The Great Earthquake

IN last October’s issue of The Dawn, published shortly after the outbreak of the European war, attention was called to the fact that the present struggle of the nations, while called a war, is in reality but the continuance of a world-wide revolution which started in Russia shortly after the close of the first World War in 1918. As this unprecedented struggle of the nations continues and the issues underlying it become more apparent, its revolutionary character is becoming recognized by an ever-growing number of writers and students of world economy. It seems evident that we are indeed living in the very midst of that world revolution described symbolically in Revelation 16,17 and 18 as a great earthquake, the like of which has never been known. This same general period of trouble is also identified by the prophet Daniel as being unprecedented in character, when he declares that it would be a time of trouble “such as never was” since there was a nation.

The prophecy of Joel 2:1-10 describes some of the aspects of this “time of trouble,” and this prophet (verse 2) also declares that it will be unparalleled in the previous experiences of man. Some have suggested that possibly many of the details of this particular prophecy can be identified as now being fulfilled in mechanized warfare that is spreading devastation throughout one country after another.

The present war is the spearhead of this world revolution, in that the main issues involved concern the conflicting ideologies of the various nations participating. It is an attempt on the part of the totalitarian states to overthrow what President Roosevelt refers to as our democratic “way of life,” and establish a world-wide dictatorship. Not only does Germany and her allies acknowledge this to be the main issue at stake, but the democratic allies also recognize the attempt that is being made to overthrow them, and throughout all the democracies the warning is being sounded that if Germany wins the war it will mean a reversion to the Dark Ages and to the suppression of all individual liberty—in short, the setting up of an entirely new system of government world-wide. While the democratic allies view such a possibility as a tragedy, Germany through one of its official spokesman, recently proclaimed that it would mean world-wide happiness and peace lasting at least for a thousand years. On this point a German newspaper says:

“It will be hard for future generations to understand at all the prodigious measure of western infatuation. For those who come after us no longer will be in a position to recognize the many-colored medley of power cliques and interest groups which today flocks around the plutocratic banner.

“They will understand no longer how that unnatural community arose between armament profiteers and pacifists, princes of the church and atheists, stock jobbers and royal houses, spiessburgers (narrow-minded townspeople) and boulevard literati, revolutionaries and aristocrats, niggers and prayer brothers, Jews and lords—a community that extends far beyond the boundaries of England and France.

“With surprise the world of tomorrow will read in its archives the odd documents of the present, the telegrams and proclamations of statesmen, queens, church leaders and scholars, who today still dance grotesquely around the tree of liberty of 1789.”

The writer of the foregoing doesn’t have the slightest idea of what the world of tomorrow will actually be like, because he doesn’t know that Christ and not Hitler, will be the supreme ruler. However, he does give a clear picture of the revolutionary designs of the dictators, designs that are daily becoming more and more apparent. On this same point, Otto D. Tolischus, noted foreign correspondent, writing in the New York Times of May 12th, says:

“In a military sense, this war, after its episodical preliminaries, starts like the World War, in the classical German tradition with a vast flanking movement through the Low Countries in which this time not only Belgium but also the Netherlands is involved. But in every other respect, especially in causes, aims and methods, it differs from all other European wars since the fall of the Roman Empire.

“Contrary to much current American opinion; this war is no longer a game of power politics between grasping nations of the wicked Old World. It is by proclamation of the National Socialist regime itself a revolutionary war—a war that heralds a world revolution in which are to be laid the new foundations for the twentieth century and the next millennium.

“The question is not, as it was even in the World War, which nation shall be first in a Europe that is a fundamentally constituted and ideological entity with common morals, common aspirations and a common way of life. The question is whether Europe and the world shall preserve their present social, political and economic structure or whether they shall change to a radically different one.

“This is a revolution as fundamental as the French Revolution, whose generating ideas had also given birth to the American Revolution and which finally ended in the Napoleonic Wars. And being a revolution, it has developed its own fantastic revolutionary faith, which finds adherents even in the enemy camp and against which a mere revival of the shop-worn slogans of the last war falls short of success.

“In its essence, this new ideology is the very antithesis of the French Revolution. Then it was liberalism and individualism breaking the bonds of feudalism and the autocracy of kings. Now the pendulum is swinging back again. A generation associated with individualism, whose loss it never suffered, and weary of personal responsibilities and economic difficulties, seeks refuge in a new collectivism. This collectivism, whether based on class or race, has one prerequisite to its success. It must be based on iron discipline and an authoritarian regime that cooly sacrifices the individual for the benefit of the collective whole, even it in practice this means for the benefit of the ruling caste.

“In its political concepts this collectivism harks back on the one hand to the mystic German ideal of the Reich—the Holy Roman Empire of German nationality, as the universal empire of Christendom. On the other hand, it goes back to the ideal propounded by Napoleon in his self-created legend of a continental European consolidation against Great Britain. The ideal of the ‘Reich’ is a favorite topic of German press discussion.”

Mr. Tolischus’ reference to the Holy Roman Empire of German nationality as the universal empire of Christendom is interesting. Other writers claim that the ambition of Hitler, as well as that of Mussolini, is the restoration of a Roman Empire which preceded the Holy Roman Empire, namely the Pagan Roman Empire. Apparently the Pope does not think there is much about Hitler’s present regime that resembles the Holy Roman Empire, because he has recently referred to the armies of the Reich as being neo-pagan. Dorothy Thompson, another internationally known correspondent and writer, analyzing the present horrors of the European struggle and some of the factors involved in it, continues as follows:

“What does all this mean? That we must all be Nazis or accept the Nazi rule? No—not unless Lucifer won the war against God. It means that an era is over, and that a new one has begun, in which the world will be united and free, with all the rich diversity of human cultures but with the rights of nations strictly limited and the world policed; or it will be united and enslaved, with no rights for any one.

“It means that there must be as sublime an imagination for good and as great a will for world-wide justice and freedom as there has been for evil. It means that this war is a revolution, which will not be won or lost in Europe but won or lost on a world-wide scale. It means that political action, at this moment, is as important as armaments.

“The dark beast of the Nazi world must not be allowed to crouch upon its exhausted victims and feed upon them for new conquests. [See Daniel 7:23 for similarity in use of language.] It must be attacked—first of all by the certain knowledge that it stands utterly alone and without friends; that all its victories are temporary, because men will not live under such contemptible rules; and that the full economic, financial, commercial and machine power of the United States is to be used, however long it takes, for the establishment of a world fit for human beings.

“Those who are fighting must know for what they die; they must know that they are not dying as units of an expiring world but dying for a new world—our own new world, growing out of great traditions expanded and renewed, dying not for yesterday but for tomorrow, not for nationalism but for commonwealth, not for money but for a decent human life, not for domination but for union with equality.

“If we are not prepared to accept that responsibility, to dare for countervision, then give the world to Hitler, to his vast nightmare of servitude and oppression!”

So far the democratic allies have not been too successful, either in the military field, or on the home front. Within their own borders the Democracies are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain liberty of action for their people, so that “this way of life,” as mentioned by our President, seems to be vanishing in one country after another. Great Britain is the most recent major power to give up its liberty. While this great nation is not in the Nazi orbit, she has, nevertheless, adopted a form of government which in many respects is identical with the totalitarian setup; and this in itself marks another step in the revolutionary changes now taking place.

The world revolution now in full swing involves much more than a mere change in form of government. Another aspect of the revolution is the religious one. As the totalitarian states impose their way of life upon one after another of the weaker states of the world, accompanying these forced governmental and social changes is also an overthrowing of previously held religious dogmas and practices. This was particularly apparent in the early stages of the revolution which is now threatening the world when Russia almost completely stamped out the Greek Catholic Church in that vast country and since, through an energetic campaign of education, turned the peasants from worshiping the Greek Catholic god to atheism.

What became true in Russia with respect to religion is now also true to a greater or lesser extent in all the totalitarian nations; and this rising tide of irreligion is threatening to engulf Churchianity everywhere: It is this phase of the world revolution that is evidently depicted by Jesus as the darkening of the symbolic sun and moon: and also as the shaking of the “powers of heaven.” This development is increasing the fear that is now filling the hearts of millions as they see the things that are coming upon the earth.

The reason men’s hearts fail them for fear is because they fail to understand the full scope of the revolution now taking place. To those not acquainted with the prophecies of the Bible, the outcome of the present revolution still hangs in the balance, and nobody seems quite sure whether there is ever to be any more happiness on the earth or not. But from God’s standpoint there is no doubt about the outcome of the revolution, for He has decreed that it will result in the complete overthrow of all man-made institutions—including false religious systems—and the establishment instead of the Messianic Kingdom for which all true Christians have prayed.

While worldly writers are correct in their assertions that present world events will affect the history of the world for a thousand years, they do not yet realize that the next thousand years of man’s experience will not be subject to the whims and wishes of selfish men and nations, but, beginning shortly, will be under divine control, that control manifesting itself through the new Kingdom agencies.

The fact that the allied democracies have announced one of their intentions as being the support of Churchianity has presented a great obstacle to faith on the part of millions of church members in all parts of the world. This test of faith in religion is brought about by the apparent failure of God to protect those nations and people who are professedly fighting for Him. Millions wonder for instance, why, when the Pope so earnestly prays for peace that no peace comes. They wonder why it is when he petitions God to prevent the spread of the war to other countries that two days thereafter the German hordes of neo-pagans should be permitted to march into and devastate the countries of Holland and Belgium. Because of this not a few are beginning to wonder whether the Pope and his co-laborers in the hierarchy are really able to relieve suffering souls from purgatory, in view of the fact that God seems to pay so little attention to their requests pertaining to things mundane.

The religious angle of this great struggle was further injected into the picture by Winston Churchill in the first speech he made to the Empire after being made Prime Minister, as successor to Neville Chamberlin. This speech was made ‘at the time the German hordes were sweeping over Belgium into France and threatening to occupy the Channel ports from which it would be easy for them to mercilessly bomb the British Isles, even as they have done other countries. Churchill called for courage and endurance on the part of the British people and in conclusion of his speech said,

“Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of truth and justice: Arm yourselves and be ye men of valor and be in readiness for the conflict for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altars, as the will of God in His heaven. Even so let Him do.”

This quotation by Mr. Churchill was taken from one of the apocryphal books, the Maccabees, and not from the orthodox King James Version of the Bible. It indicates that he had labored hard to find some supposedly Scriptural authorization for the course upon which Great Britain has embarked. But the point of real interest to Bible Students is the fact that Mr. Churchill made this reference to the alleged part that God was playing in the war in commemoration of Britain’s celebration of “Trinity Sunday.”

Mr. Churchill’s reference to Trinity Sunday implies clearly that the god in whose name he admonishes Great Britain to fight is the trinity god. The trinity god is not the god of the Bible. This three-headed god came definitely into being at the Nicean Council (325 A.D.), and was given life by the official decree of Constantine. Since then the trinity god has been the god of practically all so-called orthodox churches in Christendom.

The trinity god, in addition to being a mysterious, three-headed deity, is also a torment deity. According to the Catholic conception he tortures nearly everybody in purgatory for a very long period of time, and a few of his special enemies in hell forever. According to the Episcopal and other Protestant theories, he tortures all his enemies in hell forever, without giving any of them an opportunity for release upon the basis of their relatives paying for masses.

The prayers for peace on the part of both Catholics and Protestants are not being heard in the first instance because they are being offered to this false god. Even if a few individuals in the great mass of professed Christians should have a better vision (and there are such) which enables them to see and appreciate the true God, their prayers to Him for the protection and salvation of civilization, including Churchianity, will not be answered because in the great revolution now in progress it is the purpose of the true God not only to destroy the selfish institutions of earth, but to destroy also the altars upon which the heathen deities of torture are being worshiped.

People are now being urged to pray. A proper prayer under the circumstances is, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.” This is a prayer that will finally be answered. But in offering up such a petition to the true God we should be prepared to be reconciled to the circumstances and experiences through which mankind will need to pass in this great revolutionary period, in order that the Kingdom of Christ may be established.

A prayer for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom is not a prayer for the success and victory of arms of any nation on earth over any other nation. It is not a prayer for the perpetuation of the German Reich nor the spread of Russian Bolshevism. It. is not a prayer for the victory of Italian Fascism, nor yet is it a prayer for the success of the allied democracies against totalitarianism. It is a prayer, rather, for God to establish His rule of justice and love in the earth. In the establishment of such a rule all man-made governments of every conception, together with their false altars of religion, must inevitably be set aside.

As the prayers of millions for the protection of civilization and the establishment of peace go unanswered, the faith of these millions is at the same time being shaken in the god to whom they pray. This, from the standpoint of the true God, is the first necessary step in preparation for the time when the knowledge of His glory shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. Thus we can see that the present great struggle of the nations is not only breaking down the faith of the people in their respective governmental arrangements—and this is just as true in Germany as elsewhere—but it is also preparing the people to recognize and serve the true God of love, in that it is shaking their faith in the Dark Age god of the creeds.

In praying “Thy Kingdom come,” we are praying for the only side that will be triumphant in the great revolution now in progress. This is God’s side. In offering this inspired petition we are praying for the best interests of all mankind. Moreover, we are offering a prayer that has divine approval, and hence one that is sure to be answered. All right thinking people cannot help but be sympathetic toward suffering humanity in this time of great distress. The bloodshed and devastating destruction now going on is unparalleled in all history. When the German armies marched into the Low countries, the royal families fled for safety. But this was not possible for the common folk, hence they stood the brunt of the trouble. In praying “Thy Kingdom come” therefore, we are praying for these common folk as well as for the royal families. There is an old English hymn, written by Ebenezer Elliot long years ago, one of the stanzas of which reads:

“When wilt Thou save the people,
Oh Lord of mercy, when?
The people, Lord, the people,
Not thrones or crowns, but men.”

We do not agree that if the present totalitarian way of life was imposed upon all nations, it would bring happiness and peace for a thousand years, as suggested by an official spokesman for the German Reich. But the fact that this official Nazi spokesman mentioned the idea of happiness, indicates the desire of even this deceived government to see the people enjoy themselves. But no newly devised government of man can actually bring lasting happiness and peace to the world. Only Christ’s Kingdom can do that. Christ’s Kingdom will do it!

The Messianic Theocracy

A THEOCRACY is a government under the direction of God, its law being interpreted and administered by earthly representatives. The Hebrew commonwealth, before it became a kingdom under Saul, was a theocracy: Moses in this case being the immediate representative of God, his various assistants co-operating with him in the administering of divine laws. To date this is the only genuine theocracy that has ever existed on the earth, but it functioned imperfectly because of the limitations of its imperfect human representatives. The Messianic Theocracy will be the next divinely controlled government. It is to rule the whole world for a thousand years. We speak of it as the Messianic Theocracy because its divine Head will be Christ Jesus, the long promised Messiah of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New Testament.

Concerning the Messianic Theocracy the prophet says, “Jehovah shall be king over all the earth in that day.” (Zech. 14:9) The government which Jehovah will establish in the hands of Christ will, indeed, be His Kingdom, but it will be under the direct control of Christ, as His Vicegerent. Some erroneously suppose that when Christ’s Kingdom is fully inaugurated everyone will be pleased with its ruling. But not so. Its regulations will be far more exacting than those of any previous government, and the liberties of the people will be restricted to a degree that will be galling indeed to many now clamoring for an increase of liberty.

Liberty to deceive, misrepresent, to overreach and to defraud others, will be entirely cut off. Liberty to abuse themselves or others in food or in drink, or in any way to corrupt good manners, will be denied to all Liberty, or license to do wrong of any sort will not be granted to any. The only liberty that will be granted to any will be the true and glorious liberty of the sons of God—liberty to do good to themselves and others in any and in every way; but nothing will be allowed to injure or to destroy in all that holy Kingdom.—Isa. 11:9; Rom. 8:21

The Messianic Theocracy will be a perfect government, and no changes will ever need to be made in its basic laws. In this respect it will differ radically from all human forms of government. All human governments find it necessary continuously to make new laws and amend old ones, or to cancel some entirely—either because they become outmoded or are proved to be faulty. But this will not be true with the Messianic Theocracy, as its laws will be truly of divine origin, emanating from One who knew all the circumstances in advance and whose righteous laws and regulations neither permit of being, nor need to be changed.

Moreover, the administration of divine law in the Messianic Theocracy will be perfect, because the law enforcers of that day will not depend wholly upon outward appearances and circumstances, but will be guided additionally by an understanding of the heart condition of those with whom they deal.

The Messianic Theocracy will be autocratic in its dealings with the people inasmuch as every individual will be required to render full obedience to the laws of that Kingdom. So autocratic will be the administration of the Kingdom laws that we read concerning that time “it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”—Acts 3:23

The autocracy of that arrangement will, however, operate only where full opportunity and ability to obey the law is provided. Of that day the prophecies explain that the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea; and that none will need to say to his neighbor “Know thou the Lord,” for all shall know Him from the least even unto the greatest.—Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14; Jer. 31:31-34

Not only will the subjects of the Messianic Theocracy be fully enlightened with respect to the will of God, but upon demonstrating their hearts’ desires to obey, will be given necessary aid to do so. Thus will come about a gradual restoration of fallen man to perfection of mind and body, which in co-operation with his heart’s desires will enable him to obey the law of God perfectly. For this reason no excuse for willful disobedience will be valid.

The Theocratic Organization

The Messianic Theocracy will have a definite, workable organization through which the divine laws will be administered. Briefly, this organization will consist of a spiritual and an earthly phase of government. Those who will constitute the spiritual phase of the Kingdom are the overcoming saints of the Gospel age. Christ will be the Head over these, who are referred to as His body. These will, in the resurrection, be exalted to the divine, spirit nature which no man hath seen nor can see.—I Tim. 6:16; John 1:18

The resurrection of this class is Scripturally termed the first resurrection, and the promise is that they are to live and reign with Christ a thousand years. (Rev. 20:6) The earthly representatives of the Messianic Theocracy will, according to the Scriptures, he the resurrected prophets and other worthy ones of the ages preceding our Lord’s first advent. It is said of these by the prophet that they are to be “princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16) We are not given explicit information as to the exact manner in which these two phases of the Messianic Theocracy will harmoniously operate, although it is reasonable to suppose that the Kingdom arrangements will be much after the order of God’s dealings with Israel through their representatives, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, the prophets, etc.

The coming manifestations of divine power through the Messianic Theocracy will far exceed those of the typical Jewish age; for the work of the coming age will comprise the awakening of all the dead, and the restoration of all the obedient ones to perfection.

Obviously, such a far-reaching work will necessitate the establishment of a perfect government among men, with perfect men in positions of control, that they may rightly order the affairs of state. Imperfect, selfish men could not be trusted with such a stupendous task. It will necessitate the appointment of proper educational facilities of every character, as well as philanthropic measures of various kinds.

This noble work of elevating the race by sure and steady steps under the direction of the unseen spiritual members of that Kingdom—Christ and His glorified church—is the high honor to which the ancient worthies are appointed, and for which they will come forth prepared, soon after the final wreck of the kingdoms of this world in Armageddon, takes place. The Scriptures indicate that these divinely honored representatives of the heavenly Kingdom will quickly receive the honor and co-operation of all men.—Micah 4:1-4

Counterfeit Theocracies Established

With the Bible containing so many glorious promises concerning one or another phase and work of the Messianic Theocracy, it is not surprising that some over-zealous students of the Word have misapplied these Scriptures in an effort to support a claim that, through them, this Theocracy is already in operation. Repeatedly throughout the entire Gospel age, from Pentecost until now, counterfeit theocracies have been established in the hands of imperfect and selfish men. Basing their conclusions and contentions upon the Scriptures which outline the absolutism of the true Messianic Theocracy, these counterfeit theocrats have claimed that salvation depends upon obedience to their organization and its laws. Millions throughout the age who have refused to bow the knee to these various counterfeit theocracies have been branded enemies of God and summarily condemned to eternal damnation, the punishment of these condemned ones ranging all the way from an eternity of torture in a fiery hell, to the second death.

The most outstanding of these counterfeit theocracies has been the Papal church-state system of government. Here it is claimed that God rules through the Pope and his co-theocrats, the cardinals, bishops, priests, etc. Ordinarily this particular arrangement is referred to as the Papal hierarchy. Others, while condemning the Papal hierarchy, have taken to themselves the term theocracy, claiming the laws and regulations which they are fostering are now coming direct from God.

God’s Laws Unchangeable

We should not arbitrarily decide that the theocratic claims of these various groups of religionists are false. We should he specially careful along this line now, in that we have reached the end of the age when the true Theocracy of Messiah is due to he established. Our decisions in this matter should be based upon Scriptural principles as well as upon facts that are apparent in connection with all such claims.

As we have already noted, the true Messianic Theocracy is one in which there will be no change of law. All of the alleged theocracies which have thus far been established in the name of Christ have been very changeable. In some instances these changes have been so rapid and radical that the devotees of the systems have not known from one day to the next what they were supposed to believe or to do. Dogmas of these alleged theocracies have often been so completely reversed that to do or to believe some specific thing today would warrant second death and not to do or to believe the same thing tomorrow would bring the same penalty. Obviously such contradictory changes could not emanate from a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.—Heb. 13:8

We have also seen that in God’s true Messianic Theocracy, the knowledge of the divine will shall fill the earth, so that the way of salvation will be made perfectly plain to all. This is not true today. With the hundreds of conflicting claims and teachings that are being set forth by various religionists throughout the earth, it is absurd to suppose that imperfect, fallen men and women have the ability to select from these the one book or pamphlet or phonograph record that contains the pure truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the obeying of which will give them salvation, and the rejection of which will lead to the second death. God is not dealing with man along any such flimsy lines as these. Moreover, in the true Messianic Theocracy the laws will be administered, as we have seen, not merely by outward appearances and circumstances, but according to the heart condition of each individual. This is not possible today because those who claim to be the representatives of God in the various counterfeit theocracies now in existence do not have the ability to read the heart, hence are utterly unable to judge and determine when an individual is or is not responsible for the alleged wrong course which he is said to take.

Must Suffer and Die First

Another fundamental teaching of the Scriptures pertaining to the Messianic Kingdom through which all the families of the earth are to be blessed, is that those who are to be exalted to high positions in that Kingdom, particularly the heavenly phase of the Kingdom, must first suffer and die. This was carried out in the case of Jesus Himself. The disciples at first had the erroneous thought that Jesus was to establish His Kingdom while He was in the flesh. Later they learned that according to the prophecies, He must first suffer and die for the people.

This same principle holds true with respect to the footstep followers of the Master. It is only if we suffer and die with Him that we may hope to live and reign with Him. The promise is, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10) All claims that the followers of Jesus, while in the flesh, can exercise Kingdom authority in any way, shape or form, must, therefore, be false. There is absolutely no Scripture to warrant the theory that a follower of the Master has the privilege of serving in any other way while in the flesh than the way of suffering. Jesus said, “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.”—Rev. 3:21

God has been carrying on a work throughout the Gospel age, and still is, among His people. He has had an organization through which this work has been done, but it has not been an organization in which His earthly representatives have been authorized to exercise theocratic control over fellow-workers.

Jehovah’s visible organization as it pertains to the church of Christ began at Pentecost, and was instituted along simple lines. Would it not he presumptuous on the part of anyone to say that God failed back there to provide His people with appropriate arrangements by and through which they could carry forth the work of the ministry in harmony with the commission He had given them?

Yes, God established His church in purity and under organizational arrangements which had His full approval. Notwithstanding, men soon insisted upon making various improvements (?) in the Lord’s simple, divinely instituted organization. Thus we have a concrete example of the fact that while God may establish and approve an arrangement for the dissemination of His Truth, it does not mean that He continues to entirely protect such arrangements against the destructive effects of false teachings and practices by those who may later arise among His people.

The First Falling Away

The apostles forewarned that after their death there would come a great falling away from the faith, and that a veritable Anti-Christ system would be developed, forcing the true church of Christ into a wilderness condition of isolation and ostracism. Throughout the centuries of the Dark Ages these prophecies were literally fulfilled.

Every effort at reform and the restoration of the simplicity of faith and practice of the early church that has been undertaken since the death of the apostles has similarly deteriorated into complex systems of bigotry, intolerance and hatred toward all those who have not fallen in line with the alleged progress that has been attempted in the name of Christ.

As we have already noted, the first outstanding change of work and of organization began to be heralded by ambitious leaders shortly after the death of the apostles. Even before the apostles fell asleep, some in the early church were beginning to advocate the mystic doctrine that “The Kingdom is already established.” This early fantastic error grew and grew until it gained a real foothold in the church; and finally it was taken so seriously that Christians thought it expedient to appoint their foremost leader, the Bishop of Rome, as a dictator, and to call him the vicegerent of Christ. Then this mighty leader whom “the Lord had appointed,” (?) began to exercise theocratic kingdom authority over the earth in God’s name.

There followed in the wake of this unauthorized change in God’s simple arrangement an organized campaign of intolerance, hatred and persecution of all who dared to say that change was unscriptural. Christians who then opposed the Lord’s organization as thus humanly misconceived, were relentlessly tormented in Christ’s name, on the pretext that they were opposers, disrupters, and wicked enemies of God and of His work in the earth.

Thus were those who were loyal to God’s true organization of the early church kept in subjection until the Reformation. Then, each of the Reformers in turn, made a noble break for Christian liberty, and a sincere effort to return to the simplicity of the early church. But alas, nearly all of these, or some of their immediate followers, soon decided that God had authorized them to bring about a change in His original methods. Many of these, like the early Papists, also decided that the Kingdom was already established; and, even though many of them had been relentlessly persecuted by the mother church, they now turned persecutors of all who had the courage to deny the validity of their presumed divine authority and theocratic claims.

In the Dark Ages as well as in the early days of the Reformation, those who joined the opposition were often literally tormented and put to death. The law does not permit such a cruel course today; so the loyal organizationists are now taught simply to hate their enemies. They are reminded that God hates His enemies and that they should do likewise, and they are told, of course, that their worst enemies are those Christians who do not favor their imperfect human organization rule.

No Central Control in Apostolic Days

The only authentic record we have which reveals to us the method of procedure in the early church, and the characteristics of church organization as constituted by the apostles, is that which is given us in the Book of Acts, and later reflected in the epistles of the various apostles. A study thus made of the facts available to us reveals that then there was no central group or organization of believers whatsoever, to which the local congregations were supposed to look for instruction, guidance, or spiritual food. Nor does the Lord’s Word indicate anywhere that there ever would come a time when such a centralized arrangement would be divinely authorized in the sense that those who did not obey its dictates would be amenable to the second death.

Nowhere do the Scriptures indicate that any organization formed by fallible men to preach the Gospel should be recognized as having a monopoly over the spiritual interests of Christians; although by the use of Old Testament pictures which have been misused to foster false dogmas and rules among the people of God, attempts have been made to prove such a theory.

Each local congregation, in the early days, was an individual unit and governed fully and only by the vote of its own members. The teachers, variously styled pastors, bishops and elders, elected by the local congregation, had no jurisdiction outside of their own ecclesias. Through the failure to recognize this limitation, many of the teachers later, after the death of the apostles, united, and sought to control the congregations, instead of continuing to be themselves subject to the ecclesia that had elected them.

There was no central authority to which these early Christians could look for authentic instruction, except the apostles, and even some of these, for a time, seemed to be uncertain as to what was the proper course to pursue. So they gathered at Jerusalem, and there discussed the important question of what was to be done about the Gentiles coming into the church. A definite decision was reached when James stood up and recalled to his brethren how God had appeared to Simeon (Simon Peter) in a vision and had given him specific instruction to visit Cornelius, a Roman army officer, and tell him about the Gospel of the kingdom.—Acts 10 and 15

The apostles being divinely inspired, the decision reached at this conference was, of course, binding upon all the church. After this conference adjourned we have no record of any further efforts being made, either by the apostles, or by the early ecclesias, to reach a united conclusion on matters that pertained to the various local congregations, and no effort was made to set up a central headquarters with authority to control the ecclesias, nor the minds and acts of individual believers. It was the Anti-Christ or Man of Sin, that did this, after the great falling away from the faith and simplicity of the early church had taken place.

Apostles Recognized No Head but Christ

Analyzing the Bible record still further, we find that even among the apostles themselves there was no recognition or claim of special or superior authority on the part of any one of them. It was after the apostles had died that the apostate church set up the claim that Peter was the visible head of the church and that the right of Papal succession existed from his day onward. Peter thus, after his death, became the first alleged human theocrat in the church, but Peter never made any such claim for himself, nor was he so regarded by the apostles, nor by the early church generally. Only a few in those early days made the carnal claim, “I am of Peter.”

It appears that most of the missionary efforts put forth by Paul and the other apostles were undertaken and carried out without even particularly consulting with each other. The church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas on a missionary tour to visit the other churches, as well as to do pioneer work where no church had as yet been established. There is no record to indicate that the other apostles or ecclesias were consulted before they undertook this evangelistic tour.

God, Not Man, Commissions

Certainly there is no Scriptural or other good reason why any individual Christian or ecclesia, if the opportunity presents itself, should first petition other groups for permission to go forth and preach God’s Word; though if other ecclesias are served it is, of course, important to obtain the permission of such ecclesias, and not force one’s service upon them.

An outstanding example of the liberty that existed in the early church is given in the experiences of the Apostle Paul. When this great apostle first entered the ministry, very few of the believers even knew that he had been converted. It was not until some time afterward that a few saints heard that he who had persecuted the church of Christ was now proclaiming the glad tidings. (Gal. 1:16-23) How different was his procedure from that which has been the custom of many religious leaders and organizations since that time. Many even now continue to place human ordination or authority above the sanction of our one true Head, Christ Jesus.

Imperfect human reasoning would say that such apparently haphazard methods as were used in the early church would be very ineffective today; and that, in order to accomplish great things, it is new necessary to have a centralized system of control to function as a theocracy in directing the thoughts and activities of the saints everywhere. The facts of history, however, reveal to the contrary. Never, at any time during the entire Gospel age, has the Truth flourished and increased more rapidly and more effectively than under the simple arrangements which God instituted for the early church.

True Church Unity

There is no other way to enjoy real Christian unity except by recognition of God’s own instituted organization for His people as represented in the early church. The fundamental basis of this arrangement was the independence of each local ecclesia. Such independence on the part of each ecclesia, however, does not mean that there cannot be wholesome fellowship and fullest co-operation amongst the Lord’s brethren everywhere; for the very reverse is true.

In the early church it was customary, as we have seen, for ecclesias that could do so to send assistance to others. Thus speakers went from place to place preaching the message. At one time the Corinthians at Jerusalem were in need of material help, and Paul, because it pleased the churches, collected funds and took them to the brethren at Jerusalem. From this it is plain that there was full co-operation back there, and there can be and should be such co-operation today. But when co-operation involves the recognition of one brother or group of brethren above others as having special or theocratic authority, it becomes carnal, Babylonish and un-christian.

Every consecrated Christian is commissioned by God through His Holy Spirit to represent Him on the earth. A statement of this divine commission is given in Isaiah 61:1-3. Here we find divine authorization for preaching the glad tidings of the Kingdom to all classes, including fellow-members of the church. There is no indication in this or other Scriptures that a Christian must first seek permission from some human leader or group of leaders before participating in the work which the Holy Spirit outlines.

Consecrated Christians will, naturally, seek the co-operation of others, and all should find ways and means of working together so far as circumstances will permit. In this end of the age, when the art of printing has made possible the dissemination of the Truth by the printed page, it is quite proper that some who are in a position to do so should assist their brethren by providing truth literature which bears the Kingdom message. This should be done, however, in the spirit of helpfulness to the general cause rather than with the idea of dominating and controlling the brethren.

Brethren who regularly meet together as ecclesias of the saints should recognize their responsibility as the church of Christ, and see to it that those with whom they co-operate are sound in the faith and that their co-operation will be for the upbuilding of the church and to the glory of God. An ecclesia should realize that it has the right to reject the service of others, as well as the right to invite such service. Those who are invited to co-operate with an ecclesia should rejoice in the privilege and utilize that privilege in the spirit of true humility. Those who are not invited, if they have the spirit of the Lord, will not be resentful nor charge the ecclesia with being sectarian simply because it chooses not to invite their services.

All truly consecrated Christians should continuously realize that the present life is one of surrender and sacrifice. This is not the time for exercising lordship, either over each other in the body of Christ, or over the world. No glory can legitimately come to God’s people while they are still in the flesh. If they assume positions of glory and claim to be reigning with Christ, and upon this basis attempt the judgment and condemnation of others, it means that the instructions of the Lord have been disobeyed, hence that He does not favor nor bless such an attitude.

The only true honor which the Christian can properly enjoy at the present time is that great honor of being privileged to suffer and die with Christ. We are to lay down our lives for the brethren. In doing this, each Christian contributes to the upbuilding of the Church of Christ and to her preparation for future glory in the Messianic Theocratic Kingdom which soon will dominate the affairs of the whole world.

The Apostle Paul admonishes that we rightly divide the word of truth. One of the most important divisions of the Truth to be recognized in our study of God’s plan is the one already noted, namely, that this is the age of suffering and that the next age will be the age of glory for the church. If we lose sight of this fundamental principle of Scriptural interpretation, we will be led into a tragically false position. While we may attempt to apply the glory promises to ourselves while still in the, flesh, we will soon be forced to realize that we are not in a position to exercise Kingdom authority, thus our faith is liable to be shaken. We will be, in other words, in much the position of a Christian Scientist who claims that there is no pain, yet may himself be suffering severe pain from toothache, rheumatism or whatnot.

We do have the privilege of suffering and dying with Christ now, but we cannot reign with Him until we have been exalted to the divine nature in the first resurrection. Then will come the full establishment of the Messianic Theocracy in the earth, and it will function perfectly, harmoniously and successfully to the blessing of all mankind and to the glory of God. Through it, mercy, kindness, love and sympathy will be promoted and encouraged. Through it health, happiness and liberty as well as everlasting life will be vouchsafed to all who come into harmony with its righteous laws. Let us, then, continue faithfully suffering and dying with Christ now, inspired with the joy set before us of being associated with Christ when the true Theocracy of God will become manifest throughout the whole earth.

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