Cyrus and 3 Watches

Logos

or

"In What our Faith Consists"

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

by

C. and J. Lee

The Visible Chief Representative

1. Christ designates this His servant and representative as His steward who gives meat to the household in due time. He has this to say concerning it:

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods." (Mat. 24: 44-47.)

Among the many who claim to be the Lord's servant at the time the Son of man commences His great work of elevation on the earth, there is one who, through the fact that he gives the spiritual food to the people which the time and circumstances demand, makes himself known to be controlled by the Son of man. He has the promise to be placed over everything pertaining to the work of the Son of man. Like Joseph, who in advance of the Egyptian distress had attracted attention to himself by predicting it, and was as a result elevated by the king over the whole country as the most faithful and prudent, so also will this one be placed over everything to be controlled by the Logos-power through the elevation of the Son of man.

2. The angel coming down from heaven, "lighting the whole earth with his glory" (Rev. 18:1), represents the same messenger or ambassador. His descension from heaven indicates the transformation of the condition on the earth by Logos, by means of which heaven and earth shall be reunited, i.e., be restored to the condition that existed previous to the breaking of the Logos-link through the fall. Heaven again inclines to the earth in order through the Logos-union in the completion of the Son of man to unite heaven with the earth and that which is upon it.

The result of this consolidating work will be the fall of Babylon (the work of men) . All that has arisen on the earth as a result of the fall, which by men today is called "the civil and the ecclesiastical order," will be removed from the earth by the Son of man's final act of development. Hence the heavenly messenger distinguishes himself by crying aloud to the honor of his Lord and King, saying: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen." (Rev. 18:2.) He is then elevated above the powers of Babylon or the works of men.

3. Isaiah is pointing out this the Lord's representative as conqueror of kings, calling him Cyrus. Cyrus, the general of the Median king, who conquered the Babylonian power and who himself at last became king in Babylon, prefigured the one of whom the prophet speaks.

In the prefiguring work the honor was given Cyrus to issue the command that the holy temple and city (laid waste for God's people by the Babylonian power) were to be rebuilt, but in the completing work he will not only be the one who issues the command concerning a corresponding restoration of the temple and the city, he will be the principal director of the work mentioned.

The prophet, after first having shown that the slaving Jacob family is to be redeemed from the Babylonian yoke in order to be restored by virtue of God's promises, quotes the Lord's Logos in confirmation of the truthfulness thereof. It says:

"That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers." Saying to Jerusalem (the new) : "Thou shalt be built; and to the temple (the living), Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." (Isaiah 44: 27, 28; 45: 1-3.)

When this as yet unfulfilled Logos takes shape in a completing work, then the servant of the Lord is elevated as a King over the kings and his body-guard as Lords over the lords. It is then that the lords will be "called lords without land," for then the earth with all there is upon it will be the Lord's, and the whole kingdom will then be given "to the people of the saints of the most High."

4. It is very essential to have a clear, scriptural conception as to where the sphere is where the visible chief representative will commence his work of transformation. Many will lay claim to this heavenly calling. "General" Booth calls himself "the new Moses," meaning that Heaven has called him to save the world. Cyrus Teed of Chicago claims to be "Cyrus," and he now orders that Jerusalem shall be built in Florida.

In order to be certain as to where the work is to begin, we ask: Will it begin in the East or in the West? This question is answered by the Lord through the prophet: "I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay." (Is. 41:25.)

This shows that instead of the West, he will come with the power of the movement from the North. There it will strike firm roots and then move eastward. He will begin in the North to trample down the mighty, then proceed towards the East and the West.

When Jeremiah was instructed as to how God was to complete His Word, it was shown him "a seething pot toward the north," and the following explanation was given him: "Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land." (Jer. 1: 13, 14. See also Zech., chap. 2.)

XXI. The Three Watches

The appearance of the Son of man in the human world at the end of the time of the nations is connected with three special watches. A certain period of time, linked with the generation that is finally to witness the Son of man's ascension on the international throne, is divided into three special periods, during which the prophecy, at its completion, will develop into works and movements among mankind.

The Son of man will come with the kingdom of God in the manner a son, who has reached his majorities, and who, bringing his bride from a foreign country, is escorting her and her retinue to his father's estate in order to reside there. This work requires a great preparation, and it is this very thing that is manifested in the three successive watches.

When finally He does come, it will take place so suddenly and surprisingly that if it were not for the preceding watches no one would be ready to meet Him. It is therefore that in advance He gives the following solemn warning:

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (the power of desire) , and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21: 34-36.)

The admonition "watch" is related to the watches or periods of invitation connected with the manifestation of the Son of man. Concerning these watches the Lord Himself says:

"And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so (the members of the household) , blessed are those servants." (Luke 12:38.)

This presupposes that He will not come in the first watch, but that He may come either in the latter part of the second or in the beginning of the third. He here leaves room to the night watchmen to reflect on the appointed times.

The nature of the evolutionary movements of the watches among mankind marks the time when circumstances, as it were, press forth the work of the Son of man.

In order to correctly grasp the meaning of the three night watches, it is first of all necessary to keep in mind the object of the Son of man's coming. He comes as Bridegroom in order to take His Bride. And He comes in the capacity of King in order to gather unto Himself the house of Jacob, so that through them He might take over the kingdom under the whole heaven. The Bride consists of a special class of people, and the warring host, which He mobilizes as His army, of another class, but nevertheless, these classes, with respect to the movement in question, are as closely related as a bride and her escorts.

The First Watch. The Bride is first called. In Christ's answer to the question of the disciples, "What will be the sign of thy presence (Greek, parousia) , and the consummation of the age?" we find the first night watch distinctly marked out. In regard to the movement occasioned by the call of the Bridegroom to the Bride, that she prepare herself in order to meet Him, He says:

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom," etc. (Mat. 25: 1.)

Historical facts confirm the fulfillment of this prophetic movement, which terminated about fifty years ago under the impression — "the Bridegroom tarries; He did not come as we expected." The first act of the above parable was fulfilled through the Advent-Movement of 1840-44, for it resembled the going out of the virgins to meet the Bridegroom.

This singular movement answers in everything to the first calling or watch. The religious movement, which ever since has continued like swells after a great storm and which has also distinguished itself through the chapels and meeting houses built throughout Christendom, is a result of the pressure occasioned on humanity by the first watch. It also testifies to the fact that the virgins, influenced by the tarrying of the Bridegroom, again have encamped in order that they might sleep the whole night through.

The Second Watch. The, second watch comes on the scene as a result of a kingly impression, or foreboding, of the coming King among His people — the house of Jacob.

While the virgins—the religious people—sleep securely in their camp beds, the King calls on the dispersed tribes of Jacob, the workers in all lands of Christendom, to unite and to be ready to serve the Son of man as soon as He needs them. It is for this purpose that the labor movement in the shape of unions, agitations for universal suffrage and peace organizations, etc., have appeared during the last ten to fifteen years. In this respect the labor movement resembles regiments stationed here and there, awaiting mobilization orders.

The Third Watch. The third watch arouses the sleeping virgins, mobilizes the King's army and brings them all in motion forward to the determined goal. It is by means of this movement that the seed of Ham and that of Shem are separated, and this, in other words, signifies that the brick kingdom of Baal will be removed in order to make room on earth for the kingdom of Abraham and his seed.

In order to be able to grasp this grand movement in the light of the Scripture, we will consider it by means of the prophetic description given by the heavenly messenger to Daniel concerning it. There the time for the realization of the movement is indicated, also the powers which proceed from the two kingdoms and which will collide.

In Dan., chap. 8, the governmental power of Ham is pictured in the fourth governing form, or fourth world-empire (known to us under the name of Rome) , in the shape of a little horn. This horn, through its representatives — kings and priests - rules over the established order down to the time when the governmental power of Shem, which up till then is suppressed by the little horn, is released from both its political and religious pressure.

Romulus founded the kingdom of Rome about 753 B. C., and by virtue of the strong walls and the constantly growing military power this horn swelled out until it finally raised its scepter over the whole world. It attracted under itself all that was left after the Assyrian, Babylonian, Medio-Persian and Grecian powers and incorporated it under its throne. In the word of prophecy it says:

"And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land (Palestine) . And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven," etc. (Dan. 8:9, 10.)

Before we proceed any further we wish to pass the remark that there is hardly any other passage of Scripture that is so badly abused as the one we are now considering. In the English Bible there are two different renderings, one of these a marginal one, but words are added that do not occur in the original Hebrew, namely, "the daily sacrifice," and it is very likely that in translating, other languages have been made to agree with this. The translation by the Norwegian Bible Society renders the original more correctly than any other Bible in our possession.

There are no less than seven points in the 11th to the 14th verse inclusive which indicate or embrace the most important objects of God's plan. We will therefore first of all translate

these verses, then designate the principal points contained in them.

Verse 11: "He (Rome, or the little horn, swelled out) grew even to the Prince of the host, and took away from him the permanent, and cast down the place of the sanctuary."

Verse 12: "And the host and the permanent were abandoned to be trampled down because of the apostasy, and it cast the truth to the earth, and it did this and prospered."

Verse 13: "And I heard a saint speak and another saint said to the one speaking: For how long is the vision effective concerning the permanent and the devastating apostasy, namely that both the sanctuary and the host are to be trampled down?"

Verse 14: "And he said unto me: Until evening and morning two thousand and three hundred. And then the sanctuary shall be justified."

The principal points, which here attract special attention, are:

1. The Prince of the host,;

2. The host;

3. The place of the sanctuary;

4. The permanent;

5. The apostasy;

6. The 2300 years;

7. The restoration of the host and the sanctuary.

1. The Prince of the host. In Dan. 9:25, 26, we learn who this Prince is. He is the Messiah, appointed by God over the house of Jacob — the One on Whom we believe as the Savior of the world. This Savior was taken out of the way by the Roman imperial power, or by the then highest representative of the brick creation. But in the light of the dual plan we see in this the beginning of the New Testament-dispensation, when the Word in flesh instead of material objects are realized.

With respect to the Prince of the host, we see Him driven out through the farthermost door of the brick kingdom, and there He is linked together with the Creator of heaven and earth in order that, when the proper time arrives, He as an invincible King shall take over His inheritance and redeem His people.

2. The host. In order to be able to see the host, one must look back on the ten tribes when they, conquered by the Assyrian power, were carried into captivity 724 B. C. As a nation they were then uprooted, and they have ever since been dispersed within the brick kingdom under the Canaanitic power. We find the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, as a warring host brought under the same throne-power of clay when Jerusalem, according to Christ's prediction, was destroyed.

3. The place of the sanctuary. The sanctuary, like the host, signifies the prophetic development both before and after Christ. With the birth of Christ the new sanctuary development began, i.e., that the Word takes form in flesh.

When the prefigurative sanctuary—the temple of Jerusalem—was torn down by the Romans, the place where the temple had stood was kept watch over, and those who desired to rebuild the temple were prevented from doing so. It is not this, however, the prophecy has reference to when saying that the place of the sanctuary is cast down, it concerns specifically the New Testament sanctuary — the congregational body of Christ. The place of this sanctuary was by John the Baptist, Christ Himself and the apostles designated to lie outside the governmental limitation of Babylon, or of the brick kingdom. The first, or apostolic congregation, when the believers had sold out their interests in the world and had everything in common, occupied the place designated by Christ for the sanctuary developed in flesh, or for the temple of faith. But the Roman power suppressed this place, and it has been suppressed ever since, for, according to the governmental laws of Ham, such people are considered as vagabonds and to be dangerous for the existing order.

4. The permanent. The corresponding word "Hatamid" in the original appears to greatly have annoyed the translators. They have rendered it "daily sacrifice," very likely because it occurs in connection with the sacrificial service as a confirmation of a continuation of the original sacrifice.

In comparing this word carefully with the descriptive types and the prophetic object it has reference to, we find that it points directly to the passover. In the prefigurative work the passover festival constituted the principal feast of commemoration, for it was by means of this that Israel was released from the Egyptian bondage. The slaughtering of the lamb at dusk and the burning of the remnants the following morning, when the house of Jacob stood ready behind the blood-stricken door posts for their journey, later developed in the sanctuary movement into the evening and the morning sacrifice. Originally it all points to the passover in the camp of Israel at the night of their departure.

At the prophetic development in flesh, or the personal fulfillment of God's dispensation, we also find that the passover, or the slaying of the paschal lamb, occupies the principal place. There Christ is the paschal lamb, and the commemoration of the slaying of this lamb has been evidenced on every occasion when anyone has been murdered on account of the Word of God.

Let us presume that the permanent, or that determined by God for the ultimate redemption of His people, had not been delivered to the little horn to trample down, what would the result then have been? It would have been the same as that of which we read when the children of Israel went out of Egypt.

Pasch (Hebrew, pesakh) means to "pass over," and if God had brought about what this signifies when Christ as a slain lamb constituted the door, separating His kingdom and people from Ham's, or Canaan's, kingdom and people, the avenging angel would there and then have exterminated the opponents.

5. The apostasy. Because of the apostasy the perpetual and the place of the sanctuary were left to be trampled down by the Roman power. What apostasy? (Here the Norwegian version alone is correct in rendering the meaning of the original, the others have rendered it "sins," "transgression," etc.)

It is the same apostasy (falling away) Paul indicates in 2 Thess. 2:3. Speaking of the second coming (presence) of Christ he says that, "For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."

The falling away from the totally separated position of the world held by the apostolic congregation was completed when, in 325 A. D., Emperor Constantine extended the protecting arms of the Roman empire to the Christians and when they then stepped in under the brick-protection. Through this apostasy from the elevated position of faith and the gospel over the world, Babylon's arms of brick enclosed entirely the New Testament sanctuary, or representation of faith, and thus its place separated by God was completely trampled down by the little horn.

6. The 2300 years. Morning and evening represent a prophetic twenty-four hour day, which in the fulfillment constitutes that many years. This length of time is first measuring off the time extending between the return of the Jews from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel down to the time when the first intimation is given concerning a restoration of the sanctuary to the place originally set apart for it by God. This, the return of the two tribes from Babylon, took place in the year 456-7 B. C., and when the 2300 years are linked with this, they terminate, according to the Jewish arrangement of the year, in the autumn of 1844 A. D. At this period of time we witness the fulfillment of Christ's testimony in Mat. 25:1, concerning the virgins in what up to this time was known as the "Advent-Movement." They are called virgins because they consist of a people separated from the world and await the coming of Christ. In the fullest sense of the word they actually go out from the kingdom of the world in order to meet the Bridegroom.

They based this their going-out on the prophecy that embraces the 2300 years, and had not the testimony of Christ said that the Bridegroom should tarry, the work of the sanctuary would, of course, have been completed from the mentioned period of time. But instead there began there and then the testimony of Jesus, serving as the oil belonging to the prophetic lamp upon which the virgins are dependent for light on the road to this important meeting, to be directly applicable. From this time it is of the greatest importance to correctly understand and apply the testimony of Christ, in order that in reality it may become what the revealing angel calls it: "The spirit of prophecy" — power of light. (Rev. 19:10.)