| News and Views | December 1942 |
The World to Come
WITH the recent series of victories for the United Nations there has come a renewal of interest in what will be the character of the post-war world. Voices are heard from all quarters of the earth saying what the new world must be and must not be. These voices are in agreement on only one point, namely, that the pre-1914 order of things cannot and should not be reestablished. The peoples of the earth are witnessing the dying struggles of that world, and there were so many things about it that were wrong that very few are feeling especially sorry that it is almost dead.
But while there is agreement that the old world must be done with forever, the wise men of the earth are expressing very divergent opinions as to what the shape of the new world should be. Much now being said is by those holding no official positions in the affairs of the nations that will give them a right to express their views at the forthcoming peace conference, if and when it is held. True, Messrs. Roosevelt and Churchill framed and signed the Atlantic Charter, which was supposed to be at least a skeleton outline of what the new order should be, but of late these high officials are not saying much on the subject; and what has been said, especially by Mr. Churchill, has been disappointing to a lot of people. We refer to his announcement that he was conducting Britain’s war with the thought of holding on to British possessions and keeping the British Empire from falling apart.
Outstanding among the recent efforts of the people to discover the secret of how to establish a new order that will really assure lasting peace and economic security for all nations, was a Forum conducted under the auspices of the New York Herald Tribune. The proceedings of most of this Forum were broadcast throughout the nation, and some of the speeches were beamed to Europe by short wave. President Roosevelt gave the closing talk. Other notable speakers were Sir Stafford Cripps (whose speech was short-waved from London. to the conference room in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and then re-broadcast to the nation); Wendell Willkie, and many others. Commenting editorially on Mr. Willkie’s speech, the Passaic, New Jersey, Daily News observed that while he may have slightly lifted the mists of uncertainty that hang over the future, the dark clouds are still concealing from the people what is actually to be the character of the post-war world.
Mr. Willkie, as all know, has recently returned from a world tour in which he visited many of the distressed nations of earth, including Russia and China. Since his return he has made some startling statements—not startling if made by a Communist or a Socialist, but unusual indeed for a capitalist and industrialist such as Mr. Willkie. He has said, for example, that a castle set on a hill and surrounded with the huts of serving peasants, has lost its appeal for most people. This symbolic statement has been interpreted to mean that Mr. Willkie is coming out for some sort of a share-the-wealth solution for the world’s problems.
In Mr. Willkie’s speech at the Herald Tribune Forum he bitterly criticized Mr. Churchill’s remarks about the British Empire holding its own after the war. In view of this, some have thought that his castle set on a hill may be official London, and the surrounding huts of peasants, Great Britain’s colonial possessions. At any rate, Mr. Willkie’s visit with Joseph Stalin and Chiang Kai-Chek did something to him so that he no longer talks like the leader of the conservative Republicans that he used to be. It is true, as some editors have observed, that it is unlikely Mr. Willkie will be sitting at the peace table following the present global war, hence his views cannot now be considered as official. Nevertheless, when men of his standing in the world begin to talk like left-wing radicals it is bound to have more effect in swaying public sentiment than if the same things were said by men like Earl Browder.
Mr. Willkie is not alone among the notables who are advocating radical changes for the new world. Mr. Wallace, the Vice-President, is doing likewise, and his views are being carried into the hearts of the downtrodden people of earth on the wings of his homely slogan of a quart of milk a day for everybody. Mr. Wallace has correctly identified the cause of present world chaos as being the sudden increase of knowledge that has come to the masses of the people during the last hundred years. He says that this has started the common people on the march for freedom and to obtain their share of the bounties of earth. The Prophet Daniel was twenty-five hundred years ahead of Mr. Wallace in announcing this fact.—Daniel 12:1-3
Still others of note are taking up a similar theme song of a better world to come. In this connection we quote from Paul Mallon’s column, “The News Behind the News”:
“Mr. Wallace, the Vice-President, Thomas Mann, the greatest living literary artist; Archibald MacLeish, the political poet laureate, and others of that wing, are crusading among the intellectuals of this country in favor of eradicating every selfish impulse in the future world, and making all nations live hereafter in some form of selfless, God-loving state, yet unsystematized in their minds. They have even promoted a new Bill of Rights. It was issued by the National Resources Planning Board, and contained such unspectacular suggestions as ‘the right to work, to fair play, to eat,’ etc.”
Sir Stafford Cripps, prominent left-wing diplomat in the British Government, apparently doesn’t think that it will be possible to establish a “selfless, God-fearing” society of nations after the war, for in his message to the Herald Tribune Forum he advocated that the whole world be policed by a mighty army provided with fighter and bombing planes in sufficient quantities to put down rebellious aggression wherever it might raise its ugly head. He thought there should be some sort of United States of Europe, similar to the United States of America and the United Republics of Russia. Aside from this Sir Stafford Cripps had no clear idea of what could be done to assure lasting peace among the nations.
Among the many voices which are advocating this, that, or the other form of a post-war world, are those crying for a solution of the Jewish problem; which indeed is a problem of global magnitude. A recent editorial in the New York Journal-American expresses the thoughts of many along this line. We quote it in part, as follows:
“We are being confronted with all sorts of ‘post-war’ projects—some of them Utopian, others highly desirable and even essential.
“One of the most important of these problems—the ‘Jewish Problem’ as it is called—fairly cries for serious consideration at the present time.
“In fact one of the definite objectives of the war would be an honest and adequate settlement of this Jewish problem, which is vexing the” Jews themselves as much as anyone else.
“There are many Jews throughout the world who seek a homeland. They seek the cultural and political union which a nation of their own would give them. This is a legitimate and normal aspiration. It means physical and spiritual expansion.
“This war (and the peace treaty that will naturally follow) seems to offer a great opportunity to solve, or to go far toward solving, this aspiration of many Jews. The Jews should receive in the peace negotiations a country of their own—and a great country for a great nation and a great people.”
In reading this editorial we were reminded of a statement made some years ago by an orthodox Rabbi of New York City, and prominent in the World Zionist Movement. It was at the time when Great Britain was showing signs of not living up to the terms of the Balfour Declaration concerning Palestine as a homeland for the Jews, and this Rabbi remarked that orthodox Jews (those who believe in the inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures) place their trust in God’s declaration to give them Palestine, not the Balfour Declaration.
This declaration of faith in God’s promises might well be applied today with respect to the manner in which all the problems of the nations are to be solved. The hope for a world to come “wherein dwelleth righteousness” is based upon the promises of God. And, despite the chaos and uncertainty of the present, and the inability’ of human wisdom to pierce the gloom that. shrouds the future, God’s promises assure us that the world to come is to be one in which
“Peace shall lift her sceptre high,
And Love’s fair banner greet the eye.”
The significant thing about all the present discussion about the new world is the fact that there is such discussion. In the first place, it reflects a recognition of the fact that the old world cannot survive. It means that the people realize the need of a better world, a world in which both Jews and Gentiles, white, black and yellow peoples, can have security and peace and happiness. Prior to 1914 only a few pioneering radicals were heard expressing sentiments of this kind, and in many instances these voices were silenced by the old-world powers.
“The desire of all nations” is to come, but first the great shaking of the “time of trouble” must accomplish its purpose of convincing the peoples of earth that only in God’s way can they expect to enjoy the fulfillment of their desires for security and peace. (Hag. 2:7) And while the nations have suffered much from the result of selfishness since the outbreak of the first World War, they have not as yet learned well the lessons they must learn before they are ready to say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.”—Micah 4:1-4
We can’t overlook the fact that among the voices that are now advocating some sort of new world order are those emanating from Tokyo and Berlin. Japan wants a new order for Asia, which, of course, from the standpoint of the Japanese, must be dominated by the Land of the Rising Sun. Hitler wants a new order for Europe, which, as he sees it, must be controlled from Berlin. These “strong nations afar off” still need considerable rebuking by the Lord before they are ready to accept the rule of righteousness which will be the Kingdom of Christ. Some American writers are suggesting that apparently the people of the United States are doing more talking about a Utopian world order following the war than are the people of other countries. Along this lime we quote again from Paul Mallon’s column, “The News Behind the News”:
“While Messrs. Willkie and Wallace agitate, Mr. Churchill pledges himself to the maintenance of the British Empire (including India?) and Stalin—ah yes, Stalin, whose democratic ideals were lauded by Mr. Wallace, speaks not a word about Democracies, or Atlantic Charters, or Bills of Rights, or Russia’s plans for post-war. He did not send anything to the New York Herald Tribune Forum.
“Apparently, we—we good Americans—are the only nationality in the world talking about building international TVA’s, international banks, giving a quart of milk a day, ‘global states,’ ‘world unity.’ No one else is.”
From this we gather that when the time does come for the warring nations to gather around the peace table there may be such a divergence of opinion as to what ought to be done and ought not to be done, that the hopes of a new and united world order of peace and security may be far from realized. Apparently selfishness will still influence the deliberations and decisions of most of the world’s statesmen; and selfishness in the end will ruin any sort of solution for world problems that may be based upon it.
It seems reasonable to suppose, however, that some sort of peace will finally be agreed upon; and perhaps mankind will be permitted temporarily to try out some kind of new order, and see it fail, that they may finally learn the lesson that only in God’s way can lasting peace and happiness be secured and maintained. The prophecies make it clear that we are living in the last days of the rule of sin and selfishness; that the time is near for the establishment of a new order which will be under divine control. God’s new order will triumph because, first, it will be backed up by divine authority and power; and second, because it will be based upon love instead of selfishness.
The framework of God’s world to come is briefly outlined in Isaiah 32:1, which reads, “Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” The “King” here mentioned is Jesus, the “King of kings.” Associated with Him in that divine rule will be 144,000 associate kings—those from among all nations who have suffered and died with Him in order that they might live and reign with Him. (Rev. 5:10; 20:40) These associate kings will share the divine nature with Jesus, hence will be invisible to mankind. Just as Satan has been the invisible, but powerful ruler of the world that is now dying; so Christ and His church will be the invisible rulers of the world to come. Satan’s rule, however, has been based upon sin and selfishness, while the rule of the divine Christ will be based upon righteousness and love.
Representing the divine rulers of the world to come, will be the “princes” who “shall rule in judgment.” These “princes” are also mentioned in Psalms 45:16 (where the appointment to their official position is mentioned), and also in Psalms 47:9. This whole Psalm is descriptive of the joys of Messiah’s Kingdom. Jesus, in Matthew 8:11, identifies these princes or teachers of the people as being the resurrected ancient prophets and others of the period preceding Christ’s first advent. In Hebrews the 11th chapter they are also mentioned, their faithfulness described, and their better resurrection at the hands of the church foretold.
This, in brief will be the setup in God’s new order. Miracles will be required in order to establish it, but only miracles can save fallen man from the result of his sin and selfishness. And God’s world to come will bring peace to the people because its foundations will be laid in righteousness. God’s spirit—the spirit of love and justice and mercy—will then be “poured out” upon the nations, and will become the dominating influence in all the affairs of men. Concerning the results of this, first on behalf of Israel restored to God’s favor, and then on behalf of all nations, the prophet writes:
“Until the spirit be poured out from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteous shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”—Isaiah 32:15-18