| News and Views | February 1945 |
“When Ye See These Things”
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.”—Jeremiah 25:32
OUR text is one of the prophetic descriptions of the development of what the Prophet Daniel describes as a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) Jesus, in His preview of events at the end of the age, quotes from Daniel’s prophecy and indicates that the trouble would mean “distress of nations with perplexity.” (Luke 21:25) Jesus also said that when we see these things begin to come to pass, we should look up and lift up our heads, knowing that our deliverance draws near.
Every follower of the Master who is praying for God’s Kingdom to come, and God’s will to be done on earth, should welcome every bit of evidence which indicates that his hopes are nearing fulfillment. It is only those who do not understand what the hope of the Kingdom means for the church and the world who insist that world upheavals of the last thirty years are merely matters of history repeating itself, hence do not relate to the fulfillment of prophecy. Undoubtedly, however, there are many of “these things” which can now be seen by watchers in Zion, and this is a great cause of rejoicing.
The military setback on the western front in France; the civil war in Greece; the disagreement among the United Nations concerning policies in Italy, Belgium, Greece and Poland; have all helped to arouse millions of people to a fresh realization of how serious the trouble is through which the world is now passing, and that victory over the German and Japanese war machines will come far short of assuring a genuine and prosperous peace to all nations.
The unusual developments of the last few weeks both in the military and the political fields are, however, but incidents in a larger picture of world disintegration, and have meaning in connection with the prophecies only when viewed in the light of the larger pattern of events. Our text outlines part of that pattern, explaining that the trouble goes forth from nation to nation. It is not a trouble, in other words, which strikes all nations simultaneously, and in exactly the same manner. The Apostle Paul explains another feature of the time of trouble, saying that it comes in spasms as travail upon a woman with child.
These two prophecies, one explaining the nation-to-nation spread, and the other that the destructive trouble would come upon the world in spasms, together furnish a fairly comprehensive outline of the events foretold to occur in the “day of the Lord.” The general picture is that of a spasmodic surging of the elements of human society—political, national, social, and religious—with the outbursts of selfish and emotional disorders spreading from nation to nation, affecting and eventually engulfing the whole world.
One of the prophetic symbols used to illustrate the trouble is that of a fire which rapidly envelops the entire social structure. The Lord says that He will make a short work of destroying the old world. But it is well to remember that the terms “short” and “sudden,” as used in the prophecies, are in contrast with the thousands of years of the past when it seemed as though God was paying no attention to the increasing wickedness of the human race. A forty or fifty-year period, or even longer, would be “sudden destruction” as God counts time.
One of the names given by the Bible to the eventful periods of this trouble is the “day of vengeance”—God’s vengeance, of course. So complex and peculiar is the conflict of this day, however, that no one symbol could describe it. The Scriptures therefore employ many forceful symbols, such as battle, earthquake, fire, storm, tempest, and flood. It is the “Battle of that Great Day of God Almighty” when He gathers the nations and assembles the kingdoms to pour upon them His indignation, even all His fierce anger, for the Lord of hosts Himself mustereth the hosts of the battle.—Rev. 16:14; Zeph. 3:8;. Isa. 13:4
It is “a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great,” which shall shake, “not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Rev. 16:18; Heb. 12:26) It is as already noted, the “fire of God’s jealousy” which shall devour the whole symbolic earth and prepare the way for the Lord to turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon His name to serve Him with one consent.—Zeph. 3:8,9
In keeping with the battle symbol, the Scriptures describe not only a grim struggle between the forces of righteousness and unrighteousness, but also refer to the army of the Lord over which He is the Commander, and offer fairly definite hints describing the general characteristics of the struggle. Of necessity, what we say here is but a brief review of some principles involved. For a more detailed analysis of the subject we refer the reader to chapter 11 of the fourth volume of Studies in the Scriptures. From this chapter on page 541, we quote the following lucid description of this battle:
“The battle of the great day, like every other revolutionary war, has its stages of gradual development. Back of every indication of strife are the inspiring causes, the real or fancied national and individual wrongs; next comes a keen appreciation of those wrongs by those who suffer from them; then generally follow various attempts at reform, which, proving abortive, lead to great controversies, wars of words, divisions, strife of opinions, and finally to revenge and strife of arms. Such is the order of the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. Its general character is that of a struggle of light against darkness, of liberty against oppression, of truth against error. Its extent will be world-wide—peasant against prince, pew against pulpit, labor against capital: the oppressed in arms against injustice and tyranny of every kind; and the oppressors in arms for the defense of what they have long considered to be their rights, even when seen to be encroachments upon the rights of others.”
These words were written in 1897, forty-eight years ago. We believe it will be conceded that no one but a servant used of God could have interpreted so accurately the prophecies of the Bible as they have been fulfilled since that time. Pastor Russell, in his further treatise of the prophecies as set forth in Studies in the Scriptures, established the date 1874 as marking the beginning of the “day of vengeance,” and 1914 as the date which would witness the speedy overthrow of the kingdoms of this world. In volume two of Studies in the Scriptures, he refers to the advent of Communism and Socialism, and on page 101, after stating definitely that “The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty” was even then in progress, he says:
“If our vision be unobstructed by prejudice, when we get the telescope of God’s Word rightly adjusted we may see with clearness the character of many of the events due to take place in the ‘Day of the Lord’—that we are in the very midst of these events, and that ‘the Great Day of His Wrath is come.’”
When in the year 1914—the date pointed out in the prophecies as marking the close of Gentile Times—the first World War broke out and spread from nation to nation, Pastor Russell’s convictions concerning the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty were confirmed. Hence in September, 1916, he wrote:
“Our eyes of understanding should discern clearly the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty now in progress; and our faith, guiding our eyes of understanding through the Word, should enable us to see the glorious outcome—Messiah’s Kingdom.”—Reprints, p. 5951
Still later the same year, in an article published after his death, Pastor Russell wrote concerning the position of the Lord’s people in this day of trouble, saying:
“In the midst of the storm and battle of this great day of the Lord, they hear the commanding voice of the Lord of armies, and their hearts rejoice; for they have full confidence in His ability to bring order out of all the confusion.”—Reprints, p. 5989
The Lord’s Great Army
A very graphic prophetic description of the army used by the Lord in the great conflict of the day of vengeance is that of Joel 2:2-11. This description by the prophet is not of an undisciplined mob, which might be easily dealt with by those educated in the arts of war. It is rather the description of a mighty host, well armed and highly trained. On this point we quote again from volume four of Studies in the Scriptures, page 545:
“Where, then, we inquire, is there such an army, under present instruction and training—an army before which the earth (society) shall quake and the heavens (ecclesiastical) shall tremble (Joel 2:10) ; which shall boldly array itself against the conservative forces of Christendom, both civil and ecclesiastical, and hope even to cope with its present strength? Where is the army which in the near future will dare deny Christendom’s time-honored doctrines, its statecraft, and priestcraft? that will sullenly ignore all its anathemas, spurn its orders, and hurl back its thunderbolts of authority and organized power? that will face the roar of its Vesuvian artillery, defy its missiles of shot and shell, plow through its fleets of naval armaments, and, snatching the diadems from crowned heads, topple the kingdoms into the midst of the sea? that will set the heavens on fire, and melt the earth with fervent heat, thus making one vast universal wreck of the old order of things as predicted by the prophets?”
After questioning where such an army existed, the author then strongly suggests that it could well be made up of the armed forces of the various nations, and that when the time came they would rebel against their rulers and overthrow the governments which called them into the service. However, on page 546 he adds:
“Just what conditions and circumstances will be used of the Lord as His ‘voice’ of command to marshal this mighty army we may not now be able to clearly surmise.”
While in some respects this Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty was illustrated by the trouble which came upon the Jewish nation in A.D. 70-73; and also by the French Revolution at the close of the 18th century; when all of its phases are taken into consideration it is, as Pastor Russell explains, “without historic precedent.” (Vol. 4: p. 551) This being true, it was not possible to know in advance the long period involved in the time of trouble, nor is it yet possible to know this fully. We do know, however, that the severe phases of it have already lasted for more than thirty years. It should be obvious to all, we think, that a series of events stretching over this long span of time must of necessity be somewhat different in detail than would be the case if completed in a few months, or even a year or two.
How remarkably accurate Pastor Russell was in his suggestions concerning the progression of the time of trouble! Let us remind ourselves of one of the points he made definite in the light of events as he actually saw them unfolding. Among these was his statement, quoted above, that those with spiritual discernment could see that the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty was then in progress. This was not a prophecy, but an interpretation of prophecy being fulfilled.
Looking Backward
With this signpost as a guide let us examine briefly the developments of the last thirty years. In 1914, Europe was still governed by hereditary ruling houses. At the close of the first war, the powerful among these—those which really controlled the policies of continental Europe—were overthrown. Since then, many of the smaller royal houses have suffered the same fate; and now, the last remaining “legitimate” kings, nearly all of whom are in exile, are one by one awakening to the fact that they will probably never rule their countries again.
Now all this did not occur simultaneously in every country. Even as the war itself spread from nation to nation, as the prophecies foretold, so this aftermath of the war did the same. And as the trouble was to be in more than one spasm the 1914 spasm did not result in the completion of royalty’s downfall. It remained for the present spasm to accomplish this phase of God’s judgment against the nations.
Leeser’s translation of Isaiah 34:2,3, bears out very definitely the suggestion that the armed forces of the old world kingdoms (symbolized by mountains) would be utilized by God for the overthrow of the governments which brought them into existence. We quote: “For the indignation of the Lord is (enkindled) over all the nations, and His fury over all their army: he hath devoted them [to the work of destruction], he hath given them up to the slaughter. … and the mountains shall be melted through their blood.” How plain this is! true, as men look upon the struggle they see naught but the striving of nations and do not realize the extent to which the Lord is using it for the “melting” of the kingdoms of this world.—Psalm 46:6
The gigantic struggle of the 1914 war greatly weakened the nations. At its close the armies of Russia and Germany rebelled, and the crowned heads of these two most powerful kingdoms of Europe were overthrown—one was murdered, and the other was exiled in Holland until his death. Thus it becomes evident that whether armies fight each other on behalf of kingdoms, or turn against the governments which created them, the result is that of weakening, or “melting.” The same is true when armies engage in what we call “civil war.”
Incident to the great struggle, as Pastor Russell explains, various reforms are tried. So it was that in Russia Communism took the place of royalty, and in Germany a republic was set up. In 1914, Pastor Russell explained that the rising tide of Socialism was one of the main inspiring causes of the war then raging. (Reprints, p. 5516) It was the hope that the spirit of patriotism would halt the growth of this anti-royalty movement, but as that war drew to a close, revolutionary forces were in the saddle both in Russia and Germany. The war had but prepared the ground for its further development. But that was only the beginning. Since then every effort has been made, even to the use of armed might to put down the forces of revolution in Russia and elsewhere, but to little avail.
In Germany the new republic did not fare so well. Peace terms crippled the nation’s financial structure. Conditions ripened for the rise of anti-communist government under Hitler, which was looked upon by the conservative statesmen of Great Britain and elsewhere as their best safeguard against the spread of Communism from Russia. So Hitler was given encouragement to arm Germany for this purpose.
Thus there came into being two revolutionary forces; or, shall we say, a revolutionary and a counter-revolutionary force. In this latter Italy and Germany became allies. The two contending ideologies became emblematic of a worldwide division of sentiment, or we might even say of classes, described by the general terms, “right” and “left.” As the people lined up, some were further “right” and some were further “left” than others, but the line of demarcation has become more and more definite with the passing years.
While the rightists of Great Britain and elsewhere favored an armed Nazism and Fascism as a wall of protection against Communist Russia, the liberals, or leftists, could not be placated when Hitler got out of the bounds and attacked Poland, so England was forced to declare war. We know how the picture has unfolded since. The strategy of the status quo statesmen of the world has so failed that the much feared Communist Russia is now given help to break down the supposed wall of protection against it by some of the very nations which helped to build that wall.
German and Italian armies overran Europe, dislodging governments and creating fertile soil for the “underground” growth of Communism in all the occupied countries. Now that these countries are being liberated from German control, the liberal forces are demanding their rights. The civil war in Greece; the near-ousting of the monarchy in Italy; the political controversy in Belgium; the pact between Stalin and De Gaulle; the new Communist-inspired government in Poland; and the statement of President Roosevelt that he will follow a diplomatic policy left of center—meaning that he will favor the liberalists whenever possible—are but straws in the wind to indicate how vastly changed the world will be when the present war officially closes.
It is the general expectation in Washington diplomatic quarters that from now on Europe is facing a great deal of trouble in the way of civil wars, etc. Men have learned the art of guerrilla warfare and it seems probable that contending “underground” forces will rob the old Roman world of any real peace for some time to come. Thus two military spasms of the great time of trouble leave Europe in chaos.
Just as the ferment of Socialism was one of the contributing causes of the first World War, so throughout the years, national and international policies have been framed against a background of contending principles represented broadly in the progressive and reactionary movements of the world. It has been the old against the new; capital against labor; rightists against leftists; the haves against the have nots; “legitimate” governments against patriots (or as Churchill called those of Greece, “gangsters from the mountains”).
The national lineup has not been clear-cut ideologically, except, perhaps, in the case of Germany vs. Russia in the present struggle. This is because of the fact that in most countries these issues have not been settled internally. The struggle as a whole, however, continues, to break down legitimacy in government as well as class distinctions, while at the same time it prepares the way for the leftist forces of the world to come more and more to the fore. In other words, the general picture throughout the entire “Day of the Lord” is that of a “revolutionary war,” just as Pastor Russell indicates.—Vol. 4, p. 541.
The basis of it has been the real and fancied wrongs of a world order which must give way to the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom. It has been and continues to be a war of words, though long ago it developed also into a strife of arms—armed royalist nations largely to start with; and later, armed revolutionized governments fighting for ideologies. Still later it will doubtless deteriorate from a combat of nations into “underground” struggles within many of the nations now involved.
But the end is not yet—far from it! Undoubtedly the climacteric spasm of conflict will be more devastating than anything yet experienced, its impact destroying all that is left of the elements of this world, civil and ecclesiastical. Even so, it is not necessary to conclude that this spasm of anarchistic destruction will be identical in every detail all over the earth at the same time. It will, however, follow the same general pattern—liberty against oppression; poor against rich; labor against capital; pew against pulpit—but the details of the pattern will vary according to the differences of culture, traditions, religious beliefs and economic advantages of the various people involved.
Ezekiel 38 indicates that at the very close of the day of God’s wrath there will come an attack against the regathered Jews in Palestine by a group of nations out of the “north.” But there is much to be accomplished before that. Ecclesiastical elements of the world are still asserting themselves. Hitherto opposing sects, seeing the dangers ahead, are uniting for increased strength to hold back the rising tide of social change. As the Scriptures foretold, they are advocating and promoting a “confederacy,” because, like all the remainder of the world, their hearts are failing them for fear. (Isa. 8:9-12) We know, of course, that except for a temporary display of increased strength, all their federations will avail nothing.
Interpret the significance of evens as we will, the facts remain, that thirty years following the chronological close of the Gentile Times finds all the most powerful hereditary rulers of Europe dethroned, and most of the lesser ones without thrones or else in exile. It finds revolutionary forces, either “underground” or backed by Communist governments, pressing their gains and making a bold bid for complete control of the old Roman world.
The reactionaries, however, civil and ecclesiastical are still struggling with might and main to defeat the forces of revolution. It is well to watch what developments may result from this. To students of prophecy, the general picture of disintegration is such that it would be unwise to close our eyes to it. Specific events have and are occurring, but because they are spread out over a longer period of time, it is possible to overlook them.
Nor should we conclude that the great time of trouble is not yet upon the world simply because its devastations have not reached the United States. This country is affected, yes, but not yet to the same extent as Europe, the old Roman world. As Brother Russell has explained, it was those kingdoms which primarily were represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s image of Gentile dominion. However, the whole world must be humbled and prepared for Messiah’s Kingdom, and whatever it takes of trouble to accomplish this in America, will surely come as we get further into the Day of the Lord.
Yes, it is given unto us now, in the time of the Lord’s presence, to see many of “these things” coming to pass, which means that the time is short in which to make our calling and election sure. Even if we are not able to interpret correctly all the details of the prophecies, we can see enough to know that “our deliverance draweth nigh.” After all, that is the important thing to know, and knowing it, to give our whole attention to the important task of doing God’s will.
The deliverance of the church in the first resurrection will be followed quickly by the manifestation of Kingdom authority over the earth and the blessing of all mankind with the peace and security for which they have so long hoped and struggled. And while we are still this side of the veil, and have the liberty and opportunity to do so, let us be faithful in proclaiming the glad tidings of the Kingdom now so near.