Parágrafo 17

17

And when the days of Moses were ended, and the light of Jesus, shining forth from the dayspring of the Spirit, encompassed the world, all the people of Israel arose in protest against Him. They clamored that He Whose advent the Bible had foretold must needs promulgate and fulfill the laws of Moses, whereas this youthful Nazarene, who laid claim to the station of the divine Messiah, had annulled the law of divorce and of the sabbath day—the most weighty of all the laws of Moses. Moreover, what of the signs of the Manifestation yet to come? These people of Israel are even unto the present day still expecting that Manifestation which the Bible hath foretold! How many Manifestations of Holiness, how many Revealers of the light everlasting, have appeared since the time of Moses, and yet Israel, wrapt in the densest veils of satanic fancy and false imaginings, is still expectant that the idol of her own handiwork will appear with such signs as she herself hath conceived! Thus hath God laid hold of them for their sins, hath extinguished in them the spirit of faith, and tormented them with the flames of the nethermost fire. And this for no other reason except that Israel refused to apprehend the meaning of such words as have been revealed in the Bible concerning the signs of the coming Revelation. As she never grasped their true significance, and, to outward seeming, such events never came to pass, she, therefore, remained deprived of recognizing the beauty of Jesus and of beholding the face of God. And they still await His coming! From time immemorial even unto this day, all the kindreds and peoples of the earth have clung to such fanciful and unseemly thoughts, and thus have deprived themselves of the clear waters streaming from the springs of purity and holiness.

E quando os dias de Moisés estavam concluídos, e a luz de Jesus, brilhando na alvorada do Espírito [Lc 1:78], envolveu o mundo, todo o povo de Israel se levantou em protesto contra Ele. Clamavam que Aquele cujo advento a Bíblia predissera devia necessariamente promulgar e cumprir a lei de Moisés, enquanto este jovem Nazareno, que pretendia a condição de Messias divino, tinha anulado a lei do divórcio e do sábado – as mais poderosas de todas as leis de Moisés. Além disso, onde estavam os sinais do Manifestante que estava para vir? [Mt 12:39; 16:4; Lc 11:29] Este povo de Israel, até ao dia de hoje, ainda aguarda o Manifestante que a Bíblia predisse! Quantos Manifestantes da Santidade, quantos Reveladores da luz eterna, apareceram desde o tempo de Moisés, e no entanto, Israel, envolta nos mais espessos véus da fantasia satânica e imaginações falsas, ainda aguarda que o ídolo criado com as suas próprias mãos apareça com os sinais que ela própria concebeu! Assim, Deus puniu-os pelos seus pecados, extinguiu neles o espírito da fé e atormentou-os com as chamas do fogo das profundezas. E isto, por nenhuma outra razão salvo Israel ter recusado perceber o significado dessas palavras que tinham sido reveladas na Bíblia relativas aos sinais da Revelação futura. Porque nunca alcançou o seu verdadeiro significado, e, aparentemente, esses eventos nunca aconteceram, ficou, assim, privada de reconhecer a beleza de Jesus e de contemplar a face de Deus. Ainda aguardam a Sua chegada! Desde os tempos imemoriais até hoje, todos os clãs e povos da terra se agarraram a esses pensamentos fantasiosos e indignos, e assim se privaram a si próprios das águas límpidas que fluem das nascentes da pureza e da santidade.