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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2
house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of
thieves.”
He slowly descended the steps, and, raising the whip, which in
his hand seemed changed to a kingly scepter, bade the bargaining
company to quit the sacred limits of the temple, and take hence their
merchandise. With a lofty zeal, and a severity he had never before
manifested, he overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the
coin fell, ringing sharply upon the marble floor. The most hardened
and defiant did not presume to question his authority, but, with prompt
obedience, the dignitaries of the temple, the speculating priests, the
cattle traders and brokers, rushed from his presence. The most avari-
cious did not stop to gather up their idolized money, but fled without a
thought of their ill-gotten gains.
The beasts and birds were all hurried beyond the sacred portals. A
panic of fear swept over the multitude who felt the over-shadowing of
Christ’s divinity. Cries of terror escaped from hundreds of blanched
lips as the crowd rushed headlong from the place. Jesus smote them not
with the whip of cords, but, to their guilty eyes, that simple instrument
seemed like gleaming, angry swords, circling in every direction, and
threatening to cut them down. Even the disciples quaked with fear, and
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were awe-struck by the words and manner of Jesus, so unlike the usual
demeanor of the meek and lowly man of Galilee. But they remembered
that it was written of him, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”
Soon the multitude, with their cattle, their sheep, doves, and sparrows,
were far removed from the temple of the Lord. The courts were free
from unholy commerce, and a deep silence and solemnity settled upon
the late scene of confusion. If the presence of the Lord sanctified
the mount, his presence made equally sacred the temple reared to his
honor.
How easily could that vast throng have resisted the authority of one
man; but the power of His divinity overwhelmed them with confusion
and a sense of their guilt. They had no strength to resist the divine
authority of the Saviour of the world. The desecrators of God’s holy
place were driven from its portals by the Majesty of Heaven.
After the temple was cleansed, the demeanor of Jesus changed;
the terrible majesty of his countenance gave place to an expression of
tenderest sympathy. He looked after the flying crowd with eyes full
of sorrow and compassion. There were some who remained, held by