e Beginning of the End.

At some time soon after that point is reached _two unseen events will
occur_, that is, unseen on earth. Roughly, it will be three and a half
years after, though the whole tendency of the Scripture is to discourage
the figuring of _exact_ time. Yet information is given that the outlook
may be intelligent. These events are unseen on the earth. They take
place in heaven.

The Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the Church. He will not be
withdrawn from individuals. He abode in men before the Church was
formed, and will after the Church has cast Him out. He is withdrawn only
because He has been practically and wholly cast out.

The Lord Jesus, who sent Him down to form the Church and witness through
it, will withdraw Him from the Church. The candlestick has moved out of
all touch with the light. And now the light is withdrawn, and so the
candlestick moved out of its place as the light-bearer. This is probably
the advance step taken by our Lord Jesus that marks the beginning of the
end.

At the same time there occurs a conflict of spirit forces up in the
heavens. While the earth seems to be Satan's chief place of activity,
yet his headquarters are up in the heavens, that is, somewhere below the
throne of God and above the earth. This conflict is against him and his
spirit forces. It is led by Michael, the archangel. It results in Satan
and his host being cast out of the heavens and down to the earth.

It is significant that as the Holy Spirit goes up, this conflict
follows, and Satan is cast out and down. Is it the Holy Spirit's return
there that precipitates this conflict, and defeat for Satan? It would
seem not improbable. So the moral situation on the earth is intensified
doubly. The blessed Holy Spirit, with all His power of restraint over
evil, is withdrawn. The evil spirit, with all his power of intensifying
evil, is cast down in person to the earth. These are the two unseen
events marking the advance move of the end time.

There will be nothing on earth _at the moment_ to indicate that these
tremendous events have happened. There is no suggestion of how much time
is involved. Time is a matter of earth's calculation. Quite possibly
_we_ would speak of these events as occurring in a very brief time,
perhaps an instant of our reckoning. These are the two events unseen on
the earth.

At the same time there will begin _two events seen taking place on
earth_. The first is the coming to the fr