1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

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;