Hope For A Fear Filled World, Part 2

In the Last Days

The only ones who as yet know the meaning of what is occurring in the earth are those who by faith are prepared to accept the testimony of the Word of God. To these the prophecies of the Bible are as a beacon light telling them that, despite this darkest of all periods man has ever experienced, a glorious new day is about to dawn. This will be a day in which the blessings of health, joy, peace, and life will radiate from the presence of Christ, the new king, that glorious, divine ruler prophetically described as "the Sun of righteousness," who will "arise with healing in his wings." - Mal. 4:2

Eventually, however, and not long hence, we believe, all mankind will begin to realize that there is a power being exerted in the affairs of men which supersedes that of humanly constituted government. This will become apparent through the continued failure of human efforts to reestablish any permanency of peace and security among men.

The rulers of the world today still imagine that they are more or less the masters of human destiny, that their wisdom and the impressive strength of their armies will be able to impose peace upon the nations. God’s way of establishing peace is still scorned by the wise of the world. But as all their efforts continue to end in failure, gradually they will begin to look up to a higher authority for help. This, which is still a future development in the momentous time in which we are living, is described by the Prophet Micah as follows: "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, and 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

This is a very comprehensive and reassuring prophecy which, in the light of current events, will soon be fulfilled, to the everlasting joy of all mankind. First, notice the time identification: "In the last days it shall come to pass." This prophetic expression, the last days, does not refer to the traditional crack of doom, nor to the destruction of this earth, nor to the end of human existence on the earth. It does have reference to the last days of Satanic rulership over the people, the last days of sin and death, the last days of war, and the last days of all those evils which have plagued the human race from the days of Eden until now.

The Present Time

We are even now living in the beginning of these prophetic "last days," and have already witnessed the destruction of some of the evils which have afflicted most of the nations. The hereditary ruling houses of Europe, which oppressed the people in the name of God (but by their actions gave every evidence of being inspired by the Devil), have already come to an end. And as the divine purposes progress in these last days, we will eventually witness the end of totalitarian dictatorship, whether communistic, fascist, or otherwise. We will also see the last of war, and the last of the blighting fear which now fills the hearts of the people.

Yes, the last days foretold in the prophecies are a glorious time in which to be living, and ere long it shall come to pass, even as the prophet has declared, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and people shall flow unto it. The mountain of the LORD is the kingdom of the LORD. Daniel, in the second chapter of his prophecy, symbolically depicts human rulership over the earth by a glamorous, human-like image, and the end of this rulership is pictured by the destruction of the image. The instrument of destruction is shown to be a stone, which ultimately grows until it becomes a great mountain which fills the whole earth. In his interpretation of this wonderful prophecy, Daniel tells us that this mountain which fills the whole earth is the kingdom of God.

The Prophet Micah describes this mountain, or kingdom of the LORD, as the mountain of the house of the LORD. This house of the LORD is God’s ruling house, made up of those whom the Scriptures identify as his own family of sons. Jesus is chief among these, and together with him will be those who have accepted the invitation to suffer and die with him. To these the promise is given that they shall live and reign with him. The Apostle Paul reassures the followers of the Master on this point, saying, "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and 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." - Rom. 8:16,17

Miracle-working divine power guarantees the success of this new government. Satan thought he had killed Jesus, the Prince of peace and King of kings, but divine power raised him from the dead. Those who have suffered and died with him are raised from the dead in what the Scriptures designate, the "first resurrection," that they might live and reign with Christ. - Rev. 20:6

In a prophecy descriptive of the victorious rulership of Christ’s kingdom, Isaiah tells us that "the zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:7) When we consider that the power of God has already raised the King of kings from the dead and that divine power is likewise used to restore his associate rulers to life, can we doubt the ability of the LORD to fulfill all his good promises through him? Surely not!

In the Top of the Mountains

Let us take further note, therefore, of what has been promised. The Prophet Micah declares that this ruling house of God shall be established in the top of the mountains, or kingdoms - that is to say, it will occupy a controlling position in the affairs of all nations, for, as Isaiah states, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end." - Isa. 9:7

"And people shall flow unto it," continues Micah’s prophecy. Human experience thus far has been that when imperialistic governments sought to extend their spheres of influence over other nations, many fled for refuge into other countries. But it will not be so in the case of Christ’s kingdom. As the people learn of its extending power they will, as the prophet declares, flow into it.

Giving us further details along this same line, the prophecy continues, "And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, . . . and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths." By the time this portion of the prophecy is fulfilled, the nations will have learned the futility and folly of their own ways. Failure having attended their every effort to save the world from chaos and ruin, they will then be ready to look to him alone who can provide the solution, even to Christ, the one who by that time will be recognized as the rightful king of earth.

And when the nations are willing to learn the L’S ways and apply them, what will be the result? It will be a most happy result, for the prophecy declares that they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and that they shall learn war no more. Human wisdom has always contended that the only way to keep the peace is to be prepared for war, but this order will be reversed by earth’s new king, for as the nations come under the hallowed influence of the kingdom laws, the resources of the earth, which formerly were diverted to provide the sinews of war, will be used to supply the people with the necessities of life.

Neither shall they learn war any more! Think of the far-reaching changes in human outlook and experience these few words imply! They do away with peacetime conscription and wartime drafts. They assure the mothers of all nations that they will not be raising their sons to be used as cannon fodder. They do away with militarism in all its ugly forms. They take away fear from the hearts of the people, for all realize that when the nations no longer learn war, they will not engage in war. Thank God for a program of education which omits from its curriculum the strategy of war!

Under Vine and Fig Tree

Because the people will then learn and practice the ways of peace and righteousness they will have economic security. This assurance is given us in that beautiful picture of every man sitting under his vine and fig tree. This is just another way of saying that under the administration of Christ’s kingdom the resources of the earth will be available to all and that the rights of all to share in those resources will be guaranteed by the laws of the divine kingdom. Because this will be true, the prophecy adds, "And none shall make them afraid." Thank God for this assurance of freedom from fear.

None shall make them afraid! Fear of aggression haunts the minds of all people today, and this fear is not limited to the possible or threatened aggression of nations. Economic aggression, with its resulting price gouging, inflicts equally severe suffering upon the masses. So fear, engendered by man’s inhumanity to man along many lines, continues to destroy the heritage of peace and joy which is the right of every human being, whose original parents were created in the image of God. Under the laws of Christ’s kingdom that right will be restored, for then none shall make them afraid.

Death Destroyed

As beautiful and reassuring as the prophecy of Micah is, it does not present the full plan of God pertaining to human destiny under the rulership of Christ. A world without war and the fear of war would be a vastly better world than the one that is now coming to an end. And if we added to this the certainty of economic security for all, we would have a world of the sort that philosophers have dreamed about but could never establish. However, there would still be other fears, as well as sorrow and pain and death.

Yes, there would still be the fear of death, and because of the grotesque teachings of the Dark Ages, there would be fear of what lies beyond death. There would still be the need for hospitals and doctors and morticians. But thank God for the other promises of his Word which assure us that even sickness and death, with all their attendant evils, are to be destroyed by the reign of Christ.

We have already noted Paul’s assurance of the destruction of death in the kingdom of God. Now note the prophecy of Isaiah 25:6-9. In the prophecy, even as in the prophecy of Micah, the kingdom of the LORD is symbolized by a mountain, and we are told that in this mountain, death will be swallowed up in victory, and that "the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces. . . . And it shall be said in that day," continues the prophet, "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."

This hope of salvation for a dying race is referred to by the Apostle Peter in the New Testament. In Peter’s prophecy, he tells of the purpose of Christ’s Second Advent, that it will bring about what he describes as "times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:19-21) We are indeed glad for the information that the second coming is not to result in the destruction of everything, including the earth, but rather, the restitution or restoration, of all things. This will mean restoration to health for the living, and also the resurrection of the dead.

The second presence of Christ is already resulting in the destruction of this present evil order of things preparatory to his rulership of justice and love. But this is the destruction merely of the selfish institutions of men. The human race, the living and the dead, if obedient to God’s laws, are to be restored to that which was lost because of sin. Man did not lose a home in heaven, but on earth. The earth was made for man, and when man was created he was given dominion over the earth. But this dominion, and his life also, were lost as a result of sin. But the lost paradise is to be restored, and it is the work of restoration which is described by the Apostle Peter as times of restitution of all things, and he declares that this grand purpose of God had been foretold by his holy prophets since the world began, one of the examples of this prophetic testimony being God’s promise to Abraham.

Spoken of by All God's Prophets

One of these prophetic utterances descriptive of restitution blessings coming to the people under the administration of Christ’s kingdom is that which has already been quoted - that blessed promise that death will be swallowed up in victory, and that the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces. Think of the change in human experience that will be! God will wipe away the tears of the people by removing the cause of their sorrow; and think of the many cases of sorrow there are in the world today and what it will mean to all mankind when these are removed!

Another of God’s prophets, in describing the times of restitution, declared that "the desire of all nations shall come." (Hag. 2:7) All nations desire peace; they desire security against aggression; they desire prosperity for their people; and the Prophet David declares of earth’s new king, Christ Jesus, that "he shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." - Ps. 72:4

In another restitution promise, the Prophet Isaiah declares that then - that is, during the reign of Christ and his church—"shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." He also says that the "eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. (Isa. 35) This, doubtless has reference to those who are blind and deaf to the things of God. Of these there are millions, for the Apostle Paul tells us that the god of this present evil world, who is Satan the Devil, has blinded the eyes of all who will believe not, and thus has prevented them from knowing and loving and praising the true God of love. - 2 Cor. 4:4

Another of God’s prophets, describing the blessings of restitution from still another angle, says of that thousand years of Christ’s reign that then the knowledge of the glory of the LORD shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. (Hab. 2:14) No longer will the people worship a diversity of gods and sponsor conflicting religious beliefs. On this point another prophecy declares that God will "turn to the people a pure language [or message]," and that they will "call upon the name of the LORD to serve him with one consent." (Zeph.3:9) Then the people will be free to worship and serve the true God of love with their whole heart and with true understanding.

In the Book of Revelation we have another wonderful promise of the blessings that will come to the people during the reign of Christ. It declares than then "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Rev. 21:4

It is difficult to imagine a world in which there is no death, but God has promised that it shall be so, and we believe it and take courage. If such a promise were made by one less powerful than God we might be justified in doubting. But the Creator is able to fulfill such promises, for he is the fountain-source of life. "In him we live, and move, and have our being," declared the Apostle Paul. - Acts 17:28

We do not understand what makes us live, and what gives us strength to move, but God does, and he is abundantly able to give life everlasting to all who will obey the laws of Christ’s kingdom. And it is just this that he has promised to do. It is for this purpose that Christ returns and establishes his kingdom. The Scriptures state, however, that any who, under the favorable conditions of that time, refuse to believe and obey will, as Peter puts it, "be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:23) Everlasting life will be given only to those who qualify through belief and obedience.

And this is the glorious hope which can now be held out to the people of a distressed and fear-filled world. It is a glorious hope, and in proclaiming it we are following the suggestion of the prophet when he wrote, "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you." - Isa. 35:4

One of the descriptive names given to our day in prophecy is the Day of Vengeance. It is a time when God’s righteous anger is being manifested in the overthrow of age-old systems and Christ Jesus, that "he shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." - Ps. 72:4