1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

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