9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.

Here the sun and moon represent the civil and ecclesiastical authority in Zion before they were abolished. And speaking of her destruction by the Chaldeans, the Spirit in Jer. xv. 9, says,

"Her sun is gone down while it is yet day."

Her royalty was suppressed; yet her moon and stars continued to shine under the Persian administration. But, a greater calamity was predicted in Joel ii. 10, when the earth should quake, and the heavens tremble; in other words, when

"the sun and the moon should be dark, and the stars withdraw their shining."

This would be a total eclipse of Israel's Commonwealth by

"the host given to the Little Horn of the Goat;"

as foretold in Dan. viii. 9-12:

"It waxed great to the host of heaven; and it cast down of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them;"

which in the interpretation given in verse 24, is explained to signify,

"He shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practice, and shall destroy great ones (the stars) and the people of the Holy Ones"

-- or the host. Powers on earth do not literally pluck the stars from their spheres and stamp upon them; but they sometimes make sad havoc among the sun, moon, and stars of a political organization.

The Lord Jesus reproduced Daniel's prophecy in his discourse on the destruction of the city that killed the prophets, in saying:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven (symbolized by these orbs) shall be shaken" (Matt. xxiv. 29).

These were the lights in which there were to be "great signs and fearful sights," indicative of the parousia, or presence, though invisible, of the Son of Man when the Greco-Roman army should be sent by him to destroy the city of his murderers (Matt. xxii. 7).

In the same style, Peter speaks of the rapidly approaching fulfilment of the prediction, when the heavens being on fire should be dissolved and should pass away with a great noise, and their elements melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3).

Eureka 6.6.3.

In this instance the sun symbolized the sovereign power and glory of the commonwealth, of which Jerusalem was the capital. It went down when the state was destroyed by the Chaldeans.

But it shone forth again; and again went down, when the kingdom was taken away from the Pharisees -- when

"the sun was darkened, the moon gave no light, and the stars fell from the Heaven;"

and were thenceforth suppressed superlatively "until He come whose right it is," even "the sun and shield."

Eureka 8.9.1.

16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Yahweh Elohim Tz'vaoth

To be off one's food is a bad sign.

It shows that something is wrong. A person in health has an appetite—he has regard for his meals, and eats them with a relish. This applies alike to babes and adults—to the contents of the feeding bottle and to the solid food on the plate.

To turn from the natural to the spiritual. There is an edifying analogy. Healthy creatures in Christ Jesus want their food—their spiritual food—and they enjoy it when they get it. With them it is not a mere "doing" of their daily readings, but an exercise which gives positive delight. Without a doubt the extent of our appreciation of the appointed readings is an index to our soundness and robustness in the truth.

The proper—the ideal—state of mind is that of Jeremiah...

Or that of the Psalmist:

"How sweet are thy words unto my taste? Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." "I opened my mouth and panted: for I longed for thy commandments" (119:103, 131).

But let us not be downcast, if our health is feeble, and our appetite capricious—if we fall greatly short of this lofty standard. Our condition will improve with patience and right treatment. Let us not cease eating. Let us keep up our daily reading. Let us read as a cold matter of duty rather than not read at all.

Bro AT Jannaway

TC 12/1901

Jeremiah is one of those who will eat the little scroll [Rev 10: 9-11]; and in consequence become a constituent of the same; that is, of the angel. We may see from this, that words may be eaten as well as more material substances.

To eat words is first to know them, then to understand their meaning; thirdly, to believe this heartily, and to assimilate it to our mental habitude, that it may become the rule of our thought and action. When this result is attained, the words are not only eaten, but eaten up, or thoroughly digested; and they become part and parcel of the eater inseparably.

Eureka 10.13.

17 I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.

...there is a time when the false is allowed to flourish with absolute impunity and even with prosperity,‭ ‬and when the true is allowed to be under a cloud,‭ ‬in order that the minds of faithful men may be exercised and proved.‭ ‬God expects and requires that we have‭

‭"‬senses exercised to discern both good and evil.‭"

‭ ‬This capability could not be developed by a situation in which evil did not have a chance.‭ ‬For this reason, false prophets were allowed to have all the weight that came with numbers,‭ ‬influence,‭ ‬and unanimity,‭ ‬while the truth was with one meek man [Jeremiah] against whom all were speaking‭ (‬15:10‭)‬.‭

May we not from this gain consolation from our own position‭? ‬God has allowed the truth to come into the most humbling circumstances,‭ ‬having scarcely any friends among men,‭ ‬while error is organised with great and respectable and wealthy and educated systems with multitudes of supporters.‭

Judging by appearances,‭ ‬men would judge wrongly.‭ ‬Judging by the Scriptures‭ ‬we are enabled to judge clearly and strongly and boldly,‭ ‬and to maintain the truth against the whole world in arms against it.

‭ ‬The situation is one calling for and compelling an almost violent exercise of judgment.‭ ‬God requires this at our hands.‭ ‬By the mouth of Christ he says,

‭ "‬Beware of false prophets‭"

‭—‬and false prophets are necessarily the numerous,‭ ‬popular,‭ ‬and well-to-do.‭ ‬How are we to discern them‭?

‭"‬Ye shall know them by their fruits.‭"

Are they like the true‭? ‬Oh yes‭; ‬you would think they were the genuine sheep:‭ ‬they have got sheep skins on.‭ ‬How are we to distinguish them from the true‭? ‬You must‭ "‬try‭" ‬them.‭

‭"‬Believe not every spirit:‭ ‬try the spirits whether they are of God.‭"

How are we to try them‭? ‬God himself tells us:‭ "‬By the word.‭" "‬If any man speak not according to this word,‭ ‬it is because there is no light in them.‭"

There is no other form of God's word in the earth at present but the Bible.‭ ‬Therefore,‭ ‬it comes to this:‭ ‬the Bible is the standard.‭ ‬Every claim must be judged by this.

‭Seasons 2. 66