1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

pictured by the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2,9-14): "I will gather all nations, and will bringthem down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat [ofjudgment and death], and will plead [in war,revolution and anarchy] with them there for Mypeople and My heritage Israel [the true Church]whom they have scattered among the nations,and parted My land [into several hundreddenominations]. Proclaim ye this among thenations: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men,let all the men of war draw near; let them comeup; beat your plowshares, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak [Belgium forexample] say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves,and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselvestogether round about; thither cause thy mightyones [the Little Flock, mighty in the power of theLord] to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen [inChristendom, and out]FM552be wakened, and come up to the Valley ofJehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all theheathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for theharvest [of the vine of the earth, (Rev. 14:19)Christendom] is ripe; come, get you down; forthe press is full, the fats overflow; for theirwickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes inthe valley of decision [for or against God andHis Word] for the Day [of vengeance] of theLord is near in the valley of decision."— Joel3:2, 9-15.Vast will be the slaughter, complete thedevastation, heart-rending the ruin and thedesolation of the hopes and aspirations ofChristendom in the dark and gloomy valley ofthe Day of Vengeance of Jehovah. It will indeedbe a valley— a cast down, humbled, lowlycondition, in which the people of proudChristendom will suddenly find themselves, acondition full of the memories of ruined hopes,(bones) (Mal. 4:1.)The valley is full of dried-up hopes (bones): (1)the twelve tribe of Israel in death; (2, 3) theHebrews in captivity to literal and mysticalBabylon; and (4) the hopes of Christendom.