1918_The Finished Mystery.pdf

STUDIES

IN THE

SCRIPTURES

Tha Path of tha Just is as the Shining Light

Whieh Shineth Mora aad Mora

Unto the Perfect Day."

SERIES VII

The Finished Mystery

Tha Wineprew of God's Wrath"

and the Pall of Babylon

860,000 Bdltlon

"lad she angel whleh I saw stand nsea the

Me and upon the earth lifted up hU head t*>

Heaven, end ewere by Him that liveth for*

ever end ever, who created Heaven end the

things tha* therein are, and the earth, and

the things that therein an, and the sea,

and the thins* which an therein, that the

time should be no longer delayed! bat in the

dare of the voice of the seventh angel, when

he shall begin to soand, the Mystery of God

should be finished, as He hath declared to

His senauls the Prophets."—Bev. 10:5-7.

"At the end It shall speak and net lie."—

Hafc.lia.

MTBHNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

BSOOfcXYX, LONDON, MELBOURNE; BARMEN,

KLBEMEU* OKBBRO, CHR1ST1ANIA

1918

POSTHUMOUS WOBK 07 PASTOB BUS8ELL

HkiUutt Legacy to tha Dear Israel of Oo& Otatt.Mil )

"»» make all aea what la the fellowship of tha mretaiy whleh da

tha beginning of tha world bath bean hid la fled." "Whereat

Ha hath abounded toward na la en wisdom and pre>

daaao, having made known auto as the mystery

of Bis win, aooordlng to Hla good pleeaare

whloh He hath parpoood In Himself]

that la tha dispensation of the

fatness of the vSmee He might

gather together m aaa

all things, under

Christ."

Bph. »!«. I. *| XlMt,

OOiflJUUHT lilt

WPOPLBS pui^rr Assocunoft

B—omLTK, H, r. o. a «.

CBrttMl Ougjyilajat teaajtajdl

PUBLISHER'S PREFACE

S INCE the days of the Apostles, Christian people hate

been looking for the coming of our Lord Jesus in great

power and glory; for He said that He would come

•gain and receive His Church unto Himself. He further

pointed out that tor some time prior to the completion of

the Church He would be present, gathering out from Baby-

lon and from the world the truly consecrated, and that dur-

ing His presence "the Mystery of God" would be finished.

Through St John the Lord Jesus revealed the fact that

the Church would be developed during seven distinct

periods, or epochs; and that for each of these epochs He

would have a special angel, or messenger, to serve the

other members of the Body. It follows, then, that the mes-

senger to the last, or Laodicean, epoch would declare the

Presence of the Lord and the time of the Harvest of the

Gospel Age. The great Master laid special emphasis on

the Importance of the messenger to the seventh, or Laodi-

cean, period of the Church, saying that such an one would

be "a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord would

make ruler over all His Household, to give them meat In

due season."

Those consecrated Christians who have read and fully

appreciated the Truth as contained In the preceding six

volumes of STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES readily see

and agree that Charles Taze Russell was the messenger of

the Church of Laodlcea. In the mind of every one who be-

lieves the Bible the evidence set forth In this volume will

establish that fact beyond the question of a doubt.

In the light of Divine Prophecy, now being dally fulfilled

and made clear to "the watchers," the following from the

pen of Pastor Russell is further proof that he was sent

of God to this generation. Long yean before the be*

ginning of the trouble now upon the nations he wrote:

"The four exhibitions of the Lord, given to Elijah,

represent, we believe, four manifestations in which the

Lord is about to reveal Himself to mankind, the first

three of which will prepare men for the final one, in

which win come the desired blessing' to all the fami-

nes of tiie earth. These are:

<1) She mighty vHndt rending 1 the very i .

winds seem to be used In Scripture for wars. The

.wars, whose dark clouds have threatened the civilised

world so ominously for the past thirty years, have been

aatoacnlously hindered to /give opportunity for 'sealing*

Preface

the lord's consecrated people In their foreheads (Intel*

lectually) with the Present Truth. We are therefore to

expect that when these winds of war shall be let loose,

It will mean a cataclysm of warfare which shall divide

kingdoms (mountains)—prefigured by the mighty wind

shown to Elijah (1 Kings 19:11), which rent the rocks.

But God's Kingdom will not follow the epoch of war; the

world will not thus be made ready tor the Reign of Im-

manuel. No; a. further lesson will be needed and will be

given. It is represented In

"(2) An earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures an

earthquake seems always to represent revolution; and It

Is not unreasonable to expect that an era of general war-

fare would so arouse the lower classes of Surope and so

discontent them with their lot (and especially with the

conditions which would follow such a war) that revolu-

tion would be the next thing in order. (Rev. IS :18.) But.

severe though those revolutionary experiences win be

to the world, they are not sufficient to prepare man to

hear the voice of God. It will require

"(8) The fir* from heaven an epoch of Divine Judg-

ments and chastisements upon a maddened bat uncon-

verted world, wild in anarchy, as other'Scriptures show

us. The results of their wars, revolutions and anarchy,

In the failure of their schemes, will have a humb-

ling effect, and will prepare mankind for God's revela-

tion of Himself In

"(4) The ttilt email voles. Yes: He who spoke to

the winds and the waves of the Sea of Galilee will. In

due time, 'speak peace to the peoples.' He will speak

with authority, commanding the observance of His long

neglected Law of Love. 'And whosoever win not hear

that Prophet Shall be cut off from among His people.*

(Acts 8:&)"—THE WATCH TOWER, July 1. ISM, p Ml

"Looking back to the prophetic testimony respecting

the Times of the OentUet, we perceive that our Lord's

words, 'Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentfles

until the Times of the Gentiles be filled feB,' give

the Intimation that the determined times, or rears;

in which the empire of earth would be In the hands

of Gentile governments was a fixed one from the

Divine standpoint. And If. as we believe the Scriptures

to teach. Gentile domination was provided for up to

October, 1814, it would seem but a reasonable interpre-

tation that Divine power would not be exercised to their

dethronement until after the time allotted for their reign

had ended—October, »U.^-THES WATCH TOWKB, Jury

1, ISM. p. 1SS.

In 1879 Charles Taw Russell began the publication of

THE WATCH TOWER, of which he waa the sole editor

as long aa he remained on earth. THE WATCH TOWER

was, and la, the first and only Journal declaring the pret-

ence of the Lord Jesus. Pastor Russell being the messen-

ger to the Laodicean Church, and occupying the position

of the Lord's special servant to gtre the Household of

Faith meat In due season. It waa to be expected that he

would bring forth from the Lord's great "Storehouse" the

needed spiritual food for the Church, in harmony with

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