| News and Views | December 1940 |
Bigger Than the War
THIS month the “civilized” world will once more celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. In thousands of churches throughout “Christendom” Christmas carols will be sung and Christmas sermons preached to millions who will return home and tune in their radios or scan their daily papers to learn of the latest city to be bombed, how many more ships have been sunk, or what new country has entered the war.
Prisoners of war in Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and elsewhere will think of peace on Christmas Day, and probably some of them will wonder just why people keep on celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. Thousands of wounded and shell-shocked, both soldiers and civilians, will find it hard to bury the memories of the awful experiences through which they have passed and make themselves believe that this is a “Merry” Christmas.
Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sweethearts and friends will be more inclined to think of their loved ones who have been killed by modern war than to enter heartily into the celebration of the birth of the great Life-giver and Peacemaker. Mariners at sea will also think of Christmas, but won’t dare, even for a moment, to cease their lookout for submarines; bombing planes, or floating mines. In America, millions will properly be thankful that we are not yet in the war and will hope that this country may continue in “peace.”
Thus another Christmas will come and go; and the people in general, having had their minds for a short time turned to the thoughts of peace, good will and love, will revert to an “all out” consideration of war and how to win it. However, an increasing number of thinking men and women are beginning to see that something bigger is happening than merely another war. Past wars have come and gone but the world order continued. Jesus indicated that it would be so, saying, “There shall be wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet.” Jesus spoke these words in answer to the disciples’ question as to what would be the signs of the end of the world, or “age” (Greek, aion).
Jesus thus indicated that the great struggle which would mark the end of the present order was to be more than merely another war. Today world economists, statesmen and observers agree that what is now taking place is bigger than a war. They see that a world order is dying, and that something new is coming to the birth. They see that what men now call the second world war is but one of the birth pangs of a new order. They can’t define the new order, not being able to see just what shape it will take.
These worldly observers think it is impossible to determine what the new order will be like until it becomes more apparent whether the Totalitarians or the Democracies are to win the war; but they all agree that there must be a new order for the reason that the old order has been mortally wounded. No matter how many cities are bombed, nor how many civilians, soldiers or sailors may be killed or wounded before the Totalitarians or the Democracies sue for peace, when it is all over, the most outstanding casualty of the war will be the death of the old order. Only from the observation tower of Biblical prophecy is it possible to see that the new order will be neither Totalitarian nor Democratic, but will be the Kingdom of Christ, the answer to every Christian’s prayer.
And when we are blessed with the vision of the future afforded by divine prophecy, we are able to understand that even what we see in the world today need not mar our enthusiasm for what the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is yet to mean for suffering and dying humanity. Jesus was born to be a King, just as He explained to Pilate, but He did not take over the rulership of earth at His first advent. His taking office as King, according to the divine program, must await the call and preparation of those who were to reign with Him. This work completed, then Jesus takes “unto Himself His great power and reigns.” This, according to Revelation 11:17,18, results in the nations becoming angry. In this anger they are dashed to pieces like a potter’s vessel, and Jesus, taking control, rules over them with a “rod of iron.”—Psa. 2:1-9
Today we are witnessing the anger of the nations as they contest the right of each other to rule the earth. The fact that we see this is cause for increasing faith that the time for real “peace on earth” is near. It is not too much to say, then that the birth of Jesus should mean more to the enlightened Christian today than ever before. As evidence that the end of the old world order is near, and that we are living in the end of the age, it is interesting to note the following abbreviated analysis of events as viewed by Leland Stowe, European Correspondent for the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
“Anywhere you might conceivably travel in Europe these days, from Bergen, Norway, all the way to Turkey’s Bosphorus, you would bump into the same kind of recurrent reminders with which we are confronted daily here in the Balkans. Wherever you are, you sense and see the thing that is bigger than the war.
“This thing has become the dominant and central theme in the life of every living European and perhaps it will play a similar role for most of the hundreds of millions who populate the rest of the world. It is revolution.”
Mr. Stowe then goes on to say that while war as yet is touching but comparatively small areas of the world, yet that revolution is in the air everywhere. “This social and economic revolution is all-pervading,” he says, “and in this sense is bigger than the first World War and the present one combined.” Mr. Stowe says further:
During the past 14 months I have seen bits of the war in three different countries, then have drifted once more outside the range of guns and the blackout, but never even for one day have I found myself beyond the tremors of the revolutionary transition. You can feel an old world dying at the same moment that you are shaken by the unceasing pains of another world that is being born.
While human wisdom is beginning to perceive that something bigger than the war is happening among the nations, the Scriptures reveal that something even bigger than what men call world revolution is taking place. Men view the present transitional changes of world economy and government as something that is being forced upon mankind by a struggle between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots”; or between dictatorships and Democracy; or between Capitalism and National Socialism; or, between Christianity and Atheism. God, on the other hand, foretold this great “time of trouble” as resulting from the standing up of “Michael.” Michael, the returned Christ, “stands up” to establish the divine Kingdom, the Kingdom which the “God of heaven” has promised and which will supplant Satan’s rule of selfishness throughout the whole earth.
The much discussed “new order” visualized by worldly wisdom could not be satisfactory to all nations. The Democracies could not be satisfied with any new order arranged by the Dictators, and the Dictators would be sure to challenge any new order arranged by the Democracies. God’s new order, on the other hand, will be satisfactory to all, for as the prophet points out, after the Lord has shaken “all nations” then the “desire of all nations shall come.”—Hag. 2:7
The fact that man has never been able to establish a world order satisfactory to all doesn’t mean that there has never been anything good in what human efforts have accomplished. Fallen man has done remarkably well, in spite of the handicap of selfishness, and the fact that Satan has “deceived all nations.” (Rev. 20:1,2) Human ideals have almost always been higher than human attainments. Frequently the will to do right has not been able to surmount the obstacles which stand in the way of doing right. For this reason standards set and plans made under normal conditions break down under the stress of “emergencies,” hence real progress toward a better way of life is hindered. But the success of the divine Kingdom will not depend upon the imperfect efforts of fallen man.
Even those who now profess to stand for God’s way in a world of selfishness and sin ofttimes find the pressure too great and permit themselves to be carried along with the current of “necessary evil.” An interesting example of this comes to light through the action of seventy-five clergymen of the United Church of Canada who have issued a statement in which they express themselves as opposed to “this or any other war as being incompatible with the Christian spirit and aim.”
Many of the ministers who joined in issuing this statement are prominent in the United Church of Canada. According to reports the Attorney General of Ontario lost no time in saying that these clergymen were unpatriotic. Simultaneously a sub-committee of the general council of the United Church was called together in an emergency meeting with the view of saving the good name and the loyalty of the church by renouncing the actions of the seventy-five who do not believe in war. What makes this interesting is the fact that the United Church, in 1938, adopted a position with respect to war identical with that to which the minority of seventy-five are now adhering. Here it is:
“The United Church of Canada declares its unchanging conviction that war is contrary to the mind of Christ. We believe armed warfare to be contrary to the spirit and teaching of Christ. As Christians we positively reject war, because war rejects love, defies the will of Christ and denies the work of man. We declare the basic principle of the supreme worth of human personality, the economic interdependence of the peoples of the world and the inherent oneness of mankind … Neither the state nor any other power has the right to compel a person to engage in what his conscience declares to be a sinful act. We pray that there may never be a clash of loyalties in this regard, but should there be, we hold with the early Church that a Christian must obey God rather than man, for only by so doing can he best serve man.”
The United Church of Canada was quite within its rights when going on record with the above statement. The failure of the majority to adhere to it when the test came is an illustration of one of the reasons why the fallen race can never hope, through their own efforts, to make real progress in establishing a genuine Christian civilization.
No matter how sincerely individuals or groups of individuals may work for the establishment of higher ideals in government and society, there are always forces at work which sabotage those efforts. Evil forces which many now personify in, the European dictators have ever been on the scene, and most of the time triumphant over the forces of good. Under the stress of emergencies the philosophy has usually been adopted “Let us do evil that good may follow.” We should not be hasty to censor individuals or governments for this, but to be sympathetic toward human weaknesses, and patiently wait and earnestly pray for God’s new order.
Rev. Dr. C.E. Silcox, director of the Canadian Conference of Christians and Jews, speaking recently, before the American Council of the World Alliance for International Friendship, holding its annual conference in the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City, advocated “an active and effective organization for the maintenance of peace and the promotion of international justice.” According to a report published in the New York Herald Tribune, the Rev. Dr. William W. Judd, general secretary of the Council for Social Service of the Church of England in Canada, “agreed with Dr. Silcox and. said that true fellowship throughout, the world would not be realized until world unity was attained. Reporting on the activity of churches in Canada, he said that the Gospel of Christ and love was being preached ‘even though the country is engaged in a life and death struggle.’”
At the same conference the Right Rev. George Ashton Oldham, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Albany, N.Y., who is president of the alliance, called for redoubled efforts for peace despite the “difficulties of travel, exchange and the constantly, changing map of Europe. There is no blinking the fact,” Rev. Oldham said, “that we have failed. The churches, the peace societies, the League of Nations, the efforts of all idealists working and hoping for a peaceful world—all have failed.”
“All the blame must not be placed on these organizations,” Rev. Oldham said, “because nations failed to follow “paths they indicated. Their labors have not gone for naught, for the seeds of good will and fellowship sown by this and other such societies may yet result in the building of a fairer world.”
Let us not question the sincerity of those who have labored for peace. Let us not blame them because their efforts admittedly have failed. Let us rather rejoice that the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom of peace is not to depend upon the feeble efforts of humanly organized groups of idealists who lack the power to put into operation the ideals which they sponsor. When God foretold the birth of Jesus to be the Prince of Peace; He emphasized the fact that “the Government shall be upon His shoulder.”—Isa. 9:6
Furthermore, after assuring us that of the increase of Christ’s Kingdom and peace there shall be no end, God reaffirms the fact that this world-wide domination of the Kingdom of righteousness will not be brought about by peace societies or councils of good will, but rather that “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Herein lies our real hope that “the desire of all nations shall come.”
Without this divine assurance of victory for the forces of peace and righteousness we would be obliged to take refuge in the slim comfort afforded by the wish that some day all that has been said and done for peace will bud and bring forth fruit. This may be better than no hope at all, but how much better to be able to rest our faith on the infallible Word of God, and be fully assured that God’s Word which has gone forth out of His mouth shall not return unto Him void, but as God Himself has said, “It shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”—Isa. 55:11
When the angels announced the birth of Jesus they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and good will towards men.” Because there has been practically no genuine peace on earth since these words were first spoken, today worldly wisdom offers a distorted translation of the Greek text which makes the angelic message read, “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth among men of good will.” As men of good will have always been in the minority there has of course been very little peace. But we do not need to wrest the Scriptures in this manner in order to make them conform to the truth.
This message of the angels is a prophecy of what will be accomplished by the Prince of Peace when the sovereignty of earth is transferred from the kingdoms of this world to Him “whose right it is.” This will be a token of God’s good will toward the children of men, a good will that was previously demonstrated by the gift of His beloved Son to be man’s Redeemer.