1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

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.