- The Way Out
- The Creator and His Human Creation
- The Bow of Promise
- Has Christianity Failed?
- The End of the World
- Signs of the Approaching End
- The World’s Only Hope
- God’s New Order
Chapter I
IF EVER there was a time in the
history of the world which called for calm and unbiased reasoning on
the part of all, it is now. But mere reasoning, no matter how
intelligent, can never bring hope to anyone unless there can be found
some dependable foundation upon which reason may be based.
Today the world seems hopelessly adrift on
the stormy seas of raging human passions. Jesus foretold the coming of
just such a time as this in which there would be “distress of nations,
with perplexity; men’s hearts failing them for fear” (Luke 21:25,26),
as they see the things “coming on the earth.” Is there a way out?
This is a question that is now upon the lips
and in the hearts of practically all thinking people the world over. Is
there anything upon which we may build our hopes for better days ahead?
In this hour of world distress many churchmen are recommending religion
as a sure solace for the suffering people. But if religion can point
the way out of the billowy seas of uncertainty to a haven of rest and
security, for what particular kind of religion should we look?
We hold that through biblical truth alone
will man find a true solution to the present worldwide conditions of
perplexity and distress, and it is from this standpoint that we
approach the subject in this discussion. Yet on this point we are faced
with the necessity of distinguishing between the pure teachings of the
Bible and the confusing theories of traditional theology, which too
often masquerade in the name of Christianity.
We cannot expect to make progress in finding
a reasonable basis for faith and hope except by identifying
superstition as such, brushing it aside, and seeking to learn and apply
the naked principles of undefiled biblical truth to present-day
problems. If, as all Christians claim to believe, the Bible is the
foundation of ultimate truth and reason, then by all means let us find
out what the Bible really teaches!
If in this search for truth we may seem to
trespass upon some of your accustomed beliefs, and seem cruelly to
wrest them from you, think not that this will destroy your faith in the
eternal verities that are actually taught in the Bible. It will not!
To whatever extent vain superstition is
replaced with dependable truth and reason, one’s faith becomes a far
more comforting reality than mere credulity, and the Bible takes on a
new and saner meaning. And how much need there is today that our faith
be based upon a firm foundation of reason and truth, for we are surely
confronted with many confusing paradoxes.
Evolutionists insist that we have made
steadily progressive strides since the first crude beginning of
civilization on this planet. Many today boastfully point to the
marvelous achievements of this modern brain age, yet our highly
civilized world is faced with the undeniable fact that its boasted
civilization now stands at the very brink of destruction. With all our
learning, we are not able to maintain the standards of supposed culture
to which we pretend to have arrived.
No longer is it possible to prevent a
knowledge of these startling facts from edging in upon the public mind.
Serious statesmen are frankly painting out the necessity of something
drastic being done if civilization is to be saved. Prominent religious
leaders of all schools of ecclesiasticism are earnestly announcing that
unless the people now quickly return to God, the whole world will be
plunged into the greatest and most deadly cataclysm of all human
history.
Agreeing that it does look doubtful if mere
human diplomacy will be able to prevent the disaster which nearly
everybody fears, the necessity of finding some other solution naturally
becomes obvious and imperative if we are to have any hope for the
immediate or distant future.
Do the religious differences that exist among
the professed followers of Christ mean that we should give up our faith
in the Bible itself as containing answers to the baffling questions
with which the world is now confronted? We think not!
Should we conclude that the great
Intelligence who brought into existence the countless billions of
heavenly bodies, and who causes them to move about ceaselessly in their
orbits with such absolute accuracy, has signally failed in his attempt
to produce a race of sentient creatures here on this small planet that
can continue to exist under conditions of uninterrupted peace and
happiness? Reason answers, No!
When Jesus was on the earth he suggested to
his disciples something very definite in the way of world betterment.
He said, “Pray ye: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it
is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9,10) All down through the centuries, earnest
Christians have been repeating that prayer, and patiently waiting for
its answer. Is it ever to be answered?
What kind of laws will the world be required
to obey it and when the prayer, Thy kingdom come, is answered? These
are but a few of the many important questions which reason demands must
be considered if we are to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion in the
discussion of this subject which is so vital to all who are seeking a
true solution of present world distress—the divine solution.
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Chapter II
IT IS assumed that a large
majority of our readers already, or at have faith in the existence of
an intelligent Creator, or at least would like to exercise such a faith
if it could be based upon reason. On this point it is interesting to
note that eminent scientists of today are becoming more and more
convinced of the existence of a Divine Intelligence, and some of them
have gone on record before their colleagues to that effect. We recall,
for example, the words of Dr. Michael I. Pupin, who at one time was
president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Albert Wiggam, scientific writer, in an interview with Dr. Pupin,
quotes him as saying:
“Wherever science has explored the universe
it has found it to be a manifestation of a coordinating principle, and
that coordinating, directing principle I call Divine Intelligence. It
leaves us no escape from the conclusion that back of everything there
is a definite guiding principle which leads from chaos to cosmos.
“We are faced with two alternatives. We can
either believe that cosmos, beautiful law and order, is simply the
result of haphazard happenings; or, that it is the result of definite
intelligence. Personally, I choose to believe in the coordinating
principle, the Divine Intelligence. Why? Because it is simpler. It is
intelligent. It harmonizes with my whole experience.
“The theory that intelligent beings like
ourselves or intelligent processes like the movement of the stars, are
the outcome of unintelligent happenings, is beyond my understanding.
And why should I accept such a theory, when I observe the evidence of a
directing Intelligence every day? When you see the stars, each moving
in its own pathway, or see a seed grow up after a definite plan into a
tree, or see a baby develop into a full grown, self-directing human
individuality, can you conceive of all that taking place as the result
of haphazard happenings? Well, I cannot.
“Why should I deny a directing Intelligence
of all cosmic phenomena? To me as a scientist it is obvious. It was
obvious to the prophets over three thousand years ago. From the crudest
savage to the highest prophet it has always seemed obvious that there
is a definite Intelligence back of everything. There is nothing that
science has ever found that contradicts this. … Indeed, the more deeply
science penetrates into the laws of the universe, the more it leads us
to believe in an Intelligent Divinity.” Amen!
The main question, then, for us to examine is
that of how and to what extent this Intelligent Creator has revealed
his purposes to man—particularly his plans concerning man himself. The
Bible purports to be such a revelation, and our theme will be developed
upon this basis.
Today there is a growing tendency to doubt
the inspiration of the Bible. But Christianity is so inseparably
connected with the Bible—both the Old and New Testaments—that if we
repudiate it, or take the position that it is not reliable, we may as
well give up Christianity itself. We hold, however, that there is both
internal and external evidence that the Bible is the Word of God.
It is admitted even by skeptics that
wherever, and to whatever extent the influence of the Bible has been
felt, its moralizing force has made the world better. For this reason
it has been called the torch of civilization. There would be no world
crisis today if the laws of the Bible had been faithfully followed by
the ruling classes and the masses in the various nations.
A book, then, that has been such a power for
good, and which has influenced the course of so large a part of the
world for good during so many centuries, is surely worthy of being
given more than a mere, casual reading before it is discarded. Besides,
no other satisfactory explanation of the origin and destiny of man,
apart from that suggested in the Bible, has ever been offered,
evolutionists to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Bible account of creation and the Garden
of Eden story of man’s fall have come in for the greatest amount of
criticism on the part of evolutionists. But in recent years many
scientists show a tendency to reverse their position in regard to these
points. Prof. Rene Thevenin, of France, in a series of syndicated
articles published in America on the age of the human race, said:
“Before science gets through poking in caves and sea bottoms it may
prove that there is considerable truth hidden in that fall-of-man
legend.”
The fall-of-man teaching of the Bible is, we
believe, more than a legend. It is based on the fact that man was
originally created perfect and given a perfect home—“eastward in Eden.”
(Gen. 2:8) It is from this standpoint that our investigation will be
conducted.
According to the Bible, the human race
started with just two specially created persons—Adam and Eve. Is it
reasonable to suppose that this is true? Yes, the present population of
the earth suggests it. Everyone knows that the human race has been
steadily increasing in numbers during the entire period of known
history. Think of what the population of Europe would be today, had not
America been discovered five centuries ago!
Now, it doesn’t take any extraordinary
intelligence, or faith, either, to determine that if we begin with the
present ratio of increase in population, and inversely figure the
constant decrease back through the centuries, we eventually shall reach
the point where there will be found but a single pair—at just about the
time when history dawns, and when man, according to the Bible, was
created. This, together with the fact that recent archaeological
discoveries are revealing that man, at the dawn of history, had a
higher civilization than in later times, constitutes good
circumstantial evidence in favor of the Garden of Eden story of Genesis.
Space will not here permit a detailed
scientific analysis of the subject, but we trust that those interested,
and especially those who may have doubts along this line, will take the
trouble to search out the facts from the scientific standpoint, rather
than endeavor to substantiate the unsupported guesses of evolutionists.
*
Is it so very hard to believe that the same great Power and
Intelligence that brought into being the mighty universe about which
scientists tell us so much, could also have brought that first human
pair into existence by a special act of creation? If man and all other
forms of life are not the result of creative power exercised by a
Supreme Intelligent Being, let the scientists explain the phenomenon of
life in some other way! Reason suggests that it is far better to take
the Bible account of creation, and from that basis endeavor to discover
the Creator’s design for the human race.
A Romantic Procedure
That simple Genesis story of creation tells us that man was first
created; but no helpmate was found for him. Then Eve was brought forth.
And is the method unthinkable? Has the most ingenious novelist in the
world ever conceived of a more romantic way of finding a bride for his
hero than that which is given in connection with the story of the
creation of mother Eve? If God had the power to create Adam (and where
did man come from, if God did not create him?), surely the details of
removing one of his ribs, and from it producing a woman, would be an
easy task for such a Creator if he chose to adopt such a procedure.
And then there was that wonderful garden home that God provided for
his perfect human creation! Surely there is nothing unreasonable in
supposing that God, after creating man, would provide a suitable home
for him. Why should anyone make light of such a story, which tells us
only that which anyone must admit would have been the logical thing to
do under the circumstances? The Book of Genesis reveals that God
created human beings to live right here on the earth—not in heaven,
hell, or purgatory. Their commission was to obey the Creator’s law, and
to multiply and fill the earth. Nothing was said to Adam and Eve about
preparing for heaven.
In an endeavor to get back to foundation facts, let us suppose, for
the time being, that the divine purpose to have the earth filled and
subdued by man had been accomplished just as God commanded. To what
would this have led? It would simply mean that the human family,
gradually increasing in number in harmony with the divine command,
would soon find that the originally provided garden home was too small,
and that it would become necessary to begin the work of extending its
borders.
The divine command was to fill the earth, not to overfill it. Surely
divine wisdom and power will be able, when sufficient numbers have been
born to adequately populate the earth, to cause the further propagation
of the race to cease. Would there have been anything illogical or wrong
with a program of this kind? Isn’t it reasonable, and exactly what we
would expect of a wise and loving Creator? But to visualize the
grandeur of it all, it is necessary to rid our minds of all the
terrible pictures of suffering and want that now loom up before us.
Selfishness of fallen man has produced all the suffering that is in the
world today. Such suffering would have been unknown had man remained in
harmony with his Creator.
And death! That, too, would have been an experience unknown to the
human race. Modern science admits that living cells might be able to
reproduce themselves indefinitely if given a perfect environment. Death
came as a result of sin; and with death came suffering, sickness, and
sorrow. Try to visualize a perfect human race, free from all
selfishness, sickness, and death! Wouldn’t that just about suit
everybody, everywhere? But, you say, why waste time thinking about
something which, if it ever were a possibility, is now gone forever?
But is such a possibility forever gone? The Scriptures answer, No! The
divine program of redemption and restoration through Christ guarantees
that, that which might have been, is yet to be.
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Chapter III
“And In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.” —Genesis 22:18
OBVIOUSLY, if we are to reason
correctly concerning God, it is primarily necessary to clear away the
accumulated mists of superstition that have caused so many to lose
faith in him and in the Book that Is reputed to be his Word of truth.
This is not an easy thing to do, but it is hoped that this discussion
will materially aid in that direction.
Not all, of course, are sure whether or not
they should accept the Bible as an authentic record of the origin and
destiny of man, but all should at least be interested in the
reasonableness of its brief presentation on the subject when critically
analyzed—especially after all the mists of tradition have been cleared
away from its simple, straightforward story. What, then, is the Bible
story of man, when stripped of superstition and mere human assumption?
It says that after man was created, God told
our first parents that they would surely die if they disobeyed his law:
“In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen.
2:17) This seems simple and clear enough. But is it true? Yes, this
statement, made long ago to the progenitors of the human race, is
verified today by billions of tombs and a continually dying world,
which testify to the grim truth of that clearly spoken law.
On this point, then, it is evident that the
Book of Genesis is in harmony with uncontroverted reality. The fact
that Adam did not actually go into the tomb on the same day in which he
disobeyed the divine law is no proof that the death penalty was not a
literal one. A critical translation of the Hebrew text concerning this
penalty gives it as “dying thou shalt die.” (Gen. 2:17, margin) This
gives the thought that the process of death would begin at once, and
continue until life became wholly extinct. And that is exactly what
occurred.
But something else also occurred back there
in Eden. From a source other than the Creator came a seductive
statement to mother Eve: “Ye shall not surely die!” (Gen. 3:1-4) This
suggestion that God had lied to his creatures is said to have come from
the serpent.
Four thousand years later, the Apostle John
identified “that old serpent” as being “the Devil and Satan,” and
indicated that he has been the great deceiver of all nations. (See
Revelation 20:1-3.) We now have two contradictory statements; one
accredited to the LORD, in which he states that man would surely die;
the other coming from one whom the Scriptures designate as a deceiver,
in which he insists that man would not surely die. The first of these
we have found to be substantiated by facts. Death is indeed a reality,
concerning which the Bible says, “The dead know not anything,” and
again, “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave, whither thou goest.”—Eccles. 9:5-10
But what about the serpent’s statement, “Thou
shalt not surely die”? Jesus declared concerning this serpent that he
is the “father of lies.” (John 8:44) If, therefore, the record of
Genesis is true, we should expect to find some evidence throughout the
ages of Satan’s deceptive efforts in connection with the subject of
death. And, as the Revelator indicated that this old serpent has
deceived all nations, we should expect his deceptions to be universally
manifested. Do we find such evidence? Yes!
While Satan had said definitely that death
would not result from partaking of the forbidden fruit, yet actually
Adam and Eve, as well as all their progeny, have died or are dying.
Hence it became necessary for Satan to do something about it. Of course
he was not willing to come forward and apologize for falsely accusing
God of being a liar; hence, he took the further sinister step of
inducing the people to believe that what appeared to be death was not
death, but the gateway into some other—either higher or lower—form of
life. And because of the innate fear of death that lurks in human
hearts, nearly all mankind have preferred to believe the lie that there
is no death. Through this great deception, then, most have been made to
believe that death is really a friend rather than an enemy, as the
Bible declares it to be. (I Cor. 15:26) There is a glorious hope of
future life, however, not because man cannot die, but because he does
die and is to be raised from the dead.
But how can we have any standing before our
Creator whose laws have been broken? What is the basis for hope that
anyone may have an opportunity to return to favor with God and again
enjoy the privilege of living everlastingly under conditions of
complete happiness? Will God cancel his decree of condemnation against
us merely upon our promise to do better from now on?
The Bible most assuredly points out the
Creator’s plan whereby the lost race is to have an opportunity to
return to harmony with him, but if we are to learn the truth on this
point it is necessary to proceed cautiously. It is evident that we will
never have our questions satisfactorily answered by delving into
traditional theology, hoping therein to find some reasonable basis for
faith and comforting hope, so let us confine our search to the Bible
itself. Thus far the Bible is found to be in harmony with well-known
and well-established facts, and also with reason. This gives us
confidence. Is it not then reasonable to expect that it must contain a
satisfactory solution to this entire problem of human destiny?
We are given the suggestion in Genesis 3:15
that the Creator, even from the beginning, intended to do something
more for the human race than merely condemn it to death. The promise
there is to the effect that “the seed of the woman” would eventually
bruise the serpent’s head. Of course, this is a rather vague and
indefinite statement; but in the light of subsequent divine revelations
it is seen to be wonderfully full of meaning.
We turn, for example, to almost the last
chapter in the Bible—Revelation 20:1-3—and there we find the Apostle
John declaring that in vision he saw a mighty angel come down from
heaven and lay hold upon “that old serpent” and bind him for a thousand
years, “that he should deceive the nations no more.” This is a
prophetic picture portraying the fulfillment of that vague promise of
Genesis 3:15 that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s
head. In other words, in this highly symbolic language, the Creator
assures us through the Revelator that our first parents’ sin is not to
result in a lasting blight upon the human race; but that in his own
time and way a sure cure will be effected, and the serpent himself will
be destroyed.
Thus we have located the two extreme ends, so
to speak, of this God-given bow of promise—the promise given in Genesis
that the serpent’s head would be bruised, and the vision given to the
Revelator that this same serpent would be bound, and finally destroyed.
However, let us not stop here, but rather continue our search through
the sacred record, in the hope that we may find some of the details of
how Satan’s death-dealing work in Eden is to be destroyed, and the
human race restored to the lost Paradise.
Leaving the disappointing scenes of Eden, let
us come down to the time of Abraham—over two thousand years later. From
this period onward it is no longer necessary to accept so many things
by faith. Archaeologists have recently excavated Ur, the birthplace of
Abraham, also various ruins of ancient Canaan, which substantiate
practically every detail of Bible history covering that whole period.
In view of these discoveries it is now admitted even by skeptics that
the Bible is by no means a collection of old wives’ fables, such as a
great many once were led to believe.
Now to Abraham, God made a very remarkable
promise which has not yet been fulfilled. He said, “In thee and in thy
seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3)
Later on in life, when his son Isaac had grown to manhood, God
reiterated this promise and also confirmed it by an oath. But Abraham
died without seeing it fulfilled. The promise was passed on to Isaac,
then to his son, Jacob. Esau, Jacob’s older brother, bartered the right
to inherit it for a mess of pottage.
Finally Jacob reached the end of his span of
imperfect life, yet God’s promises to bless all nations had not been
fulfilled to him; so upon his deathbed he passed this scepter on to his
son Judah. We cannot here examine all the many related promises in the
Old Testament which enlarge upon this original covenant made with
Abraham. Suffice it to say that in these promises the Jews saw a great
personality pictured—the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”—whom they became
accustomed to speak of as their coming Messiah. (Gen. 49:8-10; Rev.
5:5) The tremendous influence of these ancient promises has been one of
the contributing factors that have kept the distressed and persecuted
people of Israel separate from the rest of the world for more than four
thousand years until now. The Jews stand out today as a living
testimony of the reality of God’s dealings with them in the past, and
of the hope-inspiring promises to them as his chosen people. Many of
these promises, however, still remain unfilled.
At the time of Jesus’ first advent many of
the Jews were on the alert regarding the coming of the long-promised
Messiah. We are told that one night, out upon the hills of Judea where
shepherds were tending their flocks, suddenly there appeared a
supernatural light, and the sound of unusual voices. Incredibly
fantastic, do you say?
Let us remember that if the Bible is what it
claims to be—a revelation of the Creator’s purposes toward the children
of men; the same Creator who brought into existence all the other
mighty works of creation—then it is not hard to believe that such a
Supreme Intelligent Being has also created various orders of spirit
beings on higher planes of existence than man. And if he desired to
have these higher angelic creatures communicate with man on such a
momentous occasion as the Savior’s birth, it would be very easy for him
to have arranged it. This is just what he did! Through the medium of
one of these mighty angels, God announced to the shepherds, “Fear not:
for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”—Luke 2:10,11
The word Christ is the Greek equivalent of
the Hebrew word Messiah. Hence this angelic announcement simply
signified that the world’s Messiah, whom God for so long had promised
to send, had now actually been born, and that he was indeed to be the
Savior of the world. That is why it was good tidings unto all
people—all the families of the earth were to be blessed as a result of
his birth. But how is Jesus, the Messiah, to be the Savior of the
world? What is to be the nature of the blessing that he will bestow
upon all?
From what we have previously learned, the
human race, through Adam’s transgression, lost the privilege of living
everlastingly on the earth. Now if death simply means death, as it
manifestly does, then there would seem no way for any of us to be saved
except by being liberated from the death penalty and then restored to
life.
But what about the fact that although this
Savior, this Messiah, made his advent into the world nearly two
thousand years ago, the world continues to die as before? In what sense
is he its Savior? If there is no eternal torment from which the race is
to be rescued, then from what does the Messiah save it, and how? And
will it be different when it is saved?
All, of course, are mindful of the beautiful
music and the inspirational sermons that are heralded forth each
Christmas from every church in Christendom. The cry, peace on earth,
goodwill toward men, is annually announced on every hand. But is it not
true that thus far these pronouncements have been largely empty words?
Does the cry of peace on earth, as it sounds in the ears of a dying
soldier, mean very much to him? In time of war, the professed followers
of Jesus in one nation slay the professed followers of Jesus in another
nation, and call this their Christian duty. If they are faithful in
doing this, will they joyfully meet their slaughtered foreign brethren
in heavenly bliss? Is this the manner in which the prophecy of peace on
earth is to be fulfilled? Our study has not yet unfolded sufficiently
to supply the answers to these puzzling questions, but let us go on,
and see that the Bible does have something satisfactory to say about
them.
We have now traced the messianic promises
from the day of the Garden of Eden down to Jesus’ time, and found that
these promises are to find a fulfillment in the Master. Paul indicates
this in Galatians 3:8,16, where he clearly identifies Jesus as the
promised seed of Abraham. John the Baptist announced Jesus, saying,
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! “ At
that time John clearly recognized Jesus to be the promised Messiah.
(John 1:29) Later, however, John was thrown into prison, and while
there he began to wonder whether or not he might have been mistaken. He
then sent messengers to Jesus to inquire if he really were the Messiah,
and Jesus sent back a very interesting reply. He directed the
messengers to remind John that at his hands the sick were being healed;
the lame were made to walk; the blind to see; the deaf to hear; and
that, on certain occasions, even the dead were made to rise.
Why did Jesus answer John in this peculiar
manner? It was because the prophets had foretold that the Messiah would
do just such things as these! Thus was John reassured. And not only was
John the Baptist impressed by the mighty works of Jesus, but it was
quite natural that many in Jesus’ day should also become convinced of
the Master’s messiahship, and that the long-promised messianic kingdom
was about to be set up for the blessing of Israel and the whole world
of mankind—all the families of the earth. Indeed, the common people
finally became so enthusiastic that they attempted then to make Jesus a
king; and did acclaim him as such as he rode into Jerusalem on an ass.
Just five days later than this, however,
something happened which mystified the disciples and others who looked
upon Jesus as the Messiah. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day became
jealous of his popularity, so they instituted a plot against him,
seized him, conducted a mock trial, condemned him to death, and finally
had him crucified as a malefactor. What did this mean? How could it be
that he who had come to be the king of earth should thus be taken and
crucified? Such a turn of events did not harmonize with the disciples’
conception of what the Messiah should do and be—establish a kingdom and
be the king over, and deliverer of, the people. How keen their
disappointment must have been when their hopes and expectations were
thus dashed to the ground!
Three days thereafter, two of the crestfallen
disciples of the Master were walking on their way to Emmaus when
suddenly a stranger joined them. Noting their sorrow, he inquired as to
the cause. They then related to him the events of the past days and how
bitterly they had been disappointed in their expectations relative to
the miracle-worker of Nazareth.
Then, this stranger, who in reality was the
resurrected Christ, took occasion to explain to them why he had died;
that his death had been foreknown and foretold by the Heavenly Father,
and was a necessary precursor to the promised blessings that were to
come through the glory of the messianic kingdom.
Later, these two disciples were relating
their experiences to others, and they said, “Did not our heart burn
within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to
us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) Certainly there was good reason for
the disciples’ enthusiasm. Now they saw that the Master’s death was not
a tragic mistake, as they had thought, nor was it an evidence that he
was not the Messiah. Finally the disciples came to realize that Jesus’
death was an absolute necessity in order for the world of mankind to
receive the blessings of life which had been divinely promised.
Later, one of the disciples explained that Jesus, in his pre-human state, had been known as the Logos, translated ‘Word’ in John 1:1. It was this Logos,
or Word of God, that became flesh for the very purpose of dying as a
corresponding price, or “ransom,” for Adam, and the condemned race in
him. (I Tim. 2:3-6; Rom. 5:12) By ignoring, or purposely concealing the
accurate meaning of the Greek text as it appears in John, chapter 1,
the translators have made it appear that the Logos, or the Word, is the divine Creator himself. But an accurate translation of the passage reveals the fact that the Logos was merely a god, or mighty one, while the Creator is referred to as the God—the Supreme One, the Almighty One.
The apostle tells us that the Logos
was the agent of Jehovah in all the creative work: “Without him was not
anything made that was made.” Doubtless this is why the plural
pronouns, us and our, are used in the Genesis account of creation: “Let
us make man in our image, after our likeness.”—Gen. 1:26
The Scriptures speak of the oneness of the
Father and the Son, but it is clearly a oneness of purpose and will,
rather than of being. Jesus prayed that this same oneness should exist
between himself and his followers. (John 17:21-23) That Jesus did not
consider himself as one in person, and equal to the Creator, or that he
was his own Father, is clearly indicated by his words when he said, “My
Father is greater than I.”—John 14:28
The disciples knew that the wages of sin is
death, not life in torment, hence it was easy for them to understand
how the death of Jesus, who had been made flesh for that very purpose,
could pay that penalty, and open up a way whereby the world could
eventually return to harmony with God—hence to life. But prior to
Pentecost there was still something quite mysterious to them about the
whole affair. While they now knew that Jesus, their Messiah, had been
raised from the dead, they saw little of him; and finally he left them
entirely. How strange! When last seen by them, he told them to tarry at
Jerusalem until they should receive further instruction through the
medium of the Holy Spirit. Surely these things must have seemed to the
disciples like very strange proceedings on the part of him whom they
still believed to be the promised Messiah.
Not only were those early disciples
themselves puzzled for a time by this further unexpected turn of
events, but many since have misunderstood its true significance, and as
a result have developed erroneous theories. If Jesus did not come to
establish a literal kingdom upon the earth, then another reason for his
coming must be discovered; hence to many it seemed logical to conclude
that his coming, death, and resurrection were in order that people
might be saved from the tortures of hell and whisked off to heaven when
they die. But the Messiah is to establish an earthly kingdom and bless
all the families of the earth in God’s due time, as we shall see.
As reasoning minds turn away more and more
from the torment god of the Dark Ages, they want to know why nearly two
thousand years have passed since Jesus left his disciples, and yet the
world today is more under the control of selfishness, and has less
faith in the Messiah than ever before. Thinking minds wonder why, if
Jesus is to convert the world and save it from hell-fire, there seems
to be so little progress along this line; and also, if it be the
messianic purpose to establish an earthly kingdom, and thereby bless
the people with life and happiness, why that has not yet been done.
If the Bible is the Word of God, which we
claim it is, then we should expect to find these as well as our other
reasonable questions fully answered therein. But we should remember,
even as the Word declares, that God’s ways are higher than our ways,
and his thoughts than our thoughts. (Isa. 55:8-11) This does not mean
that we should not inquire for an understanding of God’s thoughts, for
he has asked us to reason together with him. (Isa. 1:18) When we accept
this invitation to reason with the Creator, through his inspired Word,
we find that which satisfies both our heads and our hearts.
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Chapter IV
A CORRECT answer to the
question as to whether Christianity has been a success or a failure
depends upon a proper understanding of what constitutes Christianity,
and just what God intended it should accomplish in the earth. Christ is
presented to us in the Bible as the Savior of the world; and the
logical conclusion is that God had planned for the world to be
converted to him, and thus to be saved from death. But nearly two
thousand years have passed since Jesus came to the earth to die for
mankind, and yet the world is still far from being converted. Even
nominal Christianity is rapidly losing ground, and whole nations are
officially setting themselves against religion of every kind. Are we to
judge from this that God’s plan has failed?
The disciples, in Jesus’ day, based their
hopes of the messianic kingdom upon the prophecies of the Old
Testament, and their hopes were therefore, in the main, correct. What
they failed to understand, to begin with, was that the time had not
then come for the establishment of that kingdom. Just so with most
professing Christians since then: their belief that God had planned the
conversion of the world through Christ and the church is correct, but
they have failed to see from the scriptures that this is not the age in
which God purposed that this work should be accomplished.
Now, as the immediate disciples of Jesus
failed to note from the prophecies that the Messiah must suffer and die
as man’s Redeemer before the promised kingdom blessings could come to
the world, just so have professed Christians; failed to see from the
Scriptures that the true church of Christ must suffer and die with him
before she will have the privilege of sharing with him in the future
kingdom work of converting and blessing the world of mankind. The
Apostle Paul states this matter clearly, saying, “If children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”—Rom. 8:17,18
The glory referred to here is evidently the
glory of joint-heirship with Christ in his messianic kingdom. If those
who attain to this glory must first of all suffer with him, then it
means that the present mission of the church is not that of conquering
the world for Jesus, but of following faithfully in his footsteps, even
unto death.
And this is in reality what Jesus himself
taught his followers. For example, on more than one occasion he said,
“If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me.” That these were to follow him all the way into
death is made positive by Jesus’ words in Revelation 2:10, which reads,
“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
That this faithfulness implies fortitude in the face of suffering
persecution is shown by his promise of Revelation 3:21, where he says,
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
When the divine commission was given to the
church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, the purpose was
distinctly stated to be that of making disciples, and giving a witness.
But that this witness was not intended by God to conquer the world, but
to result in the preparation of Christians themselves for the future
work of reigning with Jesus, is made clear in Revelation 20:4. We
quote: “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus and for the Word of God, … and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years.”
Now if the mission of the true Christians in
the world has been merely that of bearing witness to the truth and, by
means of the experiences thereby gained, to prepare themselves for the
great future work of converting the world during the thousand-year
kingdom period, then we can readily understand the apparent failure of
Christianity. We see, indeed, that true Christianity has not failed;
that it is merely the false hope of nominal believers that has not
materialized. When we see that the present mission of the church is one
of sacrifice and suffering rather than one of conquering the world,
many puzzling questions are at once cleared up for us.
For example, have you not often wondered why
it is that faithful Christians have usually suffered more than
unbelievers? Have you ever wondered why, after Jesus came as the light
of the world, mankind actually was plunged into a long period of
darkness which we now speak of as the Dark Ages? Have you ever wondered
why there are more than twice as many heathen in the world today as a
century ago? Who has not wondered about questions of this nature? Many,
as a result of their wondering, have concluded that Christianity is a
gigantic farce, and that this supposed foundation and bulwark of
civilization has signally failed to make good its claims.
The popular idea of Christianity has been
that one becomes a Christian in about the same manner that one joins a
club, and that it constitutes a sort of safeguard against divine wrath
that otherwise would send the individual to a terrible place of torment
at death. Hence it has been supposed that God wants everyone to become
Christians so they might escape this terrible fate. But now that it is
being discovered, in the fuller light of a better day, that the
nightmare of eternal torture is not taught in the Bible, the way is
thus becoming clear for a better understanding of what it means to be a
Christian.
The word Christ, being a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah,
is used in the New Testament to connect Jesus with that glorious array
of messianic promises found throughout the Old Testament. As already
noted, the first of these promises was given in the Garden of Eden when
God said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head.
Another, and more specific promise, was given to Abraham when he was
told that through his seed all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.
Jesus, the Christ, came into the world as the
seed of promise to be the one who would bless all humanity, and the
Scriptures show that those Who become true Christians by following
faithfully in his steps of self-sacrifice, even unto death, are to be a
part with him of the promised seed.
The Apostle Paul, writing to Christians of
his day, said, “ If ye be Christ’s [Christians], then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) In his letter to
the Corinthians, Paul says that Christ “is not one member, but many.” A
very important point for consideration is presented by the apostle in
these two statements. They show that in the selection and development
of Christians, God is merely carrying on a preparatory work in
connection with the future messianic purpose to bless all nations. It
means that God has not been trying to make Christians of all mankind,
but merely selecting a few from among the nations to be associated with
Jesus in his future work of blessing the entire world, both the living
and the dead.
But who are these Christians today whom God
is selecting to reign with the Messiah? In what church will we find
them? Probably there are some in all the various denominations, but God
is the Judge as to just who they are. Specifically, a Christian is one
who, having recognized that he was a sinner, and alienated from God,
has repented, and who, through faith in the shed blood of Christ, has
made a full consecration of his time, talents—all that he has—to the
LORD, and is faithfully endeavoring to carry out that consecration.
Denominational church membership has nothing whatever to do with it.
See Romans 5:1-3.
In the fifteenth chapter of Acts there is a
revealing account concerning the divine purpose in the selection of the
faithful Christians of this age. Here they are styled a people for his
name. The apostle explains that “God at the first did visit the
Gentiles,” not to make all of them Christians, but “to take out of them
a people for his name”—the true Christians. After this, declares the
apostle, divine favor will return to Israel, and the broken-down
“tabernacle of David” will be restored: and then, he says, “the residue
[remainder] of men,” and the Gentiles, will have an opportunity to
“seek after the LORD.” But first must be completed the work of taking
out a people for his name—the bride of Christ—to be made up of all
fully consecrated Christians.—Acts 15:14-18
When we thus see that God does not intend
that all the world, in this age, shall become Christians, it helps us
to understand many passages of the Bible that heretofore have been very
difficult to understand. For example, in Revelation 5:10 we are told
that the future reign of Christ and the church is to be here on the
earth. How could this be true if all except the church are to be taken
away from the earth and tormented forever in a burning hell? Over whom,
then, would the saints reign here on the earth? But this difficulty
vanishes when we realize from the Scriptures that the world is to be
blessed, not cursed, following the completion of the true church.
Viewing the matter thus, we can see that
God’s plan of human salvation provides an opportunity for all, both the
church and the world, not that all are to be saved irrespective of
their own cooperation in the divine arrangements. No, the Scriptures
distinctly point out that all who sin willfully after having come to a
full knowledge of the truth are to be punished with everlasting
destruction—but not everlasting preservation in misery, as the Dark Age
creeds present the matter.
Another interesting point, in connection with
God’s selection of the Christian church to be associated with Christ in
his messianic kingdom, is that such faithful Christians are to have a
higher reward than the world in general. God’s provision for the world
is that they shall be restored to life upon the earth—a restoration of
the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, which is a
dominion over the lower creation here on the earth; but to the
Christian the Master gave the promise, “I go to prepare a place for
you, … that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2,3) Yes, the
church is to have a heavenly reward, but it is not God’s purpose to
take all mankind to heaven, as we shall see later on in this discussion.
The prospect of everlasting life through the
shed blood of the Redeemer is the blessed hope set before both the
church and the world in the Bible. The scriptural presentation is not
that of heaven for the righteous and eternal torture for the wicked,
but is rather that of life or death.
The first man, Adam, disobeyed and lost life;
but eventually Jesus came as man’s ransom, to meet the penalty of death
by his own death on the cross. As a result of this, the world once more
will be given the opportunity to live. This opportunity will in due
time come to all; but during this Gospel Age, fully consecrated
Christians are the only ones who actually have a full opportunity to
benefit from the death of the Redeemer. These, because they follow
Jesus in laying down their lives sacrificially, are rewarded, not only
with life itself, but with immortal life. These are they who “seek for
glory and honor and immortality.” (Rom. 2:7) The obedient of the world
of mankind, during the future kingdom period, will also be given an
opportunity to live, but the life they receive will be merely the
restored human life forfeited by Adam. The obedient will then live
everlastingly, not because they will become immortal, but because God
will continue to sustain their lives.
The work of true Christianity has thus far
been only that of preparing the future joint-heirs with the Messiah for
the great work of his long-promised kingdom. Little wonder, in view of
this, that the attempted work of converting the world has made so
little progress throughout the Christian era. The LORD knew that, from
the human standpoint, Christianity would appear to be a failure. Jesus
himself, in referring to the end of this age, said, “When the Son of
man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Thus the
fact that very few in the world today really believe in the Bible is no
surprise to God. His beloved Son, the Redeemer of the world, foresaw
this very condition, and foretold it. This is another good reason why
we should have faith in what the Bible says.
The hundreds of divisions among the so-called
Christian churches likewise were foretold in the prophetic Word. Paul
said that there would come a great failing away from the true faith,
and this most certainly occurred.
Now if Jesus and his apostles were a group of
deceiving men, bent on putting over some selfish scheme for the purpose
of favorably influencing the whole world of mankind, would they
deliberately predict that it would not be long before their entire
scheme would fail and they themselves become laughingstocks in the
minds of millions of people? Such pessimistic predictions would not be
very encouraging to the early believers, nor induce very many to join
the movement. Worldly wisdom would say, Paint the future as bright as
you can, or else you will never make many converts.
But Jesus and the apostles were not guided by
worldly wisdom. They fully understood that the purpose of preaching the
Gospel in this age was not to build up large and imposing church
organizations. They knew that God did not intend that the mere
preaching of the Gospel now would lead the world to the feet of Jesus.
They foresaw that while a little flock of true Christians would be
gathered and prepared for the future work of blessing, misguided men
and women as a whole would distort the glorious truths the Master
taught, and that, as a result of this, Christianity would appear to go
down in defeat.
How glad we are, however, that real
Christianity has not failed; that the divine plan for this age is being
successfully accomplished, and that now this preparatory work for the
new kingdom is about completed. Indeed, there is much scriptural
evidence to show that the period set aside in the divine purpose for
the call and preparation of true Christians to reign with Jesus in his
messianic kingdom is about ended. It should rejoice our hearts then, to
consider some of the evidences which indicate that we have almost
reached the end of this age and the beginning of a new one, one in
which the foretold blessings of peace and life will be dispensed to a
dying world.
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Chapter V
BIBLICAL truths pertaining to
the end of the world have been so distorted by superstition and satanic
deception that in the minds of many serious people they have become
almost repugnant. How many thousands of sincere people have been
horrified when they thought of this traditionally-terrible calamity
that had been imaginatively pictured to them by overenthusiastic
evangelists! Not many years ago a noted clergyman sought to encourage
humanity by announcing that the end of the world would not come for
fifty million years. Doubtless many noble religionists felt greatly
relieved by this statement, and rejoiced that such a calamitous event
would not befall the earth in their day.
But what a different viewpoint of this
subject we obtain when we examine the biblical record apart from the
influence of Dark Age creeds. In the sacred Word we find that the end
of the world is held out as something to which all should joyfully look
forward. Indeed, when all the Bible prophecies relating to the subject
are fully understood, it will be found that when Jesus taught his
disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it
is in heaven, “ he really was instructing them to pray for the end of
this present evil world, and for a better one to take its place.
The many hallucinations in the minds of the
people concerning the end of the world are not taught in the Bible at
all. What the Scriptures say on this subject has nothing whatever to do
with the burning up or destruction of the literal earth.
Concerning this physical planet on which we
live, the Prophet Isaiah says, “Thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath
established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be
inhabited.” (Isa. 45:18) Another of the Bible prophets tells us that
“the earth abideth forever.” (Eccles. 1:4) Jesus, in his Sermon on the
Mount, said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. “
These passages all indicate that it is not God’s purpose ever to
destroy the earth itself, but that it is to be used as a home for man.
The word world is used in the Bible very
similarly to the way we often use it today, meaning not the earth, but
the associations of people upon the earth—society in general. If, for
example, we should read that the world was greatly shaken by a global
war, we would not understand it to mean that literal mountains are
being toppled over, or that the crust of the earth is in any way
affected. The Bible uses language in this same manner when foretelling
the distressing events to take place at the end of the present age;
events by which the existing social order is to be destroyed to make
way for the kingdom of the Messiah.
The term world is also used in the Bible to
denote an age. Several worlds, or ages, are mentioned in the Bible. We
are told, for example, of a world that ended at the time of the
Flood—yet the earth itself was not then destroyed. The Bible also
speaks of another world that began after the Flood, and which is to be
destroyed during the second presence of Christ. And there is still
another world which will begin with the end of the present one. This
latter world will continue on indefinitely into the future. It is this
third world that is to be established through the operation of the
messianic kingdom.
These worlds, all of which are thus seen to
function on the literal planet, Earth, are subdivided by the Apostle
Peter into their spiritual and material aspects, under the symbols of
“heaven” and “earth.” See II Peter 3. It is plainly evident that the
apostle’s language as used in this chapter is pictorial rather than
literal; for we would be forced to the absurd conclusion that the
Creator intends to destroy his entire universe if we insisted upon a
literal meaning, because the Apostle Peter makes it plain that the
heavens as well as the earth will pass away with a great noise.
In this same prophecy, the apostle uses the
symbol of fire to describe the destructive influences which will bring
to an end the present evil order of things and purge and prepare the
way for the establishment of God’s kingdom—the “new heavens and new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Peter also tells us that the elements will
melt with fervent heat. That this does not have reference to the
elements of the literal earth is evident from the fact that Paul uses
this same word when he admonishes the Christian not to be entangled
again with the “weak and beggarly elements” of this world.—Gal. 4:9
An interesting example of the fact that the
word earth, when used in the Bible, does not always mean the literal
planet upon which we live, is found in Daniel 7:23. Here the prophet
tells about a great and terrible beast that devours the whole earth.
This would be a tall story indeed, if it were intended to be understood
literally; for where would this gigantic beast stand while devouring
this planetary morsel? As a symbol, however, it conveys a very
meaningful lesson—the beast, as well as the earth, is symbolic.
All are familiar with the fact that many
nations of the past and present are symbolized on their coat of arms by
beasts of various kinds. The reigning pharaohs of Old Egypt used a lion
to indicate their authority of rulership, and England today uses the
lion on her standard for the same purpose. Then there are the Chinese
dragon, the Russian bear, and the American eagle. These are
illustrations to show the figurative application of the characteristics
of living creatures to nations.
The Bible employs a similar symbolic method
to designate various great world powers of history. Hence, in the
passage cited above, the symbolic earth—organized society—is pictured
as being devoured by a beast. It is an apt portrayal of a selfish
ruling-class organization appropriating the resources of society for
its own selfish use. Many people of the world recognize these
conditions, and see that the illustrations aptly fit the nations
represented. Why, then, should we experience any special difficulty
when we find similar symbolisms in the Bible? It is the way God teaches
us.
The term mountain also is often used in a
symbolic sense in the Bible, and when so used it denotes a
kingdom—either one or more of the kingdoms of this world, or else the
messianic kingdom of the next age.
The sea, when used pictorially in the
Scriptures, represents the masses; and the roaring of the sea, the
restless, discontented condition of these masses. See Isaiah 17:12,13.
One of the Bible prophecies relative to the progress of events now
taking place on the earth tells of the mountains being carried into the
midst of the sea. This, indeed, is a fitting illustration of the fact
that many of the strongest kingdoms of the earth already have fallen
into the hands of the clamoring masses, and that other mighty mountains
of civilization will likewise be engulfed as the rising tide of
discontent surges more and more persistently against their bulwarks.
An example of the scriptural use of these
striking symbolisms, portraying the disintegrating processes by which
the present world is being destroyed, is that of Psalm 46:2-6. Here the
LORD’S prophet says, “We will not fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”
Manifestly, this could not be understood literally, because if the
literal earth were actually removed or destroyed there would be no
mountains left to be carried into the sea, and no sea into which the
mountains could be carried. Later in the chapter, the prophet
interprets in part his own symbolic statements when he says, “The
heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved.” And then, reverting to
symbolic phraseology again, he continues, “He [the LORD] uttered his
voice, the earth melted.”
That this melting of the earth does not mean
the destruction of this literal planet on which we live is further
evidenced in the closing verses of the chapter, where the prophet shows
that the moving and melting have reference to the destruction of the
war-thirsty governments prior to the establishment of God’s kingdom.
That the literal earth is not destroyed is shown in verse ten of the
psalm, where we read, “Be still, and know that I am God: … I will be
exalted in the earth.”
In this prophecy of the forty-sixth psalm,
there is a most unusual example of the varied way in which the term
earth is employed in the Scriptures. In verse two, the earth is said to
be removed; in the sixth verse, it is described as being melted; yet in
the tenth verse, as we have seen, it still exists, and God’s name is
exalted in it. In this new order, God’s name will be exalted throughout
the whole earth. Surely, then, we should rejoice in the many evidences
around us today which denote the near approach of the time when Christ
shall be King, and the reign of sin and death shall end! Many of these
signs will be examined in the next chapter.
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Chapter VI
SINCE the Scriptures so clearly
show that the end of the world does not mean the destruction of the
literal earth, but merely the end of the present era of sin,
selfishness, and death, any evidences, prophetic or otherwise, which
indicate the imminence of the new order of things should be hailed as
good news.
The fact that, in the past, earnest but
ill-advised religionists have prematurely announced the coming of the
Lord, and have grossly misunderstood both the manner and the purpose of
his coming, should not deter us now from examining the prophecies which
have a bearing on this important subject. Indeed, we should be close
students of biblical prophecies, that we might, if possible, ascertain
just where we are on the stream of time; and especially what the
prophets have predicted for our day. If we find that the Bible
accurately describes both past and present world events, it will be
another good reason why we should have confidence in its message
concerning the future.
While Jesus was still on the earth, his
disciples asked him what would be the sign of his second coming, and of
the end of the world, or age. In reply, he gave a number of very
definite signs by which his followers would be able to identify the
closing days of this present evil world. One of these signs pertained
to the natural seed of Abraham—the Jewish nation. The Master said,
“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of
the Gentiles be fulfilled.” He evidently used the capital city of
Israel—Jerusalem—as representing the entire nation, and meant that
Gentile governments of the earth would continue to hold subjective
control over the people as well as over the land of Palestine itself
for a definite period of time, which he here refers to as the times of
the Gentiles.—Luke 21:24
The subjection of the Jews to Gentile rule
began more than six centuries before Jesus’ first advent, at the time
when Nebuchadnezzar took the nation captive to Babylon—606 B.C., to be
exact. In the second chapter of Daniel’s prophecy there is an account
of some of the circumstances surrounding the beginning of this period
of Gentile supremacy. Nebuchadnezzar was on the throne of Babylon at
the time, and the LORD used a very dramatic way to indicate that with
him began the period referred to by Jesus as the times of the Gentiles.
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which, upon
awakening, he could not remember. He was induced to send for Daniel, a
Jewish captive, who was able not only to remind the king of his dream,
but also to give him its interpretation. Daniel explained that in the
dream the king had seen an image like unto a man. This image had a head
of gold, breast of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and
feet and toes of iron mingled with clay.
As the dream progressed, the king saw a stone
cut out of the mountain without hands; and this stone smote the image
on its feet, causing it to fall. After the image fell it was ground to
powder, and the wind blew it away as the chaff from a summer
threshing-floor. Then the stone that smote the image began to grow, and
it continued growing until it became a great mountain that filled the
whole earth.—Dan. 2:36-45
Daniel’s interpretation of this curious dream
is one of the most remarkable in the entire Bible, in that it gives an
accurate preview of Gentile history, beginning with Babylonian
supremacy down through the centuries, even to the present day. In this
divine interpretation, the prophet identifies the Babylonian Empire as
being pictured by the head of gold. To the king of Babylon, Daniel
said, “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath
given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever
the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the
heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over
them all. Thou art this head of gold.”—Dan. 2:37,38
Prior to this, God had favored and recognized
none but the Jewish nation. But now the Jews had been made subjects of
Babylon, and the king of Babylon was recognized by God as the first of
that long line of Gentile rulers who, with divine sanction, were to
hold the Jews under their control as a subject people for a long period
of time. This, then was the beginning of the times of the Gentiles.
But Daniel did not close his prophecy with
his identification of Babylon as the head of gold. He continued,
telling Nebuchadnezzar that with the downfall of his kingdom there
would arise another, a twofold empire, represented by the two arms of
silver. This proved to be the Medo-Persian Empire, which conquered
Babylon a few years later. Daniel also told of a third empire,
represented by the belly and thighs of brass. This kingdom, as history
shows, was Greece, which succeeded Medo-Persia as a world power of
outstanding recognition.
And Daniel did not stop there. He went on,
and foretold the rise of the great military (iron) power of Rome—even
calling attention to its two parts, Eastern and Western, with capitals
at Rome and Constantinople, as represented in the two legs of iron.
Truly Rome was an iron kingdom!
And in his foretelling of the successive
world powers that would come and go before the old world ends, Daniel
stopped at just the right place—he mentions only four. He did not go on
to describe a fifth universal Gentile world power. Daniel here
accurately portrayed history for more than two thousand years in
advance!
The reliability of any historian depends on
his accuracy; and Daniel was accurate, even thou recording history in
advance. Hence we can have confidence in him, even as did Jesus, who
quoted him in Matthew 24. It is this same dependable Prophet Daniel who
describes events of our day, of which we shall note more as we proceed.
If by divine providence Daniel was able to foresee and predict
accurately more than two thousand years of the world’s most important
events, it would seem that we should trust him in respect to the few
things which he says are still future.
But, to return to the interpretation of the
image, when the Roman Empire began to wane, there was no other power
capable of stepping in and taking its place as dictator of the world.
Rome began, rather, to split up into smaller states or kingdoms. Thus,
the feet and the toes of the image, with the disintegrating influence
of clay mixed with iron, aptly represent what actually happened
following the heyday of Rome’s military supremacy.
Then the prophet continues, telling us that
the stone cut out of the mountain without hands which smote the image
upon its feet and then grew until it became a great mountain that
filled the whole earth, represents the power and authority of God,
which: one, brings to an end the lease of power given to those Gentile
nations who ruled over Israel; and secondly, represents the
near-establishment of a new kingdom “in the days of these kings”—the
feet and toe kingdoms of the image. He also assures us that this new
kingdom which is to be set up by the God of heaven shall “break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever.”—Dan. 2:44
Now we have the whole prophetic vision before
us, showing the successive empires of Gentile supremacy over Israel,
beginning with Babylon and continuing down through the centuries to the
collapse of Rome as a universal empire, and finally to the breaking up
of every vestige of Gentile rule by setting up the kingdom of God on
the earth.
In the LORD’S warning to Israel of a “seven
times” period of punishment, we have a clue as to how long the Gentile
times were to be. (Lev. 26:18,21,24,28) Most students of biblical time
prophecies agree that a time, or year, in symbolic language means 360
literal years, and that the seven times of the Gentile supremacy over
Israel represented 2,520 years. Beginning in 606 B.C., this period
would end in A.D. 1914.
We should remember, however, that biblical
time prophecies merely point out important landmarks or turning points
in the affairs of nations, and then only in so far as those affairs
relate to the plan of God. The end of the times of the Gentiles, in
A.D. 1914, was the turning point between the old and the new world—when
the old world would begin to die, clearing the way for the new. But we
should not expect too much to happen all at once, although tremendous
changes already are apparent in the world’s national and political
setup.
Jesus said, as already noted, that “Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) Thus we should expect that when the end of
this period was reached there would be something to indicate a change
in Israel’s status among the Gentile powers. And there was. As a direct
result of the First World War which began in 1914, the Jews of the
world were no longer officially without recognition, and were permitted
to return to Palestine to rebuild their national homeland. And now the
new State of Israel is officially recognized as a nation among nations.
True, in recent years the Jews experienced an
increased measure of persecution, and had their privileges in Palestine
somewhat curtailed; but these experiences were also in harmony with the
prophecies concerning the period in which divine favor was to be
manifested toward them. God’s prophet foretold that hunters would be
sent to drive the Jew back to his own land. (Jer. 16:16) Also, that
finally God would need to intervene on their behalf in order to protect
them from their enemies even after they had been established in the
Holy Land.—Jer. 30:3,5,11
So outstanding have been the many changes
that have occurred the world over since the end of the Gentile times in
1914 that it is not uncommon even for noted statesmen and writers to
refer to the prewar days as the old order, and to speak of the present
era as a transitional period leading into new order. Inasmuch as the
end of the age does not mean the burning up of the literal earth, we
are able to see that the signs pertaining thereto do not need to be
interpreted in such a way as to make them all terminate in a single
day. We can see, then, that the old world is already ending, and that
already there are evidences that the new age is near.
This incoming new order is what the Bible
describes as the kingdom of Christ, or the kingdom of God—the divine
rulership that is to supplant the present imperfect governments of
earth. The Bible gives many titles to the new King of earth, and one of
them is Michael—meaning ‘who as God’. This title indicates that the new
king will represent God, the Creator. Indeed, the prophet declares that
“the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom.” (Dan. 2:44) True, this new
kingdom will be for the people, but it will represent God, the Creator,
and will function by divine authority and power, enforcing his laws.
The people will not be asked to vote for it, nor will its establishment
and success depend upon human wisdom and ability.
It is this Michael, the Messiah and
representative of Jehovah, who is referred to in that wonderfully
accurate prophecy of Daniel, chapter twelve. There we are informed of a
time when Michael shall stand up to assume control of earth’s affairs,
and the prophet indicates that the first results of this will be “a
time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” And who
will say that we are not even now going through at least a part of this
trouble? Jesus, in Luke 21:26, cited this prophecy of Daniel twelve,
and explained that because of this foretold time of trouble, men’s
hearts will fail them for fear, as they look forward to coming events.
The Apostle Paul gives us further valuable
information concerning the present development of world events,
particularly in respect to this destructive trouble which is already
afflicting the world. First he mentions the times and seasons, and the
fact that while the world would not be aware of the true significance
of the times in which they were living, yet the brethren of Christ
would know perfectly. He points out that when the wise men of the world
would be saying, “Peace and safety; then sudden destruction” would come
upon them, “as travail upon a woman with child.”—I Thess. 5:1-4
Everyone knows that the general agitation for
peace among the nations and people of the earth, looking toward the
outlawing of war, began in a marked way in the early twentieth century.
Yes, peace societies and peace conferences are strictly modern
movements. Such efforts were almost unknown to prior generations. Was
it just a chance happening that, coincident with all these great
efforts toward peace, the most devastating war of all history should
suddenly be precipitated? Is not this in marked fulfillment of Paul’s
prediction of sudden destruction that was to come as the nations began
to agitate for peace?
But notice the manner in which this
destructive trouble was to come upon the old order of things: it was to
be like travail upon a woman with child. Every mother knows what that
means. Travail comes in spasms, with periods of easement in between.
The successive periods of easement usually grow shorter, and the spasms
of pain more severe, until the birth of the child takes place. And thus
far this great time of trouble, which is to terminate in the birth of
the new order, is developing exactly according to this biblical picture
of travail.
First, and exactly at the end of the times of
the Gentiles, came the First World War, with all its horrible suffering
and weakening effect upon civilization. The war ended, but the effects
remained. It was supposed to be a war to end wars, but from the time
the armistice was signed the nations began to prepare for another war,
and finally in 1939 it broke out.
The war of 1914 was to make the world safe
for democracy, but as an aftermath of the war dictatorships were set up
which bankrupted the nations, but at the same time made thousands of
millionaires, who, in fulfillment of another prophecy, have heaped
together treasures for the last days. Indeed, it was a real spasm,
beginning suddenly and ending suddenly—and it was worldwide. When it
ended, the world was happy, insanely happy, for at least a day, not
realizing that war was but the first of a series of spasms that were
destined to come for the purpose of bringing to birth an entirely new
social order.
Then began the easement. Prosperity loomed,
and everyone began talking about getting back to normalcy. Yes, the
period of easement was on; the poor world’s pulse seemed normal, at
least the prosperous political physicians claimed that it was, and they
boastfully announced that the patient had fully recovered under their
skillful treatment. Alas, how shortsighted is human wisdom! These
physicians did not understand that this is a case of travail preceding
a new birth. They did not know that the Gentile times had ended, and
that all the kings of earth have had their day—so they looked forward
with hope to a perpetuation of the old order.
Then suddenly and without warning, in the
fall of 1929, came the beginning of the second major spasm—and like the
first one it, too, was worldwide. Stocks everywhere tumbled in a day,
and kept on failing. Banks failed, and businesses went bankrupt.
Turning from the hazardous stock market, many entrusted their money to
the banks for safekeeping, only to find that the banks were eventually
forced to close their doors. Some who did not trust the banks bought
gold and stored it away in vaults, or elsewhere, only to have it
finally taken away from them as an emergency measure. Thousands of
factories closed; millions of men and women lost their jobs; long
breadlines formed in nearly every city. Thus the poor world began to
realize that it was in the throes of a depression that meant even more
suffering than the first spasm had entailed, severe though it was.
The depression spasm affected the entire
world, and society’s physicians went to work on the patient again. Many
remedies were tried, and in nearly every instance improvement was
reported. Indeed, in America it was claimed that the depression was
ended, yet the tragic fact remained that there were still ten millions
or more men and women out of work just prior to the time when the
all-out defense program was inaugurated.
But true to the illustration of travail, the
periods of easement seemed to grow shorter and shorter, so that before
we were scarcely out of the depression, another and even more ghastly
war came upon the nations—a revolutionary war—a struggle between
dictatorship and democracy, with both sides pressing the bloody
struggle through to the bitter end. Fascist and Nazi dictatorships were
destroyed; but now the human race was threatened with nuclear bombs.
The argument is frequently advanced by those
who have little or no faith in the prophecies of the Bible, that these
events which students of the Bible refer to as signs of the approaching
end, are merely a matter of history repeating itself. But let the
reader take note that nearly all the points thus far considered involve
unusual happenings in world affairs such as heretofore have been
unknown in all the annals of human history. This is especially true of
the next prophetic evidence to be considered.
In the same twelfth chapter of the prophecy
of Daniel wherein the prophet tells of the present time of trouble that
is daily becoming more severe, he gives us some further valuable and
striking information concerning these last days in which we are living.
Daniel designates this same period as the time of the end.
It is clear now that when Daniel here speaks
of the time of the end he has reference, not to the approaching
destruction of the earth, but to the end of Gentile supremacy over
Israel. Concerning this period the prophet says, “in the time of the
end many shall run to and fro [on the earth], and knowledge shall be
increased.” Simple words, these, but deep in meaning! It has been only
within the lifetime of this present generation that people have really
started running to and fro. We are now a world of travelers! And why?
Because suddenly there has come an unprecedented increase of knowledge,
which has made possible the inventions of new modes of travel, just as
the prophet predicted.
Sir Isaac Newton, noted philosopher of the
eighteenth century, who was also a believer in the Bible, studied this
prophecy of Daniel, and upon the basis of it he concluded that the time
would come when people would travel as fast as fifty miles an hour.
Voltaire, the noted French infidel, made a great deal of sport of the
mighty Newton for being so foolish as to make a rash prediction of this
kind, and especially for using the Bible to prove it. It would be
interesting to know what Voltaire would say were he to be awakened from
the sleep of death now!
Today, those who travel on the highways no
faster than fifty miles an hour are usually in the way of ordinary
traffic, while six hundred miles an hour is a modest speed for an
airplane. Those who now hold views similar to Voltaire’s as to the
absurdity of Bible prophecies, and who are alive today to see their
fulfillment, might find it profitable to stop and calmly think the
matter over. The younger members of the present generation are inclined
to forget that all our wonderful blessings of invention and travel are
peculiar to this generation. Our grandparents knew little or nothing
about them. In the early days of railroading many otherwise intelligent
persons claimed that the railroads were inventions of the devil, to
carry immortal souls to hell.
If even a college professor of one hundred
years ago had said that the time would come when we could sit in our
homes and converse with people across the seas, or around the world,
without as much as a wire or other visible connections, his friends
would have said, “Poor man, it’s too bad that he studied so hard.” But
here we are today, accepting these miracles as commonplace, not
realizing that they have come in fulfillment of divine prophecy.
A hundred and fifty years ago, or
thereabouts, it was not unusual for members of Parliament in Great
Britain to be unable to sign their own names to important documents.
What would we think of a ten-year-old child today who could not read or
write? And, remember, all this increase of knowledge was prophesied to
come in the time of the end.—Dan. 12:4
Let us consider still another prophecy that
has had a very close bearing on the times in which we are living,
indicating that we are indeed witnessing the closing scenes of the
world’s nighttime of sorrow and death. The prophecy reads: “Therefore
wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the
prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may
assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my
fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my
jealousy.”—Zeph. 3:8,9
The point in this prophecy which reveals the
time of its fulfillment is its reference to the gathering of the
nations. Everyone knows that it has been only the last few decades that
invention and progress have brought all the nations of the earth
together in such a way that now none of them can exist in entire
isolation from the others. First came the League of Nations. Then there
was that conference of sixty-six nations, held in England in 1933.
Though abortive in its objective, it nevertheless served as a good
illustration of how the present family of nations actually has been
gathered into a compact interdependent group during the time of the end.
That London Conference was arranged in
acknowledgment of the fact that unless the nations could agree on some
unified economic and monetary policy, the whole structure of
civilization was likely to crumble. But alas, no real agreement was
reached at the conference; with the result that after that there was
the mad rearmament race among the nations, which led in 1939 to another
global war. Then came the most impressive gathering of the nations in
all history, when they assembled in San Francisco to frame a new order
of peace—The United Nations.
Yes, Zephaniah predicted the utter failure of
all these get-together efforts of the nations in these last days; and
the reason he assigns for such failure is that the time has not come
for God to express his righteous indignation against a selfish and
corrupted society, a world that has perfunctorily professed his name,
but has deliberately disobeyed his laws.
The prophet declares that God’s vengeance
will be expressed in such a manner that the whole earth will be
devoured by the fire of his jealousy. If the earth could be devoured by
a wild beast, as previously noted, it also could be devoured by the
fire of God’s jealousy, the language being symbolic in each case, with
no reference to a literal earth, a literal beast, or a literal fire.
The symbolism of fire is very enlightening.
Here it indicates the utter destruction of the present order of
selfishness, following which will come the administration of the
kingdom of Christ, that through it the people may have an opportunity
to return to the worship and service of the true God.
That Zephaniah’s prophecy has no reference to
the destruction of the literal earth, nor of all the people upon the
earth, is clearly shown, “For then [after the fire] will I turn t7o the
people a pure language [truth], that they may all call upon the name of
the LORD, to serve him with one consent.” (Zeph. 3:9) From this it is
evident that the people will not be burned up, but will have an
opportunity to return to God to serve him after the symbolic earth is
devoured by the fire of God’s jealous indignation—the great time of
trouble.
Back to Top
Chapter VII
THE full restoration of the
human race to a state of perfect health, happiness, and everlasting
life, in a worldwide edenic home, is the expressed purpose of the
Creator as recorded in his Word, the Bible. Reason tells us that this
is as it should be. If God created the earth for man, and man for the
earth, it would be illogical to suppose that he would permit opposing
forces of deception and rebellion forever to thwart his loving designs;
or that he would be forced to adopt some alternative arrangement in
order to salvage a few of his human subjects by transferring them to
another state of life.
When God created man and provided him with
that wonderful Eden home, the commission was given to multiply and fill
the earth, and subdue it. Nothing was said to Adam and Eve about going
to heaven when they died; indeed, death was not in the offing for them
as long as they remained obedient to the Creator’s laws.
They were to live—on the earth—and not die.
They were to fill the earth—not heaven—with their progeny. Try, then,
to imagine the glorious, ideal conditions that would have obtained on
this planet Earth if sin and death had not come upon the scene and the
original edenic paradise had been enlarged to embrace the whole earth,
as God had commanded. Picture that worldwide paradise filled with a
perfect and happy human family, all enjoying eternal life and the
eternal favor of their Creator. It is this practical, blessed boon that
is yet to come to the human race, such restitution having been provided
through the death of Jesus.
When, in the very beginning, God said that
the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head, he actually
meant that the results of the serpent’s work of death would be
destroyed, and man would be restored to that which he was then
forfeiting by disobeying his Creator. When God told Abraham that
through his seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed, it was
in reality a promise of restoration to all of Adam’s posterity.
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus,
saying, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which
is Christ the Lord,” it meant that the whole world was to have an
opportunity of being saved from death, and restored to life upon the
earth. (Luke 2:11) When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” he simply
was reminding them of the real and ultimate purpose of the kingdom of
God—the restoration of man’s lost estate. Every Christian who has
uttered this prayer—whether he realized it or not—has prayed for the
restoration of paradise conditions on the earth.
When our Lord and his apostles promised all
faithful Christians that they would become joint-heirs with Jesus and
would reign with him, it meant that ultimately they would share with
him as the spiritual seed of Abraham, in the glorious work of
dispensing the promised blessings of restored life. (Rev. 5:10) When
the Scriptures tell us that Jesus “by the grace of God tasted death for
every man,” it means that the penalty of death, which rests upon every
man because of original sin, will in due time be set aside, thus
opening the way for every man to live again upon an earth made
perfect.—Rom. 6:23; Heb. 2:9
It is in order to accomplish this work of
restoration that the church, as well as Jesus, is exalted to such a
high position, both of nature and of glory. And what a better hope of
glory this is for the church of Christ than the Dark Age theory that
God has been trying to get the whole world to join the church in order
that they might be saved from hell-fire!
It is this glorious work of restoration, or
restitution, that follows the second coming of Christ. The Apostle
Peter indicates this in Acts 3:19-23. Just before making the statement
here recorded, Peter had healed a man who had been lame from his youth.
Using this incident as an illustration and as a basis for the important
lesson he was about to impart to his hearers, he said, “Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD; and
he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom
the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began.” And what an all-comprehensive prophecy this is,
restitution of all things! What a different sequel to the second coming
of Christ is this from the traditional crack of doom that was supposed
to follow his return to the earth.
Yes, times of refreshing—not of gloom and
torture—shall come from the presence of the LORD. The expression, ‘from
the presence of’, in the Greek, literally means ‘out from the face of
it’. It is based on the oriental idea that to turn one’s back upon
another is an evidence of disfavor, but to look upon another indicates
that he is considered a friend. How full of meaning then is this
expression, as the apostle uses it in this prophecy! In the Garden of
Eden, God turned his back upon his human creation because his law had
been disobeyed. “In his favor is life,” says the prophet; but the world
lost God’s favor because of sin, and, like the flower deprived of the
sunlight and rain, the people have withered and died.—Ps. 30:5
But while God’s back, figuratively speaking,
has been turned against the human race for more than six thousand
years, nevertheless he has been making promises concerning the future
time of blessing, and also making preparation for the things which he
has been promising. The second coming of Christ and the establishment
of his kingdom mark the time when these promises begin to be fulfilled.
Because of this Peter tells us that then God will turn his face toward
the human family, and that as a result, times of refreshing shall come.
The apostle also says that there shall come
times of restitution of all things, spoken by the mouth of all God’s
holy prophets since the world began. It was perfect life on earth that
man lost, and it is perfect life on earth that is to be restored. How
could the world be restored to heaven, when it has never been there?
And think of it, all of God’s holy prophets have foretold these coming
days of blessing for the distressed and dying world of mankind! Did you
ever wonder about deserts blossoming and fig trees growing in heaven?
It is earthly things of this nature that the Old Testament prophets
wrote about, and now we see that their messages pertained indeed to
earthly blessings of life and happiness in the restored paradise.
Peter’s restoration to health of the one man
who had been lame was used merely as an illustration of the fact that
when the messianic kingdom is established there will be similar
restitution for all. Isaiah, for example, said that when the kingdom
time comes, “the lame man shall leap as an hart,” that the “tongue of
the dumb shall sing,” that the “ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,”
and the “eyes of the blind” opened. (Isaiah, chapter 35) Not only will
these restitution blessings affect those unfortunate ones who are
maimed and crippled, but all others who desire it shall be benefited
thereby. And then, too, there is a spiritual blindness that will be
removed when the “knowledge of God’s glory” fills the earth “as the
waters cover the sea.”—Isa. 11:9; Jer. 31:34
The messianic kingdom is symbolized in
prophecy as a mountain. It is this mountain-kingdom that Daniel
foretold would grow until it fills the whole earth. (Dan. 2:34,35,44)
This same mountain is mentioned by the Prophet Micah where we read,
“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and
it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And
many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall
go forth of Zion, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall
judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they
shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his
vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the
mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.”—Mic. 4:1-4
The expression, last days, as used in the
foregoing passage, is descriptive of the closing days of the reign of
sin and death upon the earth, and the period in which a new and better
order will be established, under the direct administration of the
Messiah. The Dark Age hallucinations concerning the last days are found
to be entirely erroneous when compared with this and other
hope-inspiring scriptures. For example, instead of the last days
signaling the end of all hope as well as all opportunity for
repentance, the prophet presents an entirely opposite picture. He says
that then God will teach the people his ways and that they will walk in
his paths; that they will cease their selfish, warlike tendencies, and
will devote their time to the promotion of peace and goodwill: nation
shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
anymore.
Not all the details of the messianic kingdom
arrangements are revealed in the Bible, but we are assured that the
same divine power and unerring wisdom that brought into being and now
controls the orderly movements of all the millions of heavenly bodies,
vouchsafes the kingdom methods by which the knowledge of God’s law of
love will be enforced throughout the lengths and breadths of the earth
immediately following the present debacle of human sin and selfishness.
The symbolisms of Micah’s prophecy, of
course, are based on things with which the Prophet himself was
familiar. Spears and swords are not much in vogue as effective
implements of warfare today. If this prophecy had been written in more
modern times it doubtless would have mentioned submarines, airplanes,
poison gas, and nuclear warfare.
Likewise, the vine and fig tree picture is
that of peace and contentment, based on an adequate assurance that the
necessities and comforts of life will continue to be available for all
when Christ’s kingdom is in full operation. A comfortable cottage, free
from mortgage, and a two-car garage, would be the modern conception of
the same glorious condition.
We quote another interesting prophecy of the
times of restitution: “In this mountain [kingdom] shall the LORD of
hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on
the lees … well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face
of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over
all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the LORD God will
wipe away all tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people
shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken
it.”—Isa. 25:6-8
What more could be asked than that which is
described in this heart-cheering prophecy of restitution blessings to
come? A feast indeed it will be, when “the desire of all nations shall
come.” (Hag. 2:7) The feast symbolizes the life-restoring and
life-sustaining provisions of the messianic kingdom.
The veil, symbolizing the blinding influences
of that “old serpent,” will then be removed. This will be made possible
because, as the Revelator points out, Satan will then be bound that he
should deceive the nations no more.—Rev. 20:1-3
And death is then to be swallowed up in
victory! Ah, yes, it was death that entered the world and destroyed the
happiness of all; but “that which was lost” is to be restored, hence
death must be destroyed.
In Revelation 21:4 we are told that “there
shall be no more death.” The difficulty in the past has been that we
tried to make all these glorious earthly promises apply to heaven,
overlooking the fact that only a few—the genuine footstep followers of
the Master during this age—are to have a heavenly reward. It is here on
earth that death has reigned; and it is here, therefore, that there
shall be no more death.
How happy the people will then be to accept
the kingdom blessings of life and salvation! Note what the prophet says
on this point: “it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we
have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have
waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
How many millions of people, indeed, have
waited and longed for a better understanding of the true God! And how
many, also, have hoped and prayed for the salvation that he alone can
give! Yes, the world has been waiting for the sunrise of God’s
returning favor—ignorantly waiting, perhaps, not having much idea of
how or when it was to come about. But when the blinding influences of
the archdeceiver have been removed and the knowledge of God’s glory
fills the earth, then the world will know its God, and actually and
enthusiastically return to him with its whole heart.
Let no one’s faith be staggered by the
immensity of the things which God has promised to do for mankind.
Remember that we are now considering what the all-powerful eternal
Creator of the universe has promised to do. The God who produced life
in the first place is abundantly able to reproduce it in order to
fulfill his promises.
And this restitution is to include the dead
as well as the dying. It is this that is involved in the Bible teaching
of the resurrection. This wonderful doctrine of the resurrection from
the dead has been made void by the traditional theory that there is no
death. How could one be raised from the dead unless he were dead? How
utterly impossible it has been for a confused world to grasp the simple
but soul-satisfying hope of restitution while their minds have been
blinded by the immortal-soul tradition! But now, thank God, we can see
what constitutes salvation; that it means an awakening from the dead
and a restoration to life upon the earth. The Bible pictures death as
being a sleep, from which all are to be awakened, refreshed, in the
morning of the new day soon to dawn. The divine time clock of the ages
already marks the early morning hour; and while the darkness is still
dense, the day is rapidly approaching; yea, it is very near.
Yes, the most interesting part of it all is
the fact that these life-giving blessings of restitution are indeed
just around the corner. And it does not require a super abundance of
faith to believe it, either. The prophets of the Bible have been so
accurate in their foretelling of present world conditions—the
conditions that were immediately to precede the establishment of God’s
kingdom—and of the many blessings which already have materialized, many
of which would have been considered impossible up to a few years ago,
that it is not hard to believe that the same divine power and wisdom
that must have guided in giving prophetic utterance to the things which
we now accept as realities must also have guided in foretelling the
still more wonderful things which lie just ahead.
Let us then rejoice in the inspiring prospect
that is before us; and may the vision of those joys to come enable us
to bear patiently the trials of the present. The reign of sin and death
has been a long and weary night for the world as a whole, yet for each
individual the time goes quickly by, and with its passing, each one has
laid the foundation of a very valuable lesson. If now we can realize
that the wise and loving Creator has allowed the reign of evil for the
very purpose of enhancing our appreciation of him and his laws, we can
patiently wait for, and continue to pray for, the ushering in of the
new day.
Let us remember, too, O blessed fact! that
those who fall asleep in death while waiting for the divine kingdom to
come, either ignorantly waiting or joyfully expecting and praying for
it, will not miss the blessings of the new day any more than those who
live all the way through the present transition, because all sleeping
ones are to be awakened: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall
come forth.”—John 5:28
But while all will, in the new day just at
hand, have a full opportunity of returning to God and of receiving the
blessings of everlasting life then available, this boon will not be
forced upon anyone. Obedience to the laws of the messianic kingdom will
be required; and those who will not obey shall be destroyed in what the
Scriptures term “the second death.” —Acts 3:23; Rev. 20:13-15
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Chapter VIII
“God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things now.” —Revelation 21:4,5
IF IT were possible to imagine
our earth, or any of the other planets in the boundless expanse of the
universe, disobeying the divine law that governs the heavenly bodies,
we know that such anarchy would result in the utter destruction of that
planet. The reason that scientists are able to foretell the exact
second of a solar eclipse years in advance is because they know that
the orbs of space are all subject to certain definite laws which can be
depended upon to produce uniformly accurate results.
Is it not reasonable to suppose, then, that
man, the highest of God’s earthly creatures, and the only one who has a
conscience more or less attuned to the principles of right and wrong,
is also subject to divine law? It is even so, and it was man’s
disobedience to God’s law that plunged him into a quagmire of sorrow,
suffering, and death. And it will be only through obedience to divine
law that mankind will be able to return to God and to the blessings of
life and happiness that were forfeited because of sin.
But let no one suppose that any present
attempt to obey God’s law will result in the return of God’s favor. No,
God’s law was violated by the perfect Adam—who had both the knowledge
and ability to do better—which resulted in his being sentenced to
death. Adam’s posterity, therefore, have been the children of a
condemned and dying man; so all have been born imperfect and under
condemnation of death. Thus man, in his enfeebled, dying state, is
unable to keep God’s law inviolate, hence is hopelessly lost so far as
providing salvation for himself is concerned.
The Scriptures say that “God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) From
this it is seen that in Jesus alone is centered all hope of salvation.
He paid the penalty of death by his own death on Calvary’s cross. It
was for this very purpose that Jesus was made flesh. It was a man
(Adam) who had sinned, and it therefore was necessary that another
man—a perfect and uncondemned man—become the Redeemer. This Jesus did.
But while God, in his love, sent Jesus to die for the race, thus
providing a way of escape from death, a mere mental assent to this
vital truth will not bring salvation, either now or later when the
kingdom is established. What does God require?
God expressed his law to Israel in what is
known as the Ten Commandments. These constitute the basis of most
civilized laws today. Jesus summed up these commandments in two major
requirements—supreme love for the Creator, and an equal love for our
neighbor as we have for ourselves. This latter requirement is
comprehended in what is commonly known as the Golden Rule. These two
major commandments constitute the foundation of all true righteousness,
and no one, either now or in the age to come, can be in harmony with
the true God while ignoring this law or refusing to be governed by it.
Selfishness, up till now, has always been
preeminently in the saddle. From the material and outward appearance,
selfishness has been profitable and necessary. It has too often seemed
true that those who did not remain on the bandwagon of self-interest
have been hopelessly left behind in their pursuit of happiness. “Now we
call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up,”
declares the prophet of the LORD.—Mal. 3:15
During the past six thousand years, Satan has
been the great taskmaster of the human race, and he has governed by the
evil principle of selfishness. With the establishment of the new
kingdom, the whole order of things will be reversed. Then Jesus will be
the ruler, and love, instead of selfishness, will be taught and
encouraged and rewarded.
Then will come the actual fulfillment of that
wonderful angelic prophecy, “On earth peace, goodwill toward men.” This
change from selfishness to love will not come suddenly. The prophet
suggests the gradual method by which the world will be instructed in
the law of love when he says that “when Thy judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”—Isa. 26:9
The judgment work mentioned by Isaiah will be
coincident with the dispensing of kingdom blessings. But it will be
nothing like the traditional judgment day which has been used to
frighten so many people into joining a denominational church
organization. So thorough will be the kingdom system of instruction in
righteousness that the prophet tells us God’s law will be written even
in the hearts of the people.—Jer. 31:33
No one needs to wait, however, until the
kingdom is actually established in order to begin learning and putting
into practice the law of God. What should hinder any of us, even now
from making a sincere effort actually to love our neighbors as
ourselves? There are so many ways of doing good to others—ways that are
within reach of all of us. It doesn’t cost money to vive a smile, a
word of cheer, or otherwise to share with others the joy that should be
in our own hearts. To the extent that we know of the love of God as it
is revealed in his Word we should be glad to tell others about it.
There is no better way to comfort distressed hearts than to tell them
the glad message concerning the messianic kingdom soon to be
established.
Today, the comparatively few of earth’s
millions who may not for the moment be afflicted with one or another of
the countless maladies with which fallen man is tormented are living in
almost constant fear of the time when they will be among the sufferers.
Because of the dread spectres of poverty, disease, bombing planes, and
nuclear weapons which are ever in the offing in this selfish, sin-sick
world, men’s hearts are continuously filled with fear, and this mars
the slight happiness that might otherwise be enjoyed temporarily by a
few. But in the new world, when the rule of Christ’s kingdom is in full
operation, even the fear of evil will be removed. The promise is that
nothing will be permitted to hurt nor destroy in all that holy kingdom.
(Isa. 11:9) Ah yes, how wonderfully true it will be then that the
weeping bereaved ones will have their tears, as well as the causes of
their tears, all wiped away, when thus they realize the kingdom work
complete.—Isa. 25:8
What a glorious privilege, then, is now ours,
of telling the whole world these blessed tidings, as we have and can
make opportunities! When we note the fearfulness of our friends and
neighbors as they look after those things which are coming upon the
earth, let us be quick to heed the instructions of the LORD bidding us
to “say to them of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your
God will come with vengeance, even with a recompense; he will come and
save you.”— Isa. 35:4
There is nothing better we can do at the
present time to show our appreciation to God for the hope of the
kingdom which he has given us through his Word than thus to make it
known to others. We cannot stop the mad rush of a selfish world toward
the precipice of sure destruction; but we can tell as many as will
listen that God is soon to establish a new world, once inhuman
selfishness has completely destroyed this “present evil world.” (Gal.
1:4) Thus we can be ambassadors of the new kingdom and, from the
vantage point of faith in the sure fulfillment of the promises of God,
can take our place beside those described by the prophet, who are
saying unto Zion, “Thy God reigneth!”—Isa. 52:7; 61:1-3
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