1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

Assyrians her neighbors.— The Romish churchdates back to apostolic days, when she was God'sChurch [Mine]; but she fell in love with herneighbors, the rulers of that brutal age, andsought temporal power.Ezekiel 23:6.Which were clothed with blue, captains andrulers, all of them desirable young men,horsemen riding upon horses.— The leadersand rulers in worldly affairs were apparentlyfaithful (clothed in blue, typical of faithfulness),and seemed desirable and attractive to beassociated with. They were men of thought andmen of action, riding hobbies of vainphilosophies.FM475Ezekiel 23:7.Thus she committed her whoredoms withthem, with all them that were the chosen menof Assyria, and with all on whom she doted:with all their idols she defiled herself.— TheChurch associated with them for gain of worldlypower, set her affections on them, instead of onthings Above, and defiled herself with theirpagan ideas.Ezekiel 23:8.Neither left she her whoredoms brought fromEgypt: for in her youth they lay with her, andthey bruised the breasts of her virginity, andpoured their whoredom upon her.— Nor didshe give up her worldliness when she took uporiental asceticism.Ezekiel 23:9, 10.Wherefore I have delivered her into the handof her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians,upon whom she doted. These discovered hernakedness: they took her sons and herdaughters, and slew her with the sword: andshe became famous among women; for theyhad executed judgment upon her.— The rulersdiscovered the naked, unprotected condition ofRomanism; and by hundreds of thousandspoured in from the East, literal Tartars, Vandals,