Seeking God in a Chaotic World

OUR generation has witnessed two global wars. They were waged, we were told, to make an end of war, to make the world safe for democracy, and to give the peoples of the earth freedom from want, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom from fear. Not one of these objectives has been realized. Countless millions of the earth’s population are living on near starvation rations, millions are shut up behind an iron curtain of censorship so rigid that there is practically no free expression of thought, and little freedom of religion. The world has not been made safe for democracy, and besides, the people of all nations are living in almost constant fear of what tomorrow might bring in the way of further economic hardships, and the possibility of another devastating war in which atomic bombs will wreck the cities and destroy the populations of all nations.

It is this condition of things which caused a mother in Salt Lake City to write to a newspaper columnist as follows:

“In these frightening times I want to find God, for myself and for my children. It is terrifying to have to bring them up in a world where everything is so difficult and so uncertain. My husband and I have no foolish hope of making the future secure for the children, or attempting to predict what the future will be. What we hope now is to prepare them for whatever may come, and have them accept it courageously. And if we, and they, could find God, would that not be the greatest of all possible safeguards?”

But this mother doesn’t want anyone to think that she has failed to find God because she has neglected to attend church, for she says:

“I don’t just mean going to church and Sunday School. I’ve done that, and it never has meant anything to me. My people, and my husband’s, too, were religious in a lifeless, polite sort of way, and they weren’t one bit better than the neighbor who never went near a church. My brothers are good and successful men, and they long ago dropped all pretense of believing in anything spiritual, or rather, believing in the churches, as necessary. But they, like my husband, do actually believe in God, though they don’t say much about it. What puzzles us is what to give, what to tell our children. If we are going to tell them the story of a. leader whose law is love, forgiveness, meekness, sharing, then how can we defend our own life or the lives of all the other church-going people who give an hour a week to a sort of courtesy call on God, and show absolutely no difference in any other way, going right on with law suits, scandals, and money-seeking materialism.”

This is a very revealing and heart-searching appeal, and without doubt it represents the feelings of countless millions in this chaotic world of today—a world that was supposed to be Christian, but which is falling apart and leaving the people terror stricken because it has been so un-Christian. But let us hear this baffled mother reveal further the dilemma with which she is confronted, as she attempts to apply reason to what she sees occurring, and harmonize it with the claims of Christianity:

“If we were really Christian, shouldn’t slums and poverty, social injustices and inequalities have been blotted out long ago, and the whole so-called Christian world be living in peace and forgiveness with its neighbors? If, you have found the answer, it seems to me that is the most important secret that anyone could impart to those of us who still, to use the old phrase, walk in darkness, and want so terribly to find the light.”

What is the answer to this paradoxical situation which confronts the professed Christian world of today? Well, first of all, it is essential to recognize the fact that what has been called a Christian world is not Christian, and never has been. This mother gets right at the core of the matter when she asks, If we were really Christian wouldn’t slums and poverty be abolished, and wouldn’t we have peace on earth instead of hate and ill-will? Of course we would! And the revealing thing about this is that the world has never enjoyed these Christian conditions. We have had the name Christian, but very little of its real spirit, especially in the case of international disputes. As a matter of fact, many of the bloodiest wars of history have been fought in the name of Christ, but utterly contrary to his spirit and teachings.

Are we to conclude from this, then, that Christianity is a failure? By no means! Christianity has not failed in the world because it has never been tried. But some may ask, Is not the fact that Christianity has not been practiced by the nations, in itself a failure of the divine purpose in Christ? No, because it was not the divine plan for the world, as constituted by men, to be made Christian. The disciples of Jesus were called out of the world, and nowhere in the Scriptures is it indicated that the Christian’s work has been to bring the world into the church and make it Christian.

In Jesus’ day he spoke of the world as being under the rulership of Satan, whom he referred to as its prince. The Apostle Paul wrote that Satan is the god of this world. The Apostle John wrote that Christians are not to love this world, and as Jesus indicated, we are to keep separate from it. Instead of its being the divine plan that this world over which Satan is the ruler should be made Christian and accept the ruler ship of Christ, the prophecies of both the Old and New Testament point out that at the end of this present age the world comes to an end. If God expected that it would become a Christian world there would be no occasion for its coming to an end.

And now that this present world, or order of things—as the term world most frequently means in the Scriptures—IS coming to an end—falling apart through the weight of its own sin and selfishness—it is but natural that those who were led to believe it was a Christian world should be confused. Much of the cause for confusion vanishes simply by facing the fact that what we see coming to an end is not a Christian world, even though it has had the name Christian erroneously applied to it.

In the newspaper columnist’s reply to this perplexed mother it was urged that she have faith in God, that this would solve her problem. This was good advice. But the mother indicated that she and her husband—and her whole family, in fact—already believed in God. What she wanted to know was what God is doing about this terrifying situation that confronts the confused peoples of the earth today—whether or not he is interested in the human race, and how we can trace his hand in the affairs of men.

The Bible really furnishes the answer to all these questions, but to be comforted by those answers it is necessary to have faith in the promises of God, and faith in his great plan of the ages which comprehends blessings for all the peoples of earth. First of all, then, let us note a fact or two that should help to increase our faith in the Word of God. The very language this distressed mother uses in the opening sentence of her appealing letter is a fulfillment of prophecy. She uses the expression, “In these frightening times.” Jesus foretold this frightening time, explaining that there would be upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, and that the hearts of the people would fail them for fear as they looked forward to the things coming upon the earth. How true this is of the very conditions in the earth today!

And this prophecy at the same time reveals that Jesus did not expect the world would become Christian, and that peace and good will would reign everywhere. Instead of this, Jesus raised a question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) The implied answer to this question is No, that instead of faith, there would be almost universal unbelief, and this, too, we see is true of the present time.

The Prophet Daniel foretold our day as one in which there would be a great increase of knowledge, and much running to and fro in the earth, that is, much and rapid travel. We see how wonderfully this prophecy also has been fulfilled. No matter which way we turn we are confronted with the evidence that knowledge has increased, and that people are running to and fro. Almost every day we hear of new inventions and discoveries, and almost every day we learn of improved and faster means of travel.

Within the last few weeks we have been reading and hearing about the new jet fighter planes which travel nearly 700 miles an hour. And it is in keeping with the prophecies that oftentimes the first use to be made of these new inventions is for purposes of war. The jet plane is first a fighter plane rather than a peace plane. Atomic energy is first used to destroy what the Apostle Paul described as “this present evil world.”—Gal. 1:4

But these facts should not discourage us, nor cause us to lose faith in God or his Word. The reverse should be true. They should help us to realize that God, who knew the end from the beginning, foresaw the times in which we are living, and foretold them through his prophets in order that his people might know their position on the stream of time and have faith in the outworking of the divine plan to bring about the blessing of the people which he promised through his Word.

Not a single item of the divine plan has miscarried or failed. It is only because God’s plans have been misunderstood, and because the professed followers of Jesus have attempted to do things in his name which he did not authorize, that they have become confused and now wonder what has happened to Christianity. The plan of God, according to the Scriptures, was to establish a rulership over this earth in which his Son Jesus would be the chief Ruler, the King of kings. But the Scriptures also reveal that it was the divine plan that a small number were to be selected from among the human race to reign with Christ. This company is scripturally designated the “church”—from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning “called out,” or selected. In Greece today, an election is called an ekklesia, that is, a selection of certain ones to fill certain offices.

So the divine plan was that throughout the nineteen centuries of the present age this work of selecting the church of Christ was to be done. The means of accomplishing this divine purpose has been through the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. Those who have accepted this true Gospel, and have responded to the divine invitation to follow in the Master’s footsteps, suffering and dying with him, have been inspired with the promise that if faithful they shall live and reign with him. This work has gone grandly and victoriously on, and is now nearing completion.

Meanwhile—and Jesus foretold this also—a counterfeit kingdom of Christ was conceived back in the Dark Ages, and brought into being by the union of church and state. It was called Christendom—that is, Christ’s kingdom. Here in America we have held aloof from the church-state systems which gave the name Christendom to the devil’s world, but the name has been retained, and now millions, like the mother in Salt Lake City, are bewildered because as a nation we don’t act like Christians.

However, this counterfeiting of the plan of God has not hindered the development of his purposes. Now that the calling and preparation of the true church of Christ—which has been the work of God during the present age—is nearly complete, we can look forward to the near future with the hope that the kingdom of Christ will be established, that there will be a real Christian world created in which peace and security and good will shall reign supreme. That new world order, which is to be established on the ruins of the world we see falling apart at the present time, will be the answer to every true Christian’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth even as it is in heaven.”

And when this truly Christian world is established it will mean more than merely economic security and international peace. With God’s will done in earth as it is in heaven, it will mean the end of sickness and death. Yes, it will mean even the resurrection of those who have died. The Apostle Paul wrote that Christ must reign until all enemies are put under his feet, and that the last enemy to be destroyed is Death.—I Cor. 15:25,26

So, to all who want to find God, we would say, study his Word, earnestly and prayerfully, and be prepared to believe his promises and to live in harmony with his righteous precepts. One of his promises is that those who seek shall find, but we must seek him where he is to be found, and that is in his inspired Word, where he has revealed himself and his loving plan to bless all the families of the earth.

Religion in the Schools

FROM time to time we have reported items in connection with the controversy raging in America between Catholics and Protestants. over the issue of teaching religion in the schools. Generally speaking, the Protestants seem willing, and in many cases belligerently determined, that the spirit of the Constitution be lived up to in this connection; while on the other hand there seems to be evidence that the Catholic Church often takes an opposite stand.

This attitude of the Catholic Church has been given impetus recently through a declaration by the Pope. According to The New York Times, Pope Pius has urged teachers to oppose what he describes as “pernicious attempts to separate religion and education,” and to combat “the exaggerated importance given to technical and material education.”

While all Christian people will agree with the Pope that the religious education of children should not be neglected, there are many who will insist that this is not the job of the public school teachers, that the first responsibility for this is with the parents. But regardless of our views as to how the religious education of children might be accomplished, there is no mistaking the meaning of the Pope’s words when he speaks of the separating of religion from education as being pernicious. This means, in effect, as the Pope sees it, that that part of the American Constitution governing the conduct of our public schools is pernicious. In view of this, it should not surprise any of us to note the efforts of the Catholic Church in this country to abridge the provisions of the Constitution in this respect.

There is no doubt, however, that a knowledge of religion—if it is truly the religion of the Bible—is a real asset in a person’s life. This is true of both young and old. In the Bible—and in the Bible alone—is to be found the true explanation of the present chaotic state of the world, and what the certain outcome is to be. Those who really know their Bibles have a wonderful hope for themselves, and also for their neighbors; for they know that God is overruling the destiny of men and of nations, and that soon he will manifest his interest in the human race through the medium of Christ’s kingdom, which by divine arrangement will extend blessings to all the families of the earth.

An Animal Story

ONE of the unusual news items which has come to our attention lately carries a British date line and tells of a church service held in Hereford, England, to which the congregation, and particularly the children, were invited to bring their pets. The service was attended by dozens of cats and kittens, ducks, chickens, guinea pigs, lambs, all sorts of dogs, and even a white mouse. About twenty horses were brought to the outside of the church, but the head usher decided they would be too large to occupy the pews, and that it would be better for them to enjoy their “standing room only” outside the building.

The minister of the church, during the course of his sermon said, “Animals and birds are a part of God’s creation, and there is nothing contrary to our Christian religion in the belief that our pets will live hereafter. There are animals and birds in heaven as well as human beings and angels.” The newspaper reporting this incident observed that during the service there were a few grunts and growls and squeals, but no unseemly incidents. Perhaps we should interpret the “grunts and growls and squeals” as the animals’ way of saying, “Amen.”

While most of us would probably consider a church service of this nature quite out of place, yet it does give rise to some interesting reflections concerning truths brought to our attention in the Bible. The minister who preached this sermon doubtless based his hope of life after death on the general teaching of churchianity that man possesses within him a “soul,” which is a living entity capable of existing after the body dies. This living entity is commonly called an “immortal soul.” Apparently the minister must believe that the lower animals as well as man possess immortal souls.

It is true that according to the Bible the term soul is associated with animals in the same way as with man. For instance, the Prophet David speaks of the soul of a “turtle dove.” (Psa. 74:19) In the Book of Numbers we are given an account of a tax that was to be levied, composed of various animals, such as sheep, oxen, and asses, and these are all described as “souls”—the souls of sheep, oxen, and asses.—Num. 31:28

The great difference between the commonly accepted view point of the soul and what the Bible teaches is that nowhere in the Bible is there anything about man possessing an immortal soul. As a matter of fact, the expression “immortal soul” does not even appear in the Bible, nor does the Bible use any expression having an equivalent meaning. This is a great truth which, as Lord Byron put it, is “stranger than fiction.”

The word soul simply means a living being, thus we are souls. The lower animals are living creatures, hence are properly referred to in the Bible as souls. But neither human beings nor the lower animals possess something that is separate from the body which continues to live when the body dies. This is a heathen theory which was introduced into the Christian church about the second century after Christ, and has been accepted and taken for granted as being true by most professed Christians ever since, but it is, not taught in the Bible.

However, this does not mean that there is no hope of life after death, for the Bible teaches that there is to be a resurrection of the dead. It should be obvious that if no one is dead there can be no resurrection of the dead. On the subject of the resurrection the Apostle Paul wrote, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:22

In this connection it is interesting to note that the first time the word soul appears in the Bible is in a description of the creation of Adam. The Bible says that God “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) This says that man became a soul as a result of the union of the body with the breath of life. This means that when the breath is no longer in the body, the soul has died, or has ceased to exist.

The whole world was plunged into death as a result of Adam’s sin. Jesus took the penalty of death upon himself; and this is why the Apostle Paul wrote that “in Christ shall all be made alive.” But it is well to remember that none of these promises apply to the lower animals. God has not promised to resurrect them. But, as far as death is concerned, the Bible tells us that men and animals all die in the same way. “As the one dieth, so dieth the other,” the Scriptures declare, “so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.” (Eccles. 3:19) The difference is in connection with God’s promise to restore man to life in the resurrection.

The English minister’s assertion that there are animals in heaven, as well as men and angels, is worthy of note. In the Bible there are many wonderful promises of God pertaining to the restoration of man to life on the earth. Some of these promises describe paradise conditions restored on a global scale. One of them, in order to assure us of the glorious conditions of peace and good will among men which will then exist, illustrates this future blessed state by the idea of lions and lambs lying down together, and their being led by a little child.

This, however, should be understood merely as a symbol of the blessed condition of harmony among men which will be brought about through the administration of the laws of Christ’s kingdom. It does not, even in the remotest sense, imply the resurrection of animals. So it is, that while most of us might like to indulge in a bit of wishful thinking, to know the real facts of these questions of life, death, and the hereafter we must depend on what the Bible teaches.

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