87 manner as fulfilled the words I spoke of him in the beginning, to say thy writings should go out by him; and therefore I ordered thee to bring in a straight line how he tried the Ministers, the pains he took to bring them forward with him, but they all refused; and I ordered thee to write to different Ministers, that it might not be said thou hadst tried none but him, but if thou hadst written to others, they would have acted like him; and therefore I ordered thee to write to others, to invite them, and threatened them of the judgments that would come through unbelief. Yet there was no way that they would come forward; for by him I said it should be done; and by ******* it was done; and perfectly so they will find the scriptures, that thou hast pointed out, in like manner. "Now come to Daniel, vii. And let them discern in what manner he saw the vision, in what manner my coming is with the clouds of heaven, to bring in the kingdom, that I have promised by the Prophets. And let them discern that no conditions stand there in the end, when I come according to the vision, and according to the Prophets. Zechariah, xiv. "And the Lord my God shall come, and all the Saints with thee.-And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one." Luke, xxi. And then shall they see the Sign of the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your Redemption draweth nigh. "Here let men discern I said this shall be, that the redemption of man shall be brought in at my coming, according to the Prophets; and I shall come according to my Gospel. Here the words stand like the words I spoke of that thy writings should go out by his judgment alone; and all mankind will find the time is fast approaching, that I shall come according to the Gospel, and fulfil the words of the Prophets, that I have ordered thee to bring together. This will be as perfectly fulfilled as the words were fulfilled of him, what I told thee he would do at the first. But I came to destroy the works of the devil, and took man's nature upon ME, to become flesh and blood, to dwell with men ; then how could men simply suppose in that likeness I could destroy all the powers of hell, and chain down Satan to his den. Weak and simple are the judgments of men, thus simply to suppose! No, it is in the power and strength of the Spirit, that is above Satan, with saints and angels, and with martyrs who have suffered with ME, through his reign. For, as I was put to death for man, when I took man's nature upon ME; so have my followers been put to death for my sake; therefore men must deeply discern, that my coming is in vengeance, to take vengeance of my adversary, and the adversary of my friends and followers. But how could this be done in the flesh, for ME to be exalted by men, to be looked upon then as a Prince and a Saviour, and to be exalted then by mankind, that the enemy had worked no way in men to come against ME? Then I ask them what day of vengeance could be in my heart, either against men or devils? Neither could I come in vengeance for my own death only; because it was a voluntary act of my own, to take man's nature upon ME, to dwell with men, and be a judge of their suffering, their nature, and their temptations, which I had power to resist; and therefore I could not take vengeance for myself, if my friends and followers had not suffered like 39 wise. So that it could not be done with justice, as a God, before years had rolled on to bring the blood of Saints upon him, who were put to death for my sake, as I gave up my life for them. And this men must discern from the words of the prophets, how my coming is with saints and angels, to establish my kingdom in righteousness and peace; but what saints had I got, to have a knowledge of ME, or my love to mankind, who had been sufferers for my sake, to come with ME in triumph and glory, before I became flesh to dwell with men, to be the first born among many brethren, that should come with me in triumph and glory? "These things men no more discern, in what manner the scriptures stand both ways, than thou discernedst in what manner ******* stood, before I ordered thee to bring together the different communications, that I had ordered thee to put in print concerning him. But I ask thee, how they could have been fulfilled, if he had never fallen from his faith? He could not have acted like the Jews of old, to keep seals upon the tomb, if he had not kept back the writings, that the truth might not be made known; neither could I have said unto thee concerning him "As to thee, thou dost not know; Thou art a stranger there; "Had he known that it was I the Lord who visited thee; and how much thou hast feared to say the Lord saith, if he had not spoken; had he known thee, and thy tears, and prayers, all thy doubts and fears of being deceived, and all the signs I have set before thee, and how powerful my visitation had been unto thee; that all came from ME the living Lord; then he would not have denied ME, in my visitation to thee; had he been clear, he would no more have denied thee, than he denied my Gospel, which thou knowest, from his preaching, he went on powerfully to support. ** **** "And now the Prophecies I have given thee concerning must be compared together, the two different ways they were spoken; and two different ways they have been al ready fulfilled; but the end is not yet. There is a mystery concerning him, as I have told thee; and that mankind will find in the end and as it stood two different ways of him, so two different ways men must discern, from the Prophets, how the words were spoken of ME; first to come and die for the transgression of man; and at that time not to be esteemed by them, but to be forsaken by them. Know what is said by the Prophet: Zechariah, xii. And they shall look upon ME, whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son; and shall be in bitterness for him, as one is in bitterness for his first born :"-and then I shall be the desire of nations; and then the desire of nations will come. "And now I shall answer thee of *** *** ́words, when he said unto thee, "Leave me out of the question." This was speaking perfectly like the Jews, who desired to have the Gospel left out of the question; and would not believe in ME or my Gospel. Then they might as well leave all the Prophets out of the question; for no more can they prove the one without the other, than thou canst prove thy Prophecies clear, to leave ******* out of the question; because in his hands were the truths put at first, that were for signs to him, and to thee, and as signs to mankind, that it came from the Lord; that I had made it clear to thee, by the knowledge. of the truth, that thy visitation was from the God of Truth. But how could this be known and proved, if he had been left out of the question, and his name concealed from mankind? And perfectly so, I tell thee now, men have not discerned in what manner he stands upon conditions; and how he hath fulfilled them; therefore I ordered thee to bring the whole together, and put it in print, in the way I have explained it to thee; that in seeing they might see, and in hearing they might understand in what likeness the Scriptures stand with the words I spoke to thee of *** "And now I shall come further to the Scriptures, to shew thee where they stand without conditions, that must be fulfilled to make them true. Revelation, xxii. 1, 2, 3, 13.-" And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse.-I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last." "Here let men observe how these words stand without any conditions, but a promise that shall be fulfilled. But now I ask mankind what manner of fruit, or what leaves have already appeared, to heal the nations? Have not the prophets been in ages past? and were the nations healed by them? Hath not my Gospel been near two thousand years? and are the nations healed by it? In thy heart thou answerest, no. Then let them discern the promise that stands on record, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, is not ful |