1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

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