| News and Views | May 1942 |
The War of Survival
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT asked the general public for suggestions of a suitable name for the present world-wide strife of nations—a name that would be more descriptive than to merely call it World War Number Two. An Associated Press dispatch of April 14 stated that the President’s tentative choice was, “War of Survival.” He is reported as saying that he has virtually decided upon this title for the reason that the survival of all humanity hinges upon the outcome of this war. While the United nations continue to express confidence in final victory over the forces of aggression, yet the very fact President Roosevelt considers “War of Survival” a fitting title for the present struggle indicates the seriousness with which the conflict is viewed in high official circles.
As Christians we can and should sympathize with the desires of those who wish to see justice and righteousness triumph in the earth. Christians viewing the present conflict through the prophetic pages of the Scriptures are fully assured that there will be a survival of right because God has promised that the greatest display of might humanity has ever witnessed is to be allied on the side of right. This is to be divine might, the miracle-working power of the Almighty, intervening in world affairs to save the human race from the results of its own stubborn selfishness.
Speaking of the time of trouble with which the present age comes to an end, Jesus foretold that it would be so severe, so destructive, that unless those days be shortened, no flesh would be saved. The Master gives us the assurance that those days would be shortened, which means that humanity will not perish. Because this is true we can say to the fearful ones of earth, “Fear not; behold, your God cometh with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.”—Isaiah 35:4
The prophet’s statement that God “cometh with vengeance” is in harmony with the prophecies in general which describe the present transition period in which the old world is falling apart and a new world is coming into being, as the “day of vengeance” that is, of God’s vengeance, not against humanity, but against the evil ways of humanity. (Isa. 34:8; 61:2; 63:4; 51:6; Jer. 51:6; Rev. 14:4; 18:2-4,20,21; Zeph. 3:8,9) It is God’s vengeance expressed against evil institutions and evil practices, but is really on behalf of humanity in that the object is to deliver the people from the evils of selfish aggression and oppression.
The human race has had little experience with divine intervention in its affairs, and for that reason the vast majority have little faith that such a thing ever will occur. There have, of course, been a few instances in which divine power interfered with the sinful and selfish pursuits of men. This occurred at the time of the Flood; in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, and in the many defeats of Israel’s enemies, etc. God’s life-giving power has also been demonstrated in the past. The Prophets Elijah and Elisha raised the dead. (I Kings 17:17-23; II Kings 4:32-37) Jesus and His apostles healed the sick and raised the dead. But during this age of faith God’s power has seldom been manifested in these outward ways.
The fact of non-intervention in the affairs of men during past ages seems to be alluded to in Isaiah 42:14, where the Lord says, “I have long time holden My peace; I have been still, and refrained Myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.” In the preceding verse we read, “The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies.” Here we have the assurance that while the Lord has refrained from taking a stand against the enemies of righteousness, yet that this is no longer to be so; that now He goes forth to battle, stirring up jealousy among the nations and speaking, or crying to them “like a travailing woman.”
This prophecy is undoubtedly descriptive of the “day of vengeance,” sometimes referred to in the Bible as the “day of the Lord.” It is so designated by the Apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 5:1-4. The apostle, in keeping with Isaiah’s prophecy quoted foregoing, also speaks of the “travail” that comes upon the world in this “day of the Lord.” Isaiah says that the Lord would cry like a travailing woman, and Paul declares that in the day of the Lord “sudden destruction” would come upon the world, “like travail upon a woman with child.” We get from this that when God breaks His long silence by speaking to the world, the first manifestation to the people is in the trouble that comes upon the institutions which they have set up.
THE PATTERN OF THE TROUBLE
Paul’s prophecy of the “sudden destruction” which was to come “like travail upon a woman with child” furnishes part of the pattern of the great “time of trouble” with which Satan’s world comes to an end. (Dan. 12:1; Matt 24:21,22) It indicates, that like travail, the trouble comes in spasms. It is a well recognized fact today that the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 marked the beginning of the end of a world. The time prophecies of the Bible had pointed out 1914 as the end of “Gentile Times,” and the date when divine intervention in world affairs would begin to be felt. See Daniel 2:44.
The destruction that began in 1914 did not continue—it was but a spasm, which was followed by a measure of easement; although; the groundwork for the next seizure was laid in Europe even before the first spasm was over. The financial collapse of 1929 was an inevitable aftermath of the war, and was closely related to the economic dislocation of world relations resulting from the revolutions in Russia and Germany which brought the first war to an end. As will be recalled, the armies of these nations overthrew their rulers and new forms of government were established.
The second major military spasm began in the summer of 1939, and since then has continued to spread until the uttermost parts of the earth are now involved. Many students of prophecy hold that there are to be three of these major spasms of trouble, designating them as War, Revolution and Anarchy—the last representing the complete breakdown of man’s efforts to rule himself. This seems like a reasonable way of identifying the various spasms of trouble which prepare the world for Messiah’s Kingdom, and if we take into consideration other prophecies which chart the development of the trouble, the results fit well into the picture of things as they have actually occurred beginning with that memorable year 1914.
One of the prophecies much to the point in this connection is that of Jeremiah 25:30-33. The 32nd and 33rd verses read, “Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth.” The nation-to-nation spread of the “evil” is, we think, a significant part of this prophecy, and helps materially to chart the development of events of this day of the Lord. Keeping this explanation in mind in connection with the remainder of the prophecy it would indicate that while the trouble is to be world-wide, we are not to look for a spontaneous world-wide outbreak of evil in connection with any of the “spasms.”
Looking back now to 1914 we see how the nation-to-nation spread of the first spasm actually occurred. To begin with, only two nations in Europe were involved. But the prophet said that it would “go forth from nation to nation,” and it did. By 1917 it had become a World War—although not as completely so in point of geographical conflict as the present “War of Survival.” In the 31st verse of this chapter we are told that the Lord has a “controversy with the nations,” and that He will “plead with all flesh.” The text also says that “He will give them that are wicked to the sword.” Here we have a hint that while all nations become involved, yet that the degree of wickedness on the part of each will be the measure of punishment endured. God does not intend to destroy from the earth that which is in harmony with Him.—Hebrews 12:26,27
The second military phase of the trouble also started between two nations in Europe (north from Palestine), and it, like the first, has gone forth from nation to nation, until now it has become more of a world conflict than the one which began in 1914. The present is a war of ideologies, as well as a struggle for territorial and commercial rights. Two of the ideologies prominently involved in the struggle are National Socialism and Communism; the Axis powers promoting the former and Russia the chief sponsor of the latter. These two revolutionary movements sprang out of the first spasm of trouble and the economic breakdown in Europe that followed.
While there is little likelihood that either National Socialism or Communism will ever prevail in this country, yet the present spasm of world-wide trouble is forcing changes in governments the world over—so much so, in fact, that now it is freely admitted that there must be a complete new world after the war. It seems quite clear that by the time the present spasm of trouble is over, there will be little, if anything left of the pre-1914 governments of Europe, and of many other parts of the world. A new world is indeed in the offing.
“FROM THE NORTH”
Another set of prophecies which help to fill in the pattern of events in the “day of the Lord” are those which identify the “evil” as coming from the North, or North Country. (Jer. 1:14,15) And these prophecies also furnish some of the details of what apparently will be the final phase of the struggle, namely, a murderous attack upon God’s ancient people in Palestine. That this will be the final phase of the trouble seems clearly shown by the fact that in it divine intervention occurs and Israel is saved. As a result of this the eyes of the nations are opened to behold the glory of the Lord, and from then on the Messianic Kingdom begins to function for the blessing of the people. See Ezekiel 38:22,23.
Ezekiel’s prophecy reveals that the forces which assault Jerusalem come from the “North.” Other prophecies show that in the regathering of Israel, many of them come from the North. These many and varied prophecies relating to the North refer geographically to countries north of Palestine. It has long been thought that the prophecies which speak of the regathering of Israel from the North speak principally of Russia, where so many of the Jews have resided throughout the centuries. But it is probably difficult to tie these prophecies down to one particular country, nor is it necessary to do so in order to see the pattern of events as they have developed since the end of the Gentile times in 1914.
Looking back to that year we find it to be an actual fact that to date the spasms of trouble upon a dying world have originated, geographically, in countries north of Palestine, that is in Europe. This was true of the First World War, and it was true of the present “War of Survival.” In a book written about fifty years ago, Houston Stewart Chamberlain, a nephew of the late Neville Chamberlain, the Celts and Slays, as well as the Teutons, are all referred to as “Teutonic peoples,” and are claimed to be the people from which the present inhabitants of Northern Europe are descended. In some of the prophecies, nations—in the plural—are referred to as participating in the events which have their origin in the North.
As events develop the details of these prophecies will become more easily identified; and it would be unwise, we believe, to attempt to interpret them minutely before they are fulfilled. But we can safely look backward to what has occurred, and see how wonderfully it fits into the prophetic picture. Moreover, it is an undeniable fact that the necessary spirit of hate against the Jews exists in Europe today to precipitate the final phase of the trouble, which will be “Jacob’s Trouble.”—Jeremiah 30:1-11
While the present maneuvering of the world’s armies suggest the possibility of Palestine becoming the world’s central front in this “War of Survival,” and while it is interesting to note the frequent mention in the news of countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, etc., as alluded to in the prophecies, yet it isn’t unlikely that there will be a period of easement following the present spasm, during which preparations will be made for the final struggle. Meanwhile the great increase of knowledge of the last days has created a desire for liberty on the part of the people of all nations, which means that the present repressive governments of Europe cannot hope to maintain their hold upon the people. This will, in due time, lead to general chaos, from which the people will be saved only by divine intervention through Messiah’s Kingdom.
The prophecies indicate that Messiah’s Kingdom will become manifest and finally take control over the whole earth in much the same way as the trouble of the day of the Lord has spread, namely, from nation to nation. It will start at Jerusalem, when the Lord rises up to fight for Israel as He did in the days of old. The enemies of Israel will there be defeated and scattered. Following this, as we read in Zechariah 14:15,16, those who are left of the nations which were Israel’s enemies will fall into line with the new Kingdom at Jerusalem. It is said of those who hold back, that upon them there shall be no rain—in other words, the means of fruitfulness, plenty and blessing.
This and other prophecies seem to clearly indicate a certain lapse of time before all the far-flung nations of earth come wholly under the divine authority of the Messianic Kingdom centered in Palestine. One of these prophecies speaks of “ten men,” evidently envoys from their respective countries, who take hold of the skirts of him who is a Jew, saying, we will go with thee for we have heard that God is with thee. Here, too, time is implied. It indicates that information of what is transpiring in Palestine has reached other nations, and that upon the basis of this, they have decided to “go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord.”—Zech. 8:23; Micah 4:1-4; Isa. 2:2-4
And great will be the rejoicing of the people the wide world over when thus they accept divine rulership over them. Speaking of the Messiah, the prophet declares that “of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9:6,7) In this promise we can put our trust. We want to see truth and righteousness and liberty triumph in the earth, and by these wondrous promises of God’s Word we are assured that they will. God is on the side of right, and ultimately and inevitably right will prevail.