| News and Views | November 1944 |
This Reeling Earth
“The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.”—Isaiah 24:20
OUR text is a graphic description of a topsy-turvy world order headed blindly and staggeringly toward inevitable destruction. In this same chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, almost all of which is similarly prophetic of the overthrow of Satan’s world, we are told that the earth is made empty, and is laid waste. The prophet also declares that the earth is turned upside down, and mourns. The same earth, according to this prophecy, is seen to fade away, and to be broken down, dissolved, moved exceedingly, and removed like a cottage.—Isaiah 24:1,4,19,20
The earth here mentioned is not this literal planet upon which we live. The term is used to denote what we call the world, or world order. In the fourth verse of the chapter, the words earth and world are used interchangeably. Just as the term earth is symbolic, so all the various expressions which are employed to describe how the symbolic earth is destroyed are also pictorial. The use of so many of them conveys the unmistakable thought that Satan’s world or empire is to be completely destroyed. Satan’s world must indeed be destroyed before God’s new world can be established—that world described by the Apostle Peter as one “wherein dwelleth righteousness.”—II Peter 3:13
There can be little doubt that we of the present generation are witnessing the foretold death-throes of a world order. It is what the Scriptures elsewhere describe as the end of the world. (Matt. 13:39) World distress incidental to the transitional changes now occurring have caused men and women of all nations to long for a new and better world. We can well understand the desire of the democracies to do all in their power to make sure that the new world will be a free and happy one. We are not speaking unduly disparagingly of human efforts when we say that there can be no ideal world order until the Kingdom of Christ is established.
It seems to us that there is nothing which should engender such hope and courage in the hearts of humanity today more than to know that out of all the chaos and trouble experienced by the present generation there is soon to emerge an era of genuine and lasting peace and joy. And it is just this that we can and should expect, not because man will finally triumph over his selfishness, but because God has intervened in the affairs of men, and will establish divine control over the nations. In the last verse of the chapter from which our text is taken, we are given the assurance that “the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.”—Isa. 24:23
Jerusalem was the capital city of Judea, and Zion hill in Jerusalem was where the government of Israel centered. The promise of God to reign in Zion would, therefore, denote actual God-control in human affairs. This symbolism of the divine Kingdom is mentioned many times in the prophecies of both the Old and New Testaments. In the 2nd Psalm, 6th verse, God declares, “Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” The Psalmist then explains that God’s King, who is Christ Jesus, will dash the nations to pieces like a potter’s vessel.
In the 14th chapter of Revelation, Jesus and His entire church are shown to be together on mount Zion. The prophecy of Obadiah in the Old Testament gives us the same portrait of the Kingdom, declaring that “Saviours shall come up on mount Zion, … and the Kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” It seems cleat from these references that the term Zion is used in the Scriptures to denote the exalted status of Christ and His church as they reign together for a thousand years to uplift and bless the sin-sick and dying world.
Micah 4:2 declares that “the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This is another of God’s promises in which the term Zion is used symbolically to represent the divine Christ. There is good reason to believe, also, that, the term Jerusalem is used here to describe the earthly or visible operations of the new Kingdom. The laws of that Kingdom emanate from Zion, that is, from Christ and His church. Hence there will be no need for legislators, because there will be no occasion to change or amend the laws—nor will new laws be needed to meet emergencies.
But these laws will need to he made known, and the people will need instruction in their proper application. This will be done through the earthly representatives of the Kingdom—“the word of the Lord” going forth “from Jerusalem.” Those who will represent The Christ in the “Jerusalem” activities of the Kingdom have already been selected by God, and prepared by Him for this high position of trust as world educators under Christ. In Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:27,28, they are identified by Jesus as being Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets. In Psalm 45:16 they are referred to as the fathers of Israel, and the promise is given that they shall be made “princes” in all the earth.
Should we view this Scriptural portrait of God’s new world from the human standpoint, it would probably seem quite impractical, and: we would have good reason to ask, Will it work? But we must remember that this is not a humanly devised Utopian arrangement. If it were only that, it would be a fool’s paradise indeed. But, thank God, it is His new deal for a sin-sick, war-weary world. The Creator of the universe, the great First Cause of all life, has planned it, and certainly He would not make promises to the human race which He is not able to fulfill.
Human Outlook Discouraging
When we study God’s plan for the future, we are inspired with hope and courage, but a hope that is based upon human plans and accomplishments is indefinite and weak. There is good reason to believe that the United Nations will ultimately defeat Germany and Japan, but beyond this nothing is certain. In fact, latest reports from Germany indicate that even after the official defeat of the Nazi armies, underground or guerilla warfare will be carried on with a view of harassing the conquerors.
Another uncertainty on the post-war horizon is the political and economic position to be taken by Russia. Millions also are wondering what attitude Russia will assume toward religion. The success of the Russian armies has placed the Communist government of Russia in a strategically important place among the nations, and it is reasonable to suppose that advantage will be taken of this to further the interests of Communism.
Fear of what might be Russia’s attitude as the European phase of the war drives on to a halt was punctuated by the capitulation of the Polish Patriot Army of Warsaw. This poorly equipped force at the command allegedly of the Polish government in exile rose up in rebellion against the German invaders, who had been holding Warsaw since almost the beginning of the war. The expectation of the Polish Patriot Army was that the Russian armies, approaching from the east, would co-operate, and that the combined effort would quickly liberate the city. But the Russians did not give any effective aid, and finally the Polish forces inside Warsaw were compelled to surrender to their German overlords.
The Russians excused their lack of co-operation on the ground that they were not prepared to follow through with what the Polish patriots had started. They permitted it to be assumed that the Polish government in exile had given the go-ahead signal and had acted without consultation with them, and that the uprising in Warsaw was premature. Perhaps it was, but back of this is the well-known fact that the Russian government does not wish to co-operate with the Polish government in exile. The Russians have set up a Polish government of their own which is favorable to Communistic ideals and principles.
The Polish government in exile, with headquarters in London, represents primarily the titled landowners of Poland, and it would seem that the Russians have decided that the old aristocratic order of things in Poland must not be permitted to survive. As is always the case, the Roman Catholic Church is closely allied with the old regime, hence Catholicism inside Poland is also threatened by the attitude of the Russian Communists. The fears of what may be the fate of religion inside Russia, and wherever the Russian influence is extended, have been somewhat allayed by a recent RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE report. There has been established by the Russian government what is called the “Soviet Council on Affairs of the Greek Orthodox Church.” As a companion to this body there is also the “Soviet Council on Affairs of Religious Cults,” which was organized to maintain contact with the predominant Russian church.
The chairman of the last mentioned council is Ivan Vasilievich Polyansky. He has stressed that all churches and faiths inside Russia are treated on an equal basis. He explains that total membership of the non-orthodox churches in Russia is very difficult to determine. The reason for this is that under Soviet law no religious census is taken. No applications for positions, nor state documents of any kind, carry questions concerning religious beliefs.
Aside from the Greek Catholic Church, there exist the following religious groups in Russia: Armenian-Gregorian, Old Believers, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Russian Baptist. In addition to these professed Christian groups, there are those of the Moskers, Jewish, and Buddhist faiths. The adherents of the Roman Catholic Church are located mostly in western Ukraine and White Russia. Some are also to be found in Lithuania, and a few in Latvia and Estonia. The Armenian-Gregorian Church has a center in the Achemiedzin Monastery, about fourteen miles from Erivan. The Old Believers have a center in Moscow. The Lutheran Church is limited chiefly to Latvia, Estonia, and the regions of Finland.
The Greek Catholic Church, located largely in the western provinces of Russia, has been almost completely under German rule for three years. With the recent liberation of Lwow, Poland, and the surrounding area, this group is again carrying on its work in freedom. The Greek Catholic Church is now headed by its new Metropolitan, Andrei Sheptitsky. Its adherents are located mainly in Galicia.
The announcement that all religious groups inside Russia are to be treated on an equal basis is good news to those who believe that freedom of religion should be guaranteed in the post-war world. However, the rigid application of this principle may not be too satisfactory to the Roman Catholic Church, to whom freedom of religion in the past has meant freedom for Catholics.
Polyansky, Chairman of the “Soviet Council on Affairs of Religious Cults,” in an interview with RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE, elaborated on the position of the Roman Catholic Church in Russia. He explained that Roman Catholics have the same rights as all other believers, and that the rules which govern the opening and maintenance of Catholic churches are the same as for other groups.
A question of vital concern to the Roman Catholic Church is the education of children. The Russian government in its laws separating church and state has decreed that the teaching of religion to minors is solely the prerogative of parents and the minors themselves. If priests are employed for the purpose, the instruction must be in private places, not for the general public. Polyansky emphasized that religious instruction cannot be given inside a church. “This,” he said, “would be against our established laws, which maintain that the church is given to the congregation for prayer purposes, and no other.”
Polyansky explained that there would be no objection to Catholics in Russia communicating with the Vatican on matters purely religious. He explained further that there would be no objection against holding a Catholic Congress for the selection of a cardinal by Catholics in Russia. This, seemingly, was a polite way of saying that a cardinal appointed by the Vatican would not be permitted to carry on his official work in Russia. At present the Soviet government prohibits the export of currency or other valuables, and Polyansky explained that no exception to this law would be granted to the Catholic Church, hence funds raised by the church inside. Russia cannot be sent to Rome.
Thus the pattern of a changing world gradually unfolds. The more that pattern is studied, the more apparent it becomes that Isaiah’s prophecy of a reeling, staggering world is being fulfilled. This is encouraging to those whose hopes are centered, not in the maintenance of the old world’s status quo, nor in a new world order formed by man, but in the Kingdom of God. Let us continue to pray for that Kingdom, knowing that when our prayers are answered there will be security, peace and joy for all, and that all will then “call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent,” because they will have come under the influence of God’s message of truth, and peace, and love.—Zephaniah 3:9