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Chosen no: R-368 b, from: 1882 Year. |
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The Finished Mystery.
"In the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound [i.e. in the forepart of his
sounding,] the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his
servants the prophets." Rev. 10:7.
Looking backward, who cannot see
that our heavenly Father has been pleased to keep some part, and that the very
cream or riches of his grace, measurably hidden? In the Patriarchal and Jewish
ages only a mere fragment of God's plan was revealed, and that the inferior or
earthly part of his plan--the part properly belonging, to those who are to be
inheritors of earthly blessings.
Thus, the Apostles tell us of
"The mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the
sons of men, as it is now [since Pentecost] revealed unto his holy apostles and
prophets," "even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to HIS SAINTS. To whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery." Eph.
3:4,5; Col. 1:26,27; and 1 Pet. 1:10-12.
God's plan was complete and perfect from before the foundation of the world,
and needs no adding to; but he has kept his plans covered and hidden from the
world, and has revealed them only gradually to his church--his saints. Thus
while the unfolding of the mystery of God commenced in the days of the
Apostles, it will not be finished until the end of this Gospel Age--under the
sounding of the seventh trumpet as shown in the Scripture cited above.
We claim no new revelations, for to
our understanding the revelations of God to his saints are completed and
finished by the records of John on Patmos. But
while God's revelation, in the sense of utterance ended eighteen hundred years
ago, yet revelation in the sense of understanding those utterances has
continued down through the age.
It is revelation in this sense, that
Jesus referred to when about to leave the disciples. After having told them
many precious things in parables and dark sayings, he said, "I have yet
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now: howbeit when he the
spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth." "He shall
teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you." John 16:12,13; and 14:26. Thus
during this age the true followers of Christ have been led into a more and more
full understanding of God's truth, and a fuller unfolding of the mystery of
God, which was entirely hidden from past ages and is to be finished under the
seventh trumpet's sounding in the end of this age.
As our readers are aware, we
understand that we are now living in the days of the voice of the Seventh
Angel. The evidence has already been furnished (and will appear again --in the
forthcoming Millennial Day Dawn,) that these trumpets mentioned by the
Revelator and by Paul (1 Cor. 15:52; and 1 Thes. 4:16; and Rev. 11:15), are symbolic of a series of events. The sixth of
these, we believe, ended Aug. 11, 1840, since which we have been living under
the "seventh trumpet," or "last trump," or "trump of
God," which continues until the kingdoms of this world, by a great time of
trouble, become the kingdoms of our Lord. (Rev. 11:15.) This, prophetic
Scriptures show, will not be fully accomplished until A.D. 1914. This is called
the Trump of God, probably because during its period of time God exercises his
great power over the nations, breaking them in pieces, and grinding to powder
the abominable systems of error which have so long flourished and made desolate
and void God's Word of truth. And another thing, God, during this period, will finish
the mystery by letting his saints (Col. 1:27) come to a full
appreciation of his glorious plans. It is thus that we account for the great,
beautiful and harmonious light, and the strengthening food now being given us
as members of the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the glorified Head.
But there is another sense in which
the word mystery is used in Scripture. It is used in the same sense as the word
church. Thus the true and false churches are called, "The mystery of
God," and "The mystery of iniquity." This is altogether fitting,
since the true church is the very embodiment of God's plan, and the false
church an embodiment of error and Satan's plan. The mystery of iniquity began
in Paul's day, and developed into Papacy and her daughter organizations --which
system of errors is to be consumed and destroyed by truth in his presence. (2
Thes. 2:7,8.) The mystery of God began in our Head--Jesus--and is being added
to by every true member of the vine or body whose names are written in heaven. This
is the mystery of which Paul says--"This MYSTERY... is Christ (the
anointing) in you." Col. 1:27.
"This is a great mystery; but I
speak concerning Christ and the church." Eph. 5:32. The
mystery commenced when God was manifest in the flesh of Jesus. The world could
not see how he could be any different from other men; yet the spirit of the
Lord God was in him, anointing Jesus with power in expounding the truth, and in
sacrificing himself, etc. So, too, the same anointing abideth on all the true
church, and as he was, so are we in the world--a mystery to the world which
"knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John
3:1.) The world does not recognize in the saints, "sons of
God"--"new creatures," "partakers of the divine
nature." [R369 : page 2]
Very shortly now, this mystery of
God, this company of divinely-begotten sons, will be FINISHED--completed:
"The church of the first born" of which Jesus is the head, will soon
cease to be, God manifest in the flesh. The entire company shall be glorified
together, and "shall shine forth as the Sun in the kingdom of their
Father." (Matt. 13:43.) They shall arise in power and
strength to bless all the families of the earth. "The Sun of Righteousness
shall arise with healing in his wings"--for the Jew first, and also for
the Gentile.
It is for the completion of this
church that we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to-wit, the redemption of the body of Christ; the ending of the mystery part of
God's plan, in the full glory of Millennial brightness and joy. It is for this
event also that the world's release from pain and death waits. The whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, waiting for the
manifestation of the Sons of God. Rom. 8:19-24.
The necessity of the vailing of
God's mysterious purpose with reference to the church is very evident. If the
religious rulers of the Jews had known that Jesus was really the anointed of
God, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1
Cor. 2:7,8.) And had the rulers of the world and of the nominal church,
recognized the Lord's anointed body during this age, they would not have had
the privilege of suffering with their Head.
Again, Paul tells us that God gave
him wonderful revelations concerning the mystery, "To make all see what
[are the conditions of] fellowship of the mystery." (Eph.
3:3-6,9.) And it is to Paul as our Lord's instrument that we are indebted more
than to any other Apostle, for a clear record of the conditions on which we may
become members of this mystery band, and as such be in due time revealed in
glory of power. He tells us that we must have fellowship in the sufferings of
Christ, if we would have share in His coming glory. We must with our head
become dead to the world, its ambitions, its prizes, if we would become heirs
of the glory which God hath in preparation and reservation for this mystery
church of which Jesus is the Head.
We believe that we are just on the
eve of the finishing of this church, or mystery. You and I, my brother, are, by
our covenants, candidates for a crown of life and a position in the throne of
the coming kingdom. Let us make our calling and election to that high position
sure, by so running our race as to be approved of God, as living sacrifices for
the gospel of truth. We have full little enough time to fulfill all our
covenant; let us lay aside every weight and all besetting sins, and run, with
patience, the race for the prize of our high calling, that when the church is
complete-- the mystery finished, we may be among the glorified members. Then no
longer the mystery--we shall be Jehovah's agents in blessing all the families
of the earth.
W.T. R-368 b : page 2 – 1882 r.