The magnificent spectacle that is in the world today of all the powers of darkness rushing together, could not be better portrayed than in Dante's Inferno. Milton's picture of the infernal regions is not overwrought when you apply it to all the aggressive powers and cruel endeavors of the shadows of that which the Earth now presents under the influence of this reign of darkness: Darkness rushes toward darkness, error toward error, strife toward strife; and the great conflicting powers of the world between the past and the future Dispensations, are making haste to destroy themselves in their efforts to destroy each other. It is evil that destroys evil in the mighty combat. It is the terror of the darkness that pervades the world when this receding tide is flowing out at full force.

When it was said that Satan was let loose "for a thousand years," it was said in knowledge of this period or Cycle of Shadow in which the Earth has ceased to reflect the glory of the past cycle and has not yet arranged and arrayed itself for the "new garments of light."

The "Prince of Peace" said, "I come not to bring peace, but the sword"; this was said in complete knowledge of the Shadow.

See how the forces of nature are hurled together; see how the tempests and cyclones follow one another in quick succession; see how disasters by land and sea prove that all is seeming confusion, and that the forces of nature, obedient to this great cyclic mandate, are hastening to aid the destruction; that is, to aid in the destruction of the powers of destruction!

Therefore we say: the forces of nature typify that which is in the moral, social, and religious condition, and cause the thoughtful ones of the world to feel that the days are imminent with destruction. But if properly understood there is no more terror in "destruction" or "disintegration" than in "Creation" or "Preservation"; there is no more terror in darkness than in light; and happily, those who are aware can see, even in the midst of darkness, whence the worldly shadow came. Those who are in the sacred place wherein the light abides know the "Ark of Safety" is perfect knowledge of God's Love and Law. Those who are there know the meaning of this struggle, of this warfare, even as Jesus of Nazareth knew it. He knew that he was in the midst of the power of "the Prince of the World"; He knew that the darkness was around and above Him, and He knew that the darkness would prevail; He knew that His message would not bring peace but war; He knew that the tides of war and terror, because of the powers of darkness, would sweep over the world, notwithstanding the words that He uttered; and of course He knew that being in the midst of this receding wave, and nearly at the very bottom of this valley, the world could not recognize His light or understand the far-off splendor of that Glorious Height from which He received the light to give in the last rays of the setting sun of a Dispensation.

No wonder that Jerusalem is in ruins, that Palestine is a waste, and that Egypt, turning her shadow side toward you, has never revealed her face of light; no wonder that all along the line of history you can only trace the receding footsteps of the Buddhas and Angelic messengers and not the glory of the light of Brahma; and no wonder that there stands between you and the wonderful Light of those past ages, the shadowside of all the mountain heights of human thought. It is on the other side - the glory side - that is bom of the Dispensations that had passed and now yield the shadows to the Earth; and turning Heavenward, the Celestial Angels can see the glory of those primal dawns, wherein the ascending mornings touched the Earth with light; but turning toward Time, and Sense, and human history, all is shadow.

Worship of the Shadow. No one can ever leave a record of light upon the Earth in any written book, in any picture, in any poem, in anything that can be done with matter. When you stand in the sunshine, your shadow is on the Earth. When you read the poem, the poet has left it, is far away on new hills of light, and what you read is but a shadow; when you see a picture that you think beautiful, the artist is dreaming new dreams of loveliness, climbing new heights of beauty, while you are admiring what to him would be the shadow of a dream; and the Earth not yet ready to worship the Christ, worships in the shadow instead of the light; for the Impersonated Truth, far away in the Celestial Heavens, abides with such as received it when it came, and pities those who bend at the shadow, for those who bend at the sepulchers and tombs of past Prophets and Messiahs are worshipping only the shadow.

"Neither in Jerusalem, nor yet in the Mountain, shall men worship. God is spirit and they who worship must worship in Spirit and in Truth."

Yet even though in the shadow many there are who may not be of it. Those angels who abide with Earth's children even in the shadow can keep hope alive and whisper to the Earth in the midst of darkness the promise of the New Dawn. They are veiled, it is true, but glimmerings of their promises are fraught with divine glory.

In the states where Arch Angels dwell, and from which the lesser Messiahs come to earth, there are those among His Angels who are appointed to bear the message or meaning of shadow unto the Earth. It would seem to be no position to be coveted; even the Messiah, Christ Jesus, could not, if He were human, wish to bear the doubtful glory of such a visitation; then what must it be when in the very depths of Earth's shadows, yielding to the evidence of shadow, an Arch Angel dwells, moving upon the thrones of the power of darkness without dread, governed by the highest good, well knowing the result of the shadow, content not to be recognized as an Arch Angel? LUCIFER, which literally means "The Light bearer," could not mean the "Satan" pictured by Milton, although the latter is a magnificent illustration of the power of the Arch Angel of Shadow. Behind him all is light, clear, and beautiful; but here, in the midst of his earthly mission, all is darkness: here great and wonderful in battle; there magnificent in the struggle of the forces that are thrust together to bring out of this chaos the preparation for the New Light.