across Palestine,25,000 reeds or about 42.6 miles wide, to sacredand governmental uses. Figure 2 shows the holyoffering of land and its divisions. The two endsof the strip will be for the Prince, typing thecondition of the Prince, or Ancient Worthy class.The 25,000-reeds-square dimensions of thecentral section— as powers and multiples of tenand five— combined with the full measure (reed)of the Divine Word as applying to the classestherein represented, suggest the exalted degree ofperfection of these classes. The conditions

FM574represented are: at the north (spiritual) theDivine nature of the Little Flock (priests); in themiddle, the intermediate, lower spirit nature ofthe Great Company (Levites); at the south, ofhalf the width, of a lesser degree of honor(secular), the perfect human nature of thoseengaged in the actual government of the world.As in many other types the same antitypes arepresented repeatedly in their several phases.—Ezek. 45:1, 4, 7; 48:20.Land of the PriestsThe northern section, 10,000 reeds wide, of theholy central square, typifies the condition of theLittle Flock, of the highest spirit nature, theDivine, (northernmost). This is a "most holy"condition. (Ezek. 48:12.) In it, as appertains tothe inheritors of the natureFIG. 2 THE HOLY OFFERING OF LANDof God, will be the Sanctuary— the entireTemple and its courts— typing the spiritualdomain of the ruling Christ over all the affairs ofthe coming Kingdom of Heaven on earth.—Ezek. 44:28; 45:3-4; 48:8-12.Land of the LevitesInferior as to direction, toward the south (towardearthly things), the spiritual condition (land) ofthe Great Company (Levites) will be, as havebeen their religious lives— trending fromheavenly to earthly throughout the Gospel Ageof Divine opportunity. This will be theircondition throughout eternity, unchangeable,inalienable— but "holy unto Jehovah." There

will be among them twenty grades of honor—"twenty chambers."— Ezek. 45:5; 48:13-14.Secular Land for the CityAt the extreme south (earthly) of the holy squarewill be a 5,000-reed-wide section which will be"secular for the city." This represents inminiature the perfect human condition of thevisible rulers (city) of the earthly phase of theKingdom and of all thoseFM575under that Divine government— the whole worldof mankind (Israel). The city will be in themiddle of this section, a 4,500-reed square,which, with a border or suburb 250 reeds wideall around, reaches across the secular land,symbolizing the dominance of the coming worldgovernment over the human race. (Ezek. 45:2-4;48:15-20, 35.) So extraordinary and heartsatisfyingwill be the methods of and theblessings from the Divine government (city) thatit will appropriately be called "The Wonder ofJehovah."— E46, 43.Land for SanctuaryIn the center of the priests' land will be the landfor the Sanctuary, an area 500 cubits, or 750 feetsquare, surrounded by a 50-cubit, or 75-foot,border or "suburb." In this square will be thewalls, courts and structures of the sanctuary. Itwill type again in miniature, in detail, theconditions of all classes in the Kingdom from theChrist (priests) down, as regards their religiousrelationship to one another and to God.Land for the PrinceBoth of the ends of the 250,000-reed-wideoffering of land, east and west of the central holysquare, will be given to "the Prince," typing theperfect human condition of the AncientWorthies, or overcomers before the Gospel Age,who shall be "Princes in all the earth." As thePrince's land will not be inalienable but may begiven away by the Prince, so to certain classes it

will be given to share in the perfected conditionof the Ancient Worthies.— Ezek. 45:7-8; 46:16-18; 48:21-22.The ClassesIn the Kingdom there will be several distinctclasses, according to opportunity and degree offaithfulness in ages preceding establishment ofthe Kingdom.The priests will be the glorified Little Flock,faithful unto death, sons of God, the RighteousOne (Zadok, righteous), who during the GospelAge "kept the charge of God's Sanctuary," byfaithfulness to the Word of God at any cost.They will be "of the Divine nature."— Ezek.40:44-46; 43:18-27; 44:15-31; 45:4; 48:10-12.The antitypical Levites (Great Company), willhave spirit nature akin to the angelic, becausethough during the Gospel Age they were alsobegotten of the Spirit, sons of God (Zadok,righteous), they "went astray from God, aftertheir idols;" they ministered unto the peoplebefore their idols and caused the house of Israel(Christendom) to fall into iniquity. They shallbear their iniquity."— Ezek. 44:10-14; 45:5;48:13-14.The Ancient Worthies (the Prince), who in theJewish Age were faithful unto death amidincredible trials of faith (Heb. 11), will duringthe 1,000 years be of the perfect human nature,and will be on earth the visible leadersFM576and rulers of mankind.— Ezek. 44:1-3; 45:7-17,21-25; 46:16-18; 48:21-22.The servants of the city will be of the perfecthuman nature, and engaged in the multifariousduties of a world wide government. They will betaken from amongst mankind. Some are spokenof as servants and some as sons of the AncientWorthies.— Ezek. 48:18-19; 46:16-18.The people of the Kingdom will be first theresurrected Hebrews, making progress during the1,000 years toward human perfection, but who in

previous ages had not been consecrated to Godand had been far astray from Him. (Romans2.)— Ezek. 43:7-9; 44:6-12, 15, 19, 23-30; 45:6-21; 46:1-3, 9-10; 47:13-14; 48:11, 18-19, 23-29.The "strangers" will be the resurrected billions ofhumanity, not Jews, who gaining the heartcircumcision of a conscience cleansed by theblood of Jesus, shall be as though born to thesame conditions as the Hebrews. None of themshall have part in the direct service of God.—Ezek. 44:9; 47:22-23; Zech. 14:20-21; Numbers31:47; Joel 3:17; Joshua 9:22-27; Rev. 21:27.Sanctuary and Outer CourtThe Sanctuary will be the entire enclosuredevoted to the Divine service. According toEzekiel 45:2 the exterior wall is around a squareof 500 cubits, and by 42:16-20 it is 500 reeds, or3,000 cubits square; but the latter is translated"cubits" in the Septuagint, and the former agreesminutely with the internal measurements. Aboutthe outer court of 500 cubits square will be aborder or suburb 50 cubits wide to separate theSanctuary from the surrounding land. (Ezek.42:20.) The outer court types the condition of theAncient Worthies and of the Hebrews and theworld of mankind, the former of actually perfecthumanity, and the latter of a perfect heartcondition and striving toward human perfection.This court will be at an elevation above thesurrounding land and will be reached by sevensteps, symbolizing the human perfection, actualor heart, of those that enter the court. It will besurrounded by a wall one reed high and a reedthick. The wall types Christ in the AncientWorthies, who will constitute the embodiment ofthe Divinely appointed wall of faith about theSanctuary. The reed indicates the full measure ofthe Divine Word as regards the human nature.—Ezek. 40:6, 17-19, 22-23, 26, 34; 42:1, 7-9, 14-20; 43:1-5; 44:1-3, 19; 45:1-2; 46:19-24.Inner CourtThe inner court will be an enclosure toward therear or west of the outer court, 200 cubits wide

y 300 deep. It types the spirit-born condition ofthe Great Company (Levites), and is at anelevation of eight steps, symbolizing by one stepthe change to spirit natureFM577FIG. 3 - THE SANCTUARYFIG. 4 - THE TEMPLE

FM578FIG. 5 THE GREAT BRAZEN ALTAR INTHE INNER COURTFIG. 6 ONE OF THE OUTER COURTGATES

FIG. 7 SECTION THROUGH MOST HOLYACROSS THE SANCTUARYFM579and by seven steps the perfection of thatnature— perfect, though not the highest nature.Its wall represents Christ in the Great Company,and the absence of dimensions for the wallrepresents that "it doth not yet appear" what thespirit nature is like. Both inner and outer courtswill be adorned with colonnades of pillars,

probably along the inner border of thepavements, typing those on each plane of beingwho shall be "pillars in the house of Jehovah."—Ezek. 40:21, 31-32, 34, 37, 39-47; 42:2-4; 43:4-5; 44:17-18, 21, 25-27; 46:19-24.The TempleThe Temple building (Figure 4) will be towardthe rear and reaching to within 50 cubits of therear of the inner court. It will be on a platform 60cubits wide by 100 deep. This types thecondition of the Little Flock, born from the deadto the nature of God. It will be elevated one reedabove the inner court, representing that theDivine nature is the full measure of the Word ofGod above any other spirit nature, "far aboveangels, principalities and powers." Its infiniteheight above other natures is indicated by thefact that the number of steps up to it is not stated,for it is an immeasurable, infinite elevation.(41:8, 11.) The Temple will be entered by aporch, and will contain "the holy" twenty byforty cubits, and the "Most Holy" or "oracle"twenty cubits square, inside measurement. Theserooms type the glorious condition of the Christ,Head and Body, of the nature of God. That theperson being shown this did not enter the MostHoly (Ezek. 41:3) suggests that it is not given toknow yet "what we shall be," in that conditionwhere "the glory of Jehovah filled the house."—Ezek. 41:1-2, 43:5.Pavements and Open WaysThe outer and inner courts will not be simpleinclosures, as was the Tabernacle court, but eachwill include a bordering space, or pavement, 50cubits wide, occupied by gates, buildings, andpassage ways, typing conditions and activities inthe condition typed by the inclosure. Thatembraced by the outer court will be the " lowerpavement." (40:17-18.)This will contain the east, north and south gatesof the outer court, and four corner courts wherethe Levites will bake and boil the sacrifices ofthe people. It will also contain 30 chambers,

typing that number of conditions or activitiesamong those resurrected and perfected orprogressing toward human perfection. Each ofthe four corner courts upon the lower pavementwill be 30 by 40 cubits in size and will besurrounded by a row of structures under whichwill be the boiling places for the preparation ortheir sacrifices to be eaten by the people. (Ezek.46:21-24.) At the center of the east, north andFM580south lower pavements will be the outer gates,like covered corridors or lobbies extendingentirely across the 50-cubit pavement to the outercourt proper, as shown in Figure 3.The corresponding 50-cubit pavement of theinner court is not definitely termed a pavement,but the name is inferred from the designation"lower pavement" for the outer court pavement.It will contain the inner court gate, and buildingsfor certain activities of the priests and theLevites. The inner court 50-cubit pavementleaves an inner space of 100 cubits square— theinner court proper— facing the Temple and withthe brazen altar in the middle. This 100-cubitwidearea will extend west about the Templeplatform, surrounding it on the north, west andsouth, with an open space 20 cubits wide, called"the separate place."On the upper pavement, flanking the Templenorth and south, and of the same length— 100cubits— as the Temple, will be two buildings oneach side for the priests, called the "priests'chambers." These buildings will be separatedfrom each other by a 10-cubit walk along thecenter line of the upper pavement. The outer ofeach of the two parts of "priests' chambers" willbe 50 cubits long, half the length of the innerbuildings. These are located on the upperpavement. At the rear or west end of the upperpavement will be little square courts, similar tothe corner courts of the lower pavement, andused by the priests for boiling and baking the

sacrifices eaten by the priests.— Ezek. 40:17-18;41:10-15; 42:1-4, 10, 13; 45:2; 46:19-24.The lesser elevation of the plane of thesepavements, courts and ways, types the lowerplane of Spiritual being of the persons, and theiractivities type things to be done on that plane.Chambers and Galleries for PriestsIn the inner court near the north gate will be achamber (Fig 3, D) with a door looking towardthe south, and one near the east gate with its doorlooking toward the north. These will be for thePriestly singers, the sweet singers in Israel, theLittle Flock, singing to God and to the peopleconcerning the Kingdom blessings. Theseimmortal ones will sing the praises of God forHis goodness to those in the spirit phase, (north)of the Kingdom, and for the blessings flowingfrom Christ's ransom altar (east gate) throughrestitution to those in the earthly (south) phase ofthe Kingdom.— Ezek. 40:44-46.On the north and on the south pavements of theinner court flanking the Temple will be the twopairs of parallel priests' chambers (Figures 3 and5), in each pair the innerFM581building 100 cubits long and the outer 50 cubits.They will be three stories high, the top storynarrower than the others and leaving galleriesfacing each other across the 10-cubit waybetween them, into which their doors will openone on each side of the way. In these chambers,lighted by narrow windows the priests will laythe most holy things, and eat the most holythings, including the meat, sin and trespassofferings of prince and people in the MillennialAge; humanity having been bought by Christwill make the consecration of themselves andtheir all to Christ, Head and Body.The Christ (priest) will accept their consecrations(lay them in the priests chambers) andappropriate them to themselves (eat theofferings). In the sacred conditions representedby the priests' chambers the priests will have

their feasts of love, as they rejoice over theconsecrated efforts of earth's billions in theirprogress toward human perfection, andthereafter. When the priests come out to the outercourt with the people they will change the holygarments they wore in the priest's chambers andput on other garments.The holy garments type the promises and Wordof God as concerns the Divine immortal nature,and the other garments will be the Word andcovenant of God as respects things concerningthe people and their restitution hopes andblessings.— Ezek. 42:1-14; 44:19, 29-30; 46:19.The Temple will be built with double walls allaround, except the porch in front (Figures 3, 4and 5). This will leave a space within the wallstermed the "side chambers," in three storiesreached by winding stairs, and reaching up notquite to the top of the Temple inner wall. Eachstory will be divided into 30 rooms. The secondstory rooms will be wider than the first, and thethird story wider than the second. This will beaccomplished by making the thick walls thinnereach story up. The floor beams will rest, not inthe walls, but on the recession of thickness witheach story. No function is stated by Ezekiel, butthe similar side chambers In Solomon's Templewere utilized for keeping the treasures of theTemple.In antitype the Temple is the Church, the Christ,Head and Body, and in the chambers of memoryof the Divine Christ will be stored up not onlythe character treasures of oil and incense and ofgold and silver and precious stones laid up inHeaven during the Gospel Age, but also the liketreasures offered by mankind throughout theMillennial Age. Only the priests will have accessto these treasures and the Little Flock willforever guard these most precious offerings. Thethree stories, each wider, suggest the charactertreasures laid up by those on the three planes,FM582Human, Spirit, and Divine.— Ezek. 41:5-9; 1Kings 6:5-10; 2 Chron. 3:9.

The Ezekiel Temple represents God's finishedwork. The Holy does not type the spirit-begottencondition, but rather the memory of it as aDivinely accomplished work— for theexperiences of the spirit-begotten condition willnever be lost. The Most Holy types theaccomplished Divine nature. No furnitureappears in either of these sacred chambers,except in the Holy, an altar of a kind of wood notstated— an altar designated as "This is the tablethat is before Jehovah."If it is to be the same as is in Solomon's Templeit will be cedar— type of immortality, the Divinenature. No mention is made of offerings at thisaltar, for the time of the Christ's sacrifice will bepast. The interior of both chambers will besheathed with wood— presumably cedar, type ofimmortality— up to the narrow windows at thetop of the inner wall of the Temple. The interiordecorations of palm trees, alternating with twofacedcherubim, with the faces of a lion and of aman. type that the purpose and concern of God'sglorious Temple will be the administration of theaffairs of perfect righteous men (palm trees)under the joint auspices of Divine Justice andLove.If the two-leaved doors into the Holy and theMost Holy are to be of the same wood as inSolomon's Temple, they will be of olive, type ofthe peace of God that passeth understanding forthose privileged to enter through the door ofChrist.— Ezek. 41:13-24.Back of, or west of the rear of the Temple, andseparated from it by the twenty cubits of theseparate place will be the western building, astructure of inside dimensions 70 by 90 cubitsand with walls 5 cubits thick, making the outsidedimensions 80 by 100, or including the 20-cubitseparate place, 100 cubits square, indicating theDivine perfection of the class represented by it.This is not connected in any way with the altar orthe Holy or Most Holy, and its use is not stated.It answers the description of such a class ofbeings as the angels.— Ezek.

Chambers for the LevitesCertain chambers will be set apart for theactivities of the Levites. Near the outer door ofthe north gate of the inner court (a work done bythe spirit phase of the Kingdom) on the upperpavement will be a chamber where the Levitewill wash the burnt offerings of the people. Inthe porch or lobby of the same gate will be fourtables of hewn stone, each 1 1/2 cubits square bya cubit high, on which will be laid theinstruments for slaying the sacrifices, andwhereon the sacrifices will be slain and theirflesh will be. In the outer court outside the innercourt gate and beside the stepsFM583leading up to the gate, will be the four moretables for slaying the sacrifices, two on each sideof the steps. In antitype, the offerers will make orrenew the consecration of themselves, under thevarious required conditions, and will be acceptedby the Great Company (Levites) who will actbetween the people and the Little Flock (priests).The utter consecration of the persons, typed bythe death of the animals, will be supervised anddirected by the Great Company, and the offererswill endeavor to conform themselves to thecharacter pattern, suggested by the cut stone ofthe tables and the resting of the flesh and theslaughter instruments upon the tables. Thoseoffering themselves in heartfelt consecration asan expression of their thankfulness to God (burntoffering) will be cleansed in character by theteachings of the Word of God (washed withwater) imparted by the Great Company(Levites).— Ezek. 40:39-43.Certain of their offerings the people are to eat,figuring their assimilation in their very beings ofthe consecrations made. This process will not bewithout fiery trials, ameliorated by the Word ofGod (hot water), chastenings at the hands of theGreat Company (Levites)— typed by the boilingof the sacrifices by the Levites preparatory totheir being eaten by the people. This activity ofthe Great Company is typed in the boiling places

at the courts in the corners of the lowerpavement.— Ezek. 46:21-24.Further activities by the Levites of thirty kinds inbehalf of or in cooperation with the people, areprefigured in the thirty chambers along the lowerpavement of the outer court.— Ezek. 40:17-18.Gates, Doors, Porches, etcIn the Tabernacle the gate, the door and the veil,all facing the east, typed Christ and in a certainsense those in Him. None might enter these holyentrances except those having to do, as actual orprobationary, participants in the sin offering. Soin the Ezekiel Temple, in connection with theeast gate of the outer and inner courts is picturedthe entrance of those in previous ages having todo with the fiery sufferings connected with thesin offering— the Little Flock and the AncientWorthies.The Little Flock is depicted as the glory of Godentering by the east gate of the outer court andthe east gate of the inner court, and finally intothe Temple (Ezek. 43:1-5), typing the progress ofthe Christ Body through Christ Jesus, as the way(gate) into imputed human perfection (outercourt) through the "change" to the Spirit plane(inner court) and up to the immeasurableexaltation of the nature of God (Temple). Afterthe full entrance of the Body of Christ the outerFM584gate shall be shut, and no one shall enter exceptthe Ancient Worthies, who were privileged toenter their honorable estate by the door of selfsacrificeunto death, (Ezek. 44:1-3.)In the condition of being in Christ, in the mind ofChrist, the Ancient Worthies shall "sit",communing with Christ and with God,assimilating the Word of God (eating), whichshall strengthen them for their stupendous task ofthe government and regeneration of the wholeworld of mankind.The eastern gate of the inner court, the way tothe Divine nature through sacrifice, will be

closed after the entrance of the glory of God, theBody of Christ, in whom God dwells, and no oneshall ever enter therein, as pictured in the parableof the foolish virgins. (Z.'05-267; Ezek. 46:1). Inthis gate, in Christ, at the very inner door of thegate, having met all the conditions qualifying forentrance upon the spirit nature, throughout theMillennium, God's seventh day (the Sabbath),and the day of the New Covenant (new moon),the Ancient Worthies will have their standing.There in intimate communion with the glorifiedChrist they will make their thankfulconsecrations of themselves and their vowsfulfill (burnt and peace offerings), having theirstanding in Him Whom they preceded insuffering, and Whom they follow in time andplace.— Ezek. 46:1-8, 12.Entrance at the north or south gates of the inneror outer courts signifies, not participation in, butbenefit from the Sin Offering. The gate lookingtoward the north (spirit phase) types the lookingtoward the Divinely provided ransom. It will bewhere the people will present their sacrifices,and figures their consecrations and theiracknowledgment of the altar, the blood of JesusChrist.The gate looking toward the south will lookfiguratively toward restitution. Those entering it,too, will acknowledge the blood, for in enteringit they will face directly toward the altar. On thesolemn feast days, the people and the Princeentering the north gate must not go out by thesame gate, but by the south gate, and vice versa.This types that every one entering the plane ofactual or heart perfection on the human planemust acknowledge that the restitution (south)blessings were brought by the spiritually (north)provided blood of the Redeemer.— Ezek. 40:20-31; 44:4-6; 46:9-10.The typical importance of the gates, doors andporches is emphasized in Ezekiel 44:5 "Markwell, and behold with thine eyes (ofunderstanding), and hear with thine ears (ofspiritual hearing), all that I shall say (write) unto

thee concerning all the ordinances of the houseof Jehovah. andFM585the laws thereof, and mark well the entering in ofthe house, with every going forth of theSanctuary."The court gates (Figure 6) will be hallwayscrossing the 50-cubit pavement. The size will be50 by 25 cubits. The outer court gate will beentered from a flight of seven steps over theouter threshold through a door. The narrowhallway will be flanked by six little chambersprojecting out one cubit into the hallway, three ina side, and will end over an inner threshold in aporch or lobby, frequently translated "arch",from which an inner door will open into thecourt.The inner court gate will be of identical butreversed construction, the porch or lobby comingfirst. The interior will be dimly lighted bynarrow windows. The walls along the hallway—the posts—will be adorned with palm trees,reminders, antitypically, that the purpose of theentire sanctuary is to promote the glory of Godby the restoration of mankind to perfection(palms).The six little chambers type six conditions to becomplied with by those actually or at heart on theperfect human plane, the size of the chambers—one reed square— signifying that each of theseconditions embraces the full measure of theWord of God (reed)—perfect requirement— inthat respect.— Ezek. 40:6-48; 41:1-4, 21-26;43:1-4; 44:1-5; 46:1-12.The porch of each gate and of the Temple typesChrist, as the resurrection— "I am theresurrection." In the outer court gates the personentering will pass the little chambers first and theporch afterward, typing that during the Times ofRestitution the world of mankind will meet theconditions before being fully resurrected toperfection. In the inner court gates the porch willcome first, signifying that the person is firstraised to the spirit condition and then is

developed. In connection with the Temple porchthere will be no little chambers, typing that theLittle Flock will have met all the conditionsbefore their exaltation.— Ezek. 40:8-9, 16, 20-22, 24-26, 33-36, 39-43, 48-49; 41:23-26.The entrance to the Temple will be through alofty porch, flanked by two great pillars. Thesepillars will be suggestively named, as inSolomon's Temple, the right one, Jachin (Heshall establish) and the left one, Boaz (In it isstrength). In these inspiring reminders are seenthe mighty strength of The Christ, possessors ofall power in Heaven and in earth, with whichGod through them will establish HisKingdom.— 1 Kings 7:13-22.The priests' chambers on the upper pavement ofthe inner court will be entered by a separate gateand separate stairs from the outer court,suggesting that theFM586entree to the love feasts of the Little Flock willbe exclusively for them alone. (Ezek. 46:19).The gates of the city will be twelve in number,three on a side, and each named for one of thetwelve tribes.— Ezek. 48:31-34.The AltarsAs the entire Plan of salvation centers about theransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so at themathematical center of the Ezekiel Temple willbe the great brazen altar, with its rites, andofferings, and the blood, typing the ransom andthe antitypical sin offering. It will be at thecenter of both the outer court and of the innercourt, and of the priests' land and of the landdivided among the tribes, typical of the world.The court gates will all point toward it, andfacing it will be the steps, porch, and outer andinner doors of the Temple.The construction and dimensions of the altar aregiven in Fig. 7. The brazen altar will be 4x12x12cubits; it will be reached from stairs from thewest up, and will rest upon two borders or

"settles", respectively, 4x14x14 cubits and2x16x16 cubits, the lower of which will restupon a bottom or foundation 1x16x16 cubits.The Tabernacle altar was 3x5x5 cubits, thedimension suggesting incompleteness, ascompared with the numerical symbolism of theEzekiel altar. This altar types the completedwork of the Sin Offering and will be seen to beof far greater magnitude and importance thaneven the eye of faith can now perceive while thesuffering work is in process.Its elevation by the bottom and two settlessuggests the lofty exaltation of The Christ whoparticipated in the Sin Offering far above thebeneficiaries from the blood— the GreatCompany and the perfected world of humanity.It will be approached by stairs to the height ofthe base of the altar proper, typing that theevidence of the sacrifices by the offerers will becarried into Heaven itself.— Ezek. 40:44-47;43:13-27; 45:18-20; 47:1.The OfferingsThe various offerings typify the following: Aburnt offering will be a thankful prayer to God,acknowledging His mercy, wisdom and love asmanifested in the broken Body of the offerer'sgreat Ransomer.A peace offering will be the fulfilment of a vowor a willing thank offering; the offerer eating thesacrifice will be his appropriation to himself ofthe consecration; with it he will eat certain thingssuch as unleavened cakes, oil and anointedwaters, signifying his faith in Christ's characterwhich he will copy.A trespass offering signifies restoration forwrong, with recognition of the offerer'simperfection and the value of the ransom.FM587A meat offering of fine flour, unleavened cakes,oil, etc., signifies the consecration of the offerer'sall, the sample burned on the altar meaning the

consecration's approval and acceptance byJehovah.The sin offering will be an acknowledgment ofpast sins and of the cleansing efficacy of theRansom, with repentance and reconsecration ofthe offerer.Defilement and CleansingThere will be defilement of individuals and thepast defilement of the whole world. The generaldefilements involving all— referring in part tothe typical location of the palace of Solomon andthe kings, close to the Temple— areChristendom's defilement of God's holy name bytheir erroneous teachings about Him and by theevil lives of those clergy and laity who presumedto bear His name; their "whoredoms," orunhallowed union of church and state; theirpermitting of prominent persons— clergy andlaity— who were dead in trespasses and sins, toassume elevated places in the worship of God;their conjoining the entrance into the Templeclass (a church) with entrance into places ofinfluence; their establishing the same wall ofliving members of the churches as the wall ofbusiness and the state; their encouragingunconsecrated persons, not spirit-begotten, toserve in the holy things in the church as teachersand clergy; their breaking their covenant, madesolemnly with God in their consecrations; andtheir not keeping the charge of the Divine Wordof truth but hiring paid clergymen to look after itfor them.The great mass of the Spirit-begotten (Levites)had gone astray from God after their man-madeidols of earthly honor, power and wealth; andthey had served the evil tendencies of churchmembers in their idol worship. Between thepeople and the clergy every conceivableabomination in the sight of God had beenpracticed, and required cleansing and awholesome memory of it, to safeguard againstfuture outbreaks and to manifest continualappreciation of the holiness of any service ofGod.— Ezek. 43:7-9; 44:6-14.

Times for OfferingsThe times of certain offerings, as on the sabbathsand new moons, type that the Jews and the worldmight not effectively consecrate themselves untilthe Millennial Age— God's seventh Day and thetime of the New Covenant. (Ezek. 44:24; 45:17.)The sacrifices by the prince for all the people onthe first month, first day, type the universalconsecrations during the first 1,000-year Day ofblessing for mankind, when all consciences willbe cleansed by the application of Christ's merit.Those on the Seventh day type the sameconsecration during the Millennium regarded asGod's great seventh SabbaticalFM588thousand year Day, when sinners and the simpleminded will be cleansed from sin and set right.(Ezek. 45:20.)On the fourteenth day the celebration of thepassover memorial, and the seven-day feastthereafter, picture the memorial of the Lamb ofGod and the feast of thankfulness andconsecration for the fulness of the New Covenantforever (Ezek. 45:21-24); that on the fifteenth ofthe seventh month, and for seven days, type theapplication of Christ's merit through the SinOffering and the thankfulness and consecrationof the people in the Spirit, eternally thereafter.(Ezek. 45:25.)The sacrifices and worship of prince and peopleat the east gate, on the sabbaths and the newmoons, figure the consecrations andreconsecrations of Ancient Worthies and peoplethroughout the 1,000-year Day of Restitution.—Ezek. 46:1-11.At any time the Ancient Worthies representingthe people also may, of their own free willexpress their thankfulness and celebrate thefulfilment of their consecration vows, signifyingthis as their continuing state of mind. (Ezek.46:12). The daily burnt and meat offering for thenation, morning and evening, signify thecontinued thankful consecrating of all classes onall planes of being in memory of and through,

"the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin ofthe world." (Ezek. 46:13-15).Throughout the Millennial Age this Little Flockwill necessarily be in contact with defiling anddeath-dealing error in some, with whom they areintimately connected, in process of restoration tohuman perfection; by the close of the greatseventh Day, before the eighth Day theapplication of the merit of the Sin Offering willhave cleansed or destroyed, all such cases andThe Christ will no more have to be in touch withsuch defilements. (Ezek. 44:25-27).Offerings to cleanse the altar with blood type thememory that the altar class— The Christ, Headand Body— were cleansed by the blood, and thatall offerings are sanctified by the blood. (Ezek.43:18-27). Salt cast upon the offerings types thepreserving power of the Word.— Ezek. 43:23-24.DUTIES OF THE PEOPLEThroughout the Millennium the world ofmankind are to regard the perfect humancondition toward which they are progressing, astheir inalienable possession, "bought by theblood." No ruler, or other power, is to interferewith this right, nor teach them otherwise. (Ezek.46:18, 48:29.) The Hebrews, the originalbeneficiaries, are to welcome the rest of mankindand treat them as of their own number.— Ezek.47:22-23.FM589They are to submit loyally to the rulership of TheChrist, Head and body, and to that of theDivinely appointed earthly phase of government.(Ezek. 44:24; 45:6.) They are to receive theinstructions of the Christ.— Ezek. 44:23.To the Ancient Worthies the rulers of theKingdom's earthly phase, the people are at heartto consecrate their all, typed by offerings oftenths or multiple thereof. (Ezek. 45:13-25.) ToThe Christ they are to consecrate their hearts'best endeavors, their firstfruits, and everythingwhich they dedicate by vow or consecration.

(Ezek. 44:29-30.) The Great Company they areto love, and to them they must be loyal.— Deut.14:27-29.The people must be thoroughly cleansed inconscience. (Ezek. 44:9). They are to put awayall their former defilements and abominationsand are to worship and serve God throughout theTimes of Restitution and thereafter, observingthat holy period as a solemn feast to the Lord.(Ezek. 43:6-7; 46:1-3, 9-10; 45:17.) They are toconsecrate themselves daily, with thankfulness,with repentance and restitution for sin, and withvows fulfilled.— Ezek. 44:29-30; 45:1, 13-25;46:19-24; Zech. 14:20-21.Duties of PrinceThe duties of the ruling Ancient Worthies willbe: to remove violence and exploitation, executejudgment and justice and take away all formerexactions imposed upon the people. (Ezek 45:8-9). They are to see that the commercialintercourse of the people is on a just and equalbasis for all. (Ezek. 45:10-12).They will receive taxes or offerings from thepeople, with special attention to the spiritualofferings symbolized by the things offered.(Ezek. 45:13-16). The land they are to keep holy,as they will their own condition of favoredperfection, symbolized by the land. (Ezek. 48:21-22). Certain ones for special merit— such as anyduring the Gospel Age who lived up to theirconsecrations as mere believers, not being taughtthe things of the Spirit, and as those throughdevoted loyalty making special progress duringthe Millennium— they may cause to have thesame honored position as themselves, which willbe permanent if the recipients manifest the spiritof sonship, but lasting only to the close of the1,000 years to those failing to show this spirit.(Ezek. 46:16-17).They will be privileged, as favored participantsin the application of the Sin Offering merit, to goin and out of the outer court east gate— as in theplace of Christ— and there to feed upon the meatin due season from Christ's bounty. (Ezek. 44:1-

3). In all holy things they are to be the leaders ofthe people. (Ezek. 46:9-10). They are, during theentire Millennial Age— God's sabbath— tomake offerings (Ezek.FM59045:17-25) of thankfulness, praise and recognitionof the ransom, directly through the Christ withwhom they shall be in intimate relations.—Ezek. 46:1-12.Duties and Privileges of LevitesOn account of Gospel Age disloyalty the GreatCompany, while enjoying the Spirit nature(Numb. 18:23-24), will occupy an inferior placeas servants— not priests— in the service of God.(Ezek. 44:10-14). Their lower nature on the spiritplane will be inalienable and unchangeable.(Ezek. 48:13-14).Rather than serve in the Temple at all, they are torender service at the various gates, for whateverfunctions are typed at or by the gates. (Ezek.44:11). Rather than do the direct service ofJehovah, they will continue as in the Gospel Agewhen they courted and served the desires andlusts of the people— to serve directly andperpetually the people rather than the directinterests of their God. (Ezek. 44:11-12). Theyshall not come near to God nor approach to anappreciation of the things of the Divine nature,but they shall do whatever menial services theremay be given them by the Little Flock to do.(Ezek. 44:13-14.) It will be their part to receiveand make effective the consecrations of thepeople, to cleanse them with the water of theWord, and to administer the stripes andchastening, many or few tempered by the waterof the Word, whereby the people may thoroughlyassimilate (eat) the significance of theirconsecrations. They may possibly restore theliteral sacrifices of animals as object lessons(Z.'05-269).— Ezek. 40:35-43; 46:21-24.

Duties and Privileges of the PriestsThe Little Flock, the Church, will enjoy thenature of God, who Himself, in His nature, willbe their inheritance and possession. (Ezek.44:27-28, Numbers 18:20.) They will serve theDivine purposes in direct and intimate contactwith their Father, Jehovah, and will continue tokeep the charge of God's holy doctrines andtruths, as they faithfully kept it during the GospelAge. (Ezek. 40:46; 44:15-16; 45:4; 48:10-12.)They will continue having charge of God'shouse, His Church, His people. (40:44-45; 44:8.)They will be in various grades of honor (houses),as "star differeth from star in glory." (Ezek.45:4.) They alone will have the privilege ofentering the Divine Temple, or Christ class.(Ezek. 44:15-16.) They will forever regard theirblessed condition most holy, most consecrated toJehovah. (Ezek. 48:12.) They will keep the lawof Divine Love in all its manifestations andjudge the people according to that exaltedstandard (Ezek. 44:24, Deut. 17:8-13); teach allmankind to know the pattern of true godliness inall its particulars and to discern between holyand secular, goodFM591and evil (Ezek. 43:10-12; 44:23); sanctify andbless humanity according to the Oath-boundAbrahamic Covenant on terms of willingobedience. (Ezek. 44:19, 30; 46:19-20.)These priests will make union with and makefruitful the various covenants and promises(wives) by God, avoiding those not Divinelyapproved. (Ezek. 44:22; Lev. 21:7, 13-14.) Theywill receive tithes of the Levites. (Numbers18:25-32.) All dedicated things will belong tothem— that is, all covenants, vows andconsecration of the people will be made to theChrist. (Ezek. 44:29-30; Josh. 6:19; Lev. 27:20-34; Numbers 18:8-20.) Theirs will be the chargeof the altar— of applying the merit of Christ tothe people (Ezek. 40:44-46), and they alone shallmake the offering to God, declare the Divineforgiveness and approval of the people and of

their consecrations.— Ezek. 43:18-27; 44:15-16,25-27; 45:18-25; 46:1-7, 11-24.The Life-Giving RiverThe benefits of Divine Love flowing to save andbless all the willing and obedient of mankind arepictured in the Life-Giving River. Fromunderneath the threshold, the place of rulership,the Throne of The Christ (Rev. 22:1), the waterof the Word of Divine Love flows forth. Underthe favor of the Church (right of Temple) thetruth about the loving mercy through the bloodof Jesus Christ (altar) is for the restitution of allin the earthly (south) phase of the Kingdom.(D650,655; Z.'05-269; Z.'99-196; Ezek. 47:1.)Through Christ, the Gate, with all His lovingfavor (right) it flows toward the Sun-rise. (Ezek.47:2.) The same one— Pastor Russell— whomeasured the race for the mark of the prize, withthe line of Divine Righteousness (love, "thefulfilling of the law"), measured also therequirements for character attainment of theMillennial Age.One who will have that degree of love, which isduty love to God and man, even though reachingthe utmost fulness of the measure of DivineJustice (1,000 cubits), will be as it were, only upto the ankles in the stream. He who attains thefulness of the Divine standard as to love for God,for His glorious character, will be in the streamto his knees. He who shall reach the fulness oflove for the "least" brethren of that Age will beup to the loins; but he who so acquires the spiritof Divine Love, as to love all, including hisenemies, will have reached the utmost fulness oflove. (Ezek. 47:2-5.) Any that appreciate this, seethe full purpose of Divine Love. It isimportant— "Son of man, hast thou seen this?"(Ezek. 47:6.) This is the love that will insure thehealing of the sin-sick, anarchistic world lying ina deadness like the Dead Sea. (A318, D653,Z.'99-196, Ezek. 47:7-8.)Whoever becomes immersed in

FM592the fulness of Divine Love (first) shall gain life;and for everyone everywhere, to whom the watercomes, there shall be life. (E357, 335; C214;Ezek. 47:9.)In connection with the gospel of the fulness ofDivine Love there shall be a multitude of fishersof men to spread the net of the gospel of gladtidings of great joy for exceeding many. (C215,Ezek. 47:10.) But the people who are hopelesslypolluted with worldliness (miry places) and thoseimpregnated beyond saving with miasmas ofiniquity (marshes) shall not be healed even when"brought to an accurate knowledge of the truth."(Ezek. 47:11.) And the stream of the truth ofDivine Love shall cause many righteous ones tocome up (Dan. 12:3) whose loving teachingsshall never be forgotten nor its character fruitageever pass away; for they shall bring forthcontinued fruitage, because of the Divine Truthof perfect love coming to them out of Zion, theglorified Church. And the character fruitage shallforever be for spiritual food (John 4:34) and theteachings (leaves) for the healing of all thewilling and obedient of the sin-sick world ofmankind.— Z.'05-269; Matt. 10:8; Mal. 4:2;Ezek. 47:12.

FM593Come all ye saints to Pisgah's mountain,Come view our Home beyond the tide:|Millennial Canaan is before us,Soon we'll sing on the other side.O there see the ‘white Throne of glory,'And crowns which the saints then shall gain;And all who shall love Christ's appearing,Shall be blessed by His glorious reign.Thence springs of life will e'er be flowing,Robing the earth in living green.Visions of beauty rise before usWhen the King and the saints shall reign.Soon our conflicts and toils will be ended;We'll be tried and tempted no more,And mankind of all Ages and nationsShall be blessed in that triumphant hour.Faith now beholds salvation's River,Gliding from underneath the Throne,Bearing its life to whomsoeverWill return to his Father's Home,They will walk ‘mid the trees by the rivers,With the friends they have loved by their side;They will sing the glad songs of salvation,And be ready to follow their Guide.O! the prospect! It is so transporting,Reapers, hasten the gath'ring, we pray;We rejoice in the glory that's promised,And the dawn of Millennial Day."GO YE ALSO INTO THEVINEYARD"—————"He that reapeth receiveth wages,and gathereth fruit." John 4:36.All interested in the subjects of this volume, andwho consider its presentations to be "meat in dueseason," will feel more or less constrained tobecome servants of the truth, and to bear the"things new and old" to yet others of the"Household of Faith." Your measure of zeal forsuch service will of course measure youractivities in its service, and determine how muchof time, influence, means, etc., you will devote to

its spread. We are glad to cooperate with all, thatthose who love much may do much, and thatthose who love some may do something, in thename of the great Shepherd and in the interest ofHis sheep.To this end we wish you to know that specialprovision has been made whereby you may be aco-laborer in this work, regardless of whetheryou have financial means to invest or not. Wehave quite a variety of excellent tracts, which wesupply free and in large quantities for judiciouscirculation. We also publish twice a month a 16page journal, THE WATCH TOWER, and desirethat our list should bear your name, if you areinterested. If interested in this volume you willundoubtedly be interested in the journal, whichtreats similar themes, and we are prepared tosupply you with it upon your own terms— youmay have it on credit if it is not convenient topay for it in advance, and if never able to pay forit we will, upon application, cancel theindebtedness. If you have no prospect of beingable to pay for it you will be welcome to it freeas one of the "Lord's poor," on application, andupon renewal of the same yearly. If you canafford to pay, the price is $1 (4s.) a year.We have various helps for Bible study, which wesupply to all who are on our Watch Tower list atextremely low prices— these include varioustranslations of the Bible, Concordances, etc., andespecially the Scripture Studies— "The BibleKeys."COLPORTEURING AND LOANING THE "STUDIES."Some have numbers of friends to whom theytake pleasure in supplying the Studies gratis;others keep a quantity at hand which theyconstantly loan out amongst their friends, afterthe manner of a circulating library; and stillothers enter the Colporteur work, as being one ofthe most favorable opportunities to them forserving the truth to others, traveling from townto town introducing the "Bible Keys," solicitingorders and delivering the books. Our Societydoes all in its power to facilitate these various

methods of circulating the truth, encouragingeach to serve the cause to the extent of his zealand ability, according to his own preference;assisting in the matter very materially bysupplying the books at remarkably low prices.See page 2 of The Watch Tower for wholesalerates to subscribers, and if the Colporteur workappeals to you, write for "Hints to Colporteurs."We shall be glad to hear from you, and tocooperate with you, and we assure you that youwill find a blessing in every sacrifice you maymake on behalf of the truth. Very truly, Yourfellow-servants,WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACTSOCIETY, BROOKLYN, N. Y., U. S. A.BRANCHES: — LONDON, W.; ELBERFELD, MELBOURNE,COPENHAGEN, OREBRO, CHRISTIANA, GENEVA, YOKOHAMA.

FM594"Both the Houses of Israel"correspondencies of the Mosaic and Christian DispensationsISRAEL AFTER AFTER THE THE FLESH FLESHISRAEL AFTER THE SPIRITFrom the Death of Jacob to the Cross, the Periodof From the Death of Jacob to the Cross, the Period ofFrom the Death of Jesus to A.D. 1878, the PeriodFavor to the Nominal House of Servants, 1845of Favor to the Nominal House of Sons, 1845Favor Years, to Followed the Nominal by the Exaltation House of Servants, a FaithfulYears Followed by the Exaltation of a Faithful1845Years, Few, and by Casting off, Trouble and JudgmentsFew, and by Casting off, Trouble and Judgmentsupon the Others.upon the OthersFollowed by the A House Exaltation of ServantsA House of Sonsof a Faithful Few,and by 1 Cor. 10:18; Rom. 9:7,8; 4:16; Heb. 3:5Gal. 4:5,6,7,30,31; 6:15; John 1:12; Rom. 8:15Founded in Jacob’s Twelve SonsFounded in Jesus’ Twelve ApostlesCasting off, Trouble 1 Kings and 18:31Rev. 21:14Judgments upon theOthers A Kingdom and Priesthood, A Holy NationA Royal Priesthood, A Holy NationExod. 19:61 Pet. 2:5,9A House of Aaron, Servants Fleshly High-PriestJesus, the Spiritual High-PriestHeb. 9:7Heb. 9:111 Cor. 10:18; Circumcision Rom. 9:7,8; of the 4:16; Flesh Heb. 3:5Circumcision of the HeartRom. 2:28,29Rom. 2:28,29Founded in Jacob's Twelve SonsLaw of Sin and DeathLaw of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus1 Kings 18:31 Rom. 8:2Rom. 8:2Earthly Promises“Better Promises”A Kingdom Gen. and 13:14-17; Priesthood, Acts A 7:2-5 Holy NationHeb. 9:23; 11:40In Captivity to Literal BabylonIn Captivity to Mystic BabylonExod. 19:6 2 Chron. 36:20Rev. 17:5; 18:4Length of Favor 1845 Years, from Jacob’sLength of Favor, 1845 Years, from Jesus’Aaron, Fleshly High-PriestDeath to Israel’s Rejection and theDeath to the Beginning of Christ’s ReignHeb. 9:7 Beginning of Spiritual Israel, A.D. 33and the Rejection of Babylon, A.D. 1878____________________Circumcision The Nominal of the System FleshThe Nominal System Spewed Out, A.D. 1878Cast Off, A.D. 33Rev. 3:16Matt. 23:38Rom. 2:28,2940 Years in Falling, to A.D. 191840 Years in Falling, to A.D. 73The end of the age a Harvest of 40 yearsThe end of the age a Harvest of 40 yearsMatt. 13:24-30,36-43Luke 10:2,16Spiritual Presence of Christ as Reaper595 Presence of Christ in the Flesh as ReaperRev. 14:14,15John 4:35-38(ContinuedOur Lord’sfrom previousPresencepage.)Our Lord’s Presence and the Sacrificialand the SacrificialCharacter of His Death, the Stumbling-stone40 Character Years in Falling, of His Death, to A.D. the Stumbling-stone73“ He shall be for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence40 Years in Falling, to to both A.D. the 1918 [nominal] houses of Israel.” Isa. 8:14

THEY KNEW NOT THE TIME OF THEIR VISITATIONLuke 19:44; Matt. 24:38,39OUR LORD PRESENTED IN THREE CHARACTERSAS BRIDEGROOM, REAPER AND KINGJohn 3:29; 4:35,38; Matt. 21:5,9,4; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 14:14,15; 17:14THEY KNEW NOT THE TIME OFAn Advent Movement at the Time of Jesus’Birth, thirty years prior to His Adventand Anointing, as Messiah, at BaptismMatt. 2:1-16; Acts 10:37, 38Actual presence of the Lord as Bridegroomand Reaper—October, A.D. 29Power and Title as King Assumed threeand a half years later—A.D. 33An Advent Movement in 1844, thirty yearsPrior to the actual time of His Presence,to Awaken and Test the ChurchMatt. 25:1Actual Presence of the Lord as Bridegroomand Reaper—October, A.D. 1874Power and Title as King Assumed threeand a half years later—A.D. 1878FIRST WORK OF THE KING, JUDGMENTNominal Jewish House Rejected; LiteralTemple Cleansed—Matt. 20:18; 21:5-15;23:37; 24:2 Entire Destruction of JewishPolity, Accomplished in 37years After being Cast Off—or 40 yearsFrom the Beginning of the Harvest—A.D. 73Nominal Christian House Rejected; Spiritual TempleCleansed—1 Pet. 4:17; Rev. 3:16; Mal. 3:2 EntireDestruction of Nominal Christendom, Accomplishedin 37 years After being Cast Off—or 40 years Fromthe Beginning of the Harvest—A.D, 1918

FM596THE WATCH TOWER—AND—HERALD OF CHRIST'S PRESENCEThis journal, founded by the author of ScriptureStudies, should regularly visit all who have theslightest interest in the topics discussed in thisand the other volumes of the Scripture Studiesseries. It is issued twice a month, 16 pages, atone dollar (4s) a year in advance. That none ofthe interested may be without it, the arrangementis that those who need may have it on credit onapplication, while those too poor to pay mayreceive it regularly free by stating the facts andmaking request each December. All new tractsare sent to The Watch Tower list which it isdesired shall represent all interested in PresentTruth, the "Harvest" message.WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACTSOCIETY,BROOKLYN, N. Y., U. S. A.BRANCHES: — LONDON, W.; ELBERFELD, MELBOURNE,COPENHAGEN, OREBRO, CHRISTIANA, GENEVA, YOKOHAMA.This Society never solicits donations, but it usesvoluntary contributions as wisely andeconomically as possible in the propagation ofChristian knowledge along the lines presented inScripture Studies. It yearly circulates tons oftracts and papers free, through the mails andthrough voluntary agents.It justifies that portion of its name which relatesto the Bible— (not by publishing Bibles, nor bycirculating them gratuitously, but)— bysupplying Bibles and Bible-study helps atwholesale prices; and often below the usualwholesale rates. We mention a few of these onsucceeding pages, of course ranking ScriptureStudies as the most important helps or "BibleKeys," and The Watch Tower, semi-monthly,their efficient supplement. Readers who desire tocooperate in the circulation of Scripture Studies

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people have so long been taught that thefoundation for this awful blasphemy againstGod's character and government is deeplaid andfirmly fixed in the Word of God— the Bible—and consequently, to whatever degree their beliefin "hell" is shaken, to that extent their faith in theBible, as the revelation of the true God, is shakenalso;— so that those who have dropped theirbelief in a "hell," of some kind of endlesstorment, are often open infidels, and scoffers atGod's Word.Guided by the Lord's providence to a realizationthat the Bible has been slandered, as well as itsDivine Author, and that rightly understood, itteaches nothing on this subject derogatory toGod's character nor to an intelligent reason, wehave attempted in this booklet to lay bare theScripture teaching on this subject that therebyfaith in God and His Word may be reestablished,on a better, a reasonable foundation. Indeed, it isour opinion that whoever shall hereby find thathis false view rested upon humanmisconceptions and misinterpretations will, atthe same time, learn to trust hereafter less to hisown and other men's imaginings, and, by faith, tograsp more firmly the Word of God, which isable to make wise unto salvation; and on thismission, under God's providence, it is sent forth.PRICE 10 CENTS (5d.) PER COPY.— 88 PAGES.Special wholesale rates to colporteurs and thosewho desire to aid in circulating these bookletswidely.ADDRESSWATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACTSOCIETYBROOKLYN, N. Y., U. S. A.BRANCHES: — LONDON, W.; ELBERFELD, MELBOURNE,COPENHAGEN, OREBRO, CHRISTIANA, GENEVA, YOKOHAMA.

FM598WHAT SAYTHE SCRIPTURESABOUT . . . .Spiritism?PROOFS THAT IT IS DEMONISM.— ALSO—"THE SPIRITS IN PRISON" AND WHY ARETHEY THERE!vvvvvvvvThe necessity for this little brochure lies in thefact that Spiritism is showing an increasedactivity of late, and meeting with considerablesuccess in entrapping Christians who are feelingdissatisfied with their present attainments andcraving spiritual food and better foundation forfaith.The aim is to show the unscripturalness ofSpiritism, and to point those who hunger andthirst for truth in the direction of God's Word—the counsel of the Most High. "Thou shalt guideme with Thy counsel, and afterward receive meto glory."— Psa. 73:24.vvvvvvvv119 pages; in paper covers, 10 cents (5d.)vvvvvvvvADDRESSWATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACTSOCIETY,BROOKLYN, N. Y., U. S. A.BRANCHES: — LONDON, W.; ELBERFELD, MELBOURNE,COPENHAGEN, OREBRO, CHRISTIANA, GENEVA, YOKOHAMA.

FM599Old Ms. Translations,Concordances, Etc.Recommended as Aids to Bible StudyTHE EMPHATIC DIAGLOTTThis Greek New Testament, with interlinearword-for-word rendering, and a free readingemphasized translation alongside is based uponthe famous Vatican MS. No. 1209. With eachcopy sold, we give one year's subscription to TheWatch Tower— if a New subscription. If youalready take The Watch Tower, your purchase ofthe Diaglott entitles you to send The Tower to afriend who may want it, but this NewSubscription must accompany the order, as wecannot apply subscriptions on back orders.Leather bound, divinity circuit, gilt edges, goodBible paper. Price $3.25 (or $2.50 without WatchTower).YOUNG'S ANALYTICAL CONCORDANCEIn English, Hebrew and Greek, by Prof. Young(Presbyterian.) 1240 pages, cloth binding, price$6.00 postpaid.As we are not permitted to reduce the publisher'sprice, we will, however, send Free with eachorder any two volumes of Studies in theScriptures.SMITH'S BIBLE DICTIONARYInteresting and valuable, 1020 pp. Cloth, $1.30postpaid.BEREAN BIBLE HELPS (Bound Separate)These are the same as in the latest "I. B. S. A."Bibles described on another page. Full leather,divinity circuit, $1.15 postpaid. Karatol, rededges, 60c. postpaid. Also carried in German(leather and cloth), prices same as English.International Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.

FM600I.B.S.A. BEREAN BIBLESThese are Common Version Bibles but theirdistinguishing feature consists of OVER 500PAGES OF SPECIAL BEREAN HELPS in FourSections as follows:Part I. Bible Teachers' ManualBiblical Comments from Genesis to Revelationexplaining the text and referring to the STUDIESIN THE SCRIPTURES and other publicationswhere the subject is more fully treated.Part II. Instructors' Guide TextsTexts relating to various important subjectstopically arranged for ready reference.Part III. Berean Topical IndexAn alphabetical arrangement of over 800subjects of peculiar interest, with reference topage where treated in our publications.Part IV. Spurious Passages NotedA full list of spurious passages not found in theoldest Greek MSS.IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVEthe Bagster Concordance, Maps and StudentsHelps are incorporated in Nos. 1919, 1939 and1959.DESCRIPTION AND PRICESNo. 1918. Size 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 India Paper, Miniontype, French Seal, divinity circuit, red under goldedges, Berean Helps, colored maps, marginalreference. $1.65No. 1919. Same as No. 1918, with BagsterConcordance, Maps, etc. added. $1.75No. 1928. Same as No. 1918 except bound ingenuine Morocco, leather-lined. $2.65

IONIC TYPE, SELF-PRONOUNCINGNo. 1939. Size 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 Inida Paper, IonicType, French Seal, divinity circuit, red undergold edges, Berean Helps, also BagsterConcordance, Maps, etc. Marginal reference.$1.95.No. 1959. Same as No. 1939 except bound ingenuine Morocco, calf-lined. $3.65PATENT INDEX, 25c EXTRA; REGISTRY 10c.Publishers lists of other Bibles sent on request.Internati'al Bible Students Assn., Brooklyn, N.Y.N.B.— Add 20c for postage to each of the above.FM601Volume I. "Studies in the Scriptures" SeriesTHINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ASCHRISTIAN BIBLESTUDENTSTHE SATISFACTORY PROOFS THAT:• The Bible is a Divine Revelation—reasonable and trustworthy, revealing asystematic Plan full of Justice, Wisdom andLove. "The Key of Knowledge" of theScriptures, long lost is found, and givesGod's faithful people access to the "HiddedMystery."— Luke 11:52, Col. 1:26• The Lord Jesus and His faithful are to be notonly priests but kings, and will reign over theearth. This Kingdom is to come at Christ'sSecond Advent. God's Plan is to select andsave the Church in the Gospel Age, and touse this Church in blessing the world in theMillennium. A "ransom for all" implies anopportunity to all for restitution. The Day ofJudgment is 1,000 years long--the world'strial day. "The narrow way" of self-sacrificewill cease with this Age.• "The highway" of righteousness will be opento all the redeemed race in the Millennium.—Isa. 35:8, 9. "The kingdoms of this world"

are but for an ordained period and must giveplace to the "Kingdom of Heaven."• God has permitted evil for six thousand yearsfor a wise purpose.These subjects any many others of deep interestto all of God's people are discussed fully and inlanguage easy of comprehension in"THE DIVINE PLANOF THE AGES"(In English, German, Swedish, Dano-Norwegian,Italian, French, Greek, Hungarian, Spanish,Polish, Hollandish, Finnish, Arabic, Slovak,Roumanian, Lettish, Ukrainian, Chinese,Japanese and Korean; also Braille, for the blind).416 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND. 50 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURS.MAGAZINE EDITION (ENG. AND GER.) 10CENTS POSTPAID.International Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.FM602Volume II. "Studies in the Scriptures" SeriesTHINGS YOU WANT TO KNOW ASCHRISTIAN BIBLESTUDENTSTHERE ARE EVIDENCES THAT• Six thousand Years from Adam ended inA.D. 1872.• The Date of our Lord's Birth was OctoberB.C. 2.• The Date of Annunciation to Mary, Dec.25th, B.C. 3.• The Date of our Lord's Baptism was OctoberA.D. 29.

• The Date of our Lord's Crucifixion, AprilA.D. 33.• The "Seventy Weeks" of Israel's favor endedA.D. 36.• The Jewish Age "Harvest" was 40 years A.D.30 to 70.• The Christian Age "Harvest" is its parallel.• The Jewish Jubilees were typical of the"Times of Restitution of all Things."— Acts3:19-21.• The Typical Jubilees mark the Date of theirAntitype.• The "Times of Gentiles" ended A.D. 1914.• The Jewish Age, in its Lengths, itsCeremonies, etc.,Typified the Realities of the Christian Ageand its Length.Elias or "Elijah the prophet" was a Type.—How fulfilled.The Antichrist has come!— What? When?Where?These subjects and many others deeplyinteresting to "the Household of Faith," and"Meat in due season" to all who love and studyGod's Word, can be had in"THE TIME IS AT HAND"(In English, German, Swedish, Finnish andDano-Norwegian.)432 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND, 50 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURSInternational Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.

FM603Volume III. "Studies in the Scriptures" SeriesTHINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ASCHRISTIAN BIBLESTUDENTSDO YOU KNOW THAT• We are now living in "the Time of the End"of this Gospel Age?• Our Epoch is "the Day of God's Preparation"for the Millennial Age?• The "Days of Waiting" are ended and the"Cleansing of the Sanctuary"— the Church—the separating of its Wheat and Tares, is nowin progress?• This is the reason for the beginning of theReturn of Divine Favor to Fleshly Israel—blinded for centuries— to permit thegathering of an Elect Class from among theGentiles?• This favor now taking shape is known asZionism? Immanuel's Kingdom is now beingestablished?• The Great Pyramid in Egypt is a Witness toall these events of the past and present—testifying in symbols? The• Pyramid's Downward Passage under "ADraconis" symbolizes the course of Sin? ItsFirst Ascending Passage symbolizes theJewish Age? Its Grand Gallery symbolizesthe Gospel Age? Its Upper Step symbolizesthe approaching period of tribulation andanarchy, "Judgments," upon Christendom?Its King's Chamber the Divine Nature, etc.,of the Overcoming Church— the Christ,Head and Body? Its Ante-Chamber theCorrection in Righteousness of the "GreatCompany" etc.? Its Queen's Chambersymbolizes those of Israel and the world whoeventually attain Restitution?

All these interesting topics with ten Pyramidillustrations can be had in"THY KINGDOM COME"(English, German, Swedish, Finnish, Dano-Norwegian)432 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND, 50 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURSInternational Bible Students AssociatesBrooklyn, N. Y.FM604Volume IV. "Studies in the Scriptures" Series"NONE OF THE WICKEDWILL UNDERSTAND"BUT "THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND"• THAT This Gospel Age is closing with a"Day of Vengeance." It will affect the wholeworld, specially Christendom. All Political,Social, Financial and Religious systems willfall.• These judgments, beginning with the Houseof God, must extend to all.• Our day is noted by the Prophets as "the Dayof Jehovah."• It is symbolically styled "a Dark Day," a"Day of clouds," etc.• Its trouble is symbolically likened to aHurricane, to a Flood, to a Fire, etc., thesestrong figures being used to give anappreciation, yet to hide the real nature, ofthat "Time of Trouble such as Never Hasbeen since there was a Nation."— Dan. 12:1.• Preparations for this symbolic "Fire" and"Tempest" are now well under way andshortly will rage furiously throughout theworld.

• It will be a contest between Masses andClasses. Many see it upon us and trust tovarious schemes to avert it. But all wordlySchemes and Panaceas will fail utterly. God'sKingdom, the only hope for Church andworld, is sure.• Man's extremity will prove to be God'sopportunity— in the establishment of God'sKingdom— Christ's Millennial Kingdomwhich will establish righteousness byforce.— Rev. 2:26, 27; Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45.All these subjects are simply yet forcefullytreated, and Matthew 24th Chapter elucidated,in"THE BATTLE OFARMAGEDDON"(In English, German, Swedish, Finnish andDano-Norwegian.)720 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND, 60 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURSInternational Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.FM605Volume V. "Studies in the Scriptures" SeriesTHE AT-ONE-MENT IS BELIEVED INBY ALLCHRISTIAN BIBLESTUDENTSNevertheless, but few could explain its PhilosophyALL SHOULD KNOW• About the great Mediator of the At-one-ment,our Lord Jesus Christ.• Respecting the necessity for the At-onement.

• And the necessity that the "Only Begotten"must be "made flesh," and then die, and thenrise from the dead in order to effect the Atone-ment.• Respecting the office and work of the HolySprit in connection with the At-one-ment.• And the important part of the At-one-mentnot yet finished— which awaits the SecondComing of our Lord in His Kingdom glory.• Respecting the central doctrine of At-onement,namely, the Ransom— what it was—why it was and is the center or "hub" aroundwhich and into which all Bible doctrines fit.• How this doctrine is the test of the truth orfalsity of all doctrines; so that onceunderstood clearly it is a guard against errorin every form.• Respecting man, the subject of the great Atone-ment,his nature; his sin; his penalty; hisdeliverance through Christ; his futurepossibilities through acceptance of the Atone-ment.All these interesting and very important themesare lucidly discussed in simple language, andcorroborated by fourteen hundred Scripturecitations, in"THE AT-ONE-MENT BETWEENGOD AND MAN"(In English, German, Swedish, Finnish andDano-Norwegian.)600 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND 60 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURS.International Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.

FM606Volume VI. "Studies in the Scriptures" SeriesTHINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ASCHRISTIAN BIBLESTUDENTS• The Creative Week of Genesis— its actuallenght— scientifically corrobarated.• The true Church of Christ, begotten of theSpirit as the New Creation; the steps ofGrace Divine— Justification, Sanctification,and Deliverance in the First Resurrection.• The duties and obligations of the NewCreation— toward the Lord, toward eachother, toward earthly friends and neighbors,toward parents, children, husbands, wives,etc.• The Lord's Memorial Supper or Sacrament:what it is and what it is not should be clearlydiscerned by all of God's people.• True Baptism— what it is. The manymistakes of nearly all denominations arepointed out in kindly spirit and then the trueBaptism is set forth in convincing style—indisputable, incontrovertible.• The foes and besetments of the NewCreation, and the Scriptural method ofovercoming them; also the present and thefuture inheritance of the saints.These subjects and many others deeplyinteresting to all who love and study the Bibleare fully treated inTHE NEW CREATION(English, German, Swedish, Dano-Norwegianand Finnish)

816 PAGES— CLOTH BOUND, 60 CENTS,POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURSInternational Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.FM607Vol. VII. "Studies in the Scriptures" Series.EVERY CHRISTIANSHOULD KNOW• Why Revelation and Ezekiel can now beunderstood.• What is "the winepress of God's wrath."—Rev. 14:18-20.• How "the vine of the earth" will be crushed.• Why the Catholic and Protestant churchsystems constitute "Babylon."• Why Babylon must fall.• Why the great world-war has come, and whatwill follow it.• Who are the "seven angles" to the churches,and the work of each.— Rev. 1:4, 20.• What is meant by "the Finished Mystery ofGod."— Rev. 10:7.• The meaning of the "fiery chariot" which willseparate the true Christians (the Elijah class)from all others.— 2 Kings 2:11.• The great reconstruction that will follow theworld's trouble, and how every seeker afterrighteousness may be comforted and blessed.Every verse of Revelation, Ezekiel and Canticlesmade plain, and a flood of light thrown upon theentire Bible in Pastor Russell's final legacy tothe Christians of earth, entitled"THE FINISHED MYSTERY"608 PAGES— ILLUSTRATED— CLOTHBOUND, 60 CENTS,

POSTPAID OR DELIVERED BYCOLPORTEURS.International Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, N. Y.FM608THIS MARVELOUSLIBRARYNOW YOURS FOR A TRIPLE"STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES"The Exhaustive and Celebrated Works ofPASTOR RUSSELLComplete in Seven Handsomely Bound Volumes9,000,000 COPIES IN CIRCULATIONIN TWENTY LANGUAGES"Greater, doubtless than the combinedcirculation of the writings of all the Priests andPreachers in North America."— W. T. Ellis, inThe Continent. "Intensely interesting, thoroughlylogical and pactical."— Brig. Gen.W. P. Hall, U.S. Army,BIG REDUCTION OFFEROrdinary Books of the size and style of PastorRussell's works regularly retail in book stores at$2.50 each— seven book thus totalling $17.50Until the twelve Million Mark is Reached, thePublishers have arranged to ship to any address,THE ENTIRE SET OF SEVEN VOLUMES, inimported maroon cloth binding, goldembossed— together with one year'ssubscription ot our 16 page semi-monthyJournal, The Watch Tower—ALL FOR $4.60 DELIVERED.ORDER TODAY.International Bible Students Assn., Brooklyn, N. Y.