1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

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