Prophetic Headlines

THE year 1951 is starting out under disheartening conditions of uncertainty, fear, and ever increasing distress. The prophecies of the Bible which foretold these tragic days contain statements which could well be used as headlines for many of the news reports which appear in our daily papers. Here, for example, are a few, taken from Zephaniah 1:14-18:

“The Mighty Cry Bitterly”

“A Day of Trouble and Distress”

“A Day of Wasteness and Desolation”

“A Day of Darkness and Gloominess”

“They Shall Walk Like Blind Men”

“Neither Their Silver nor Their Gold Shall Deliver Them”

Thus does the Prophet Zephaniah sum up the experiences of the people in this time in which we are living—a time which is described by various prophetic statements such as “the time of the end”; “the last days”; “the day of the Lord,” and others. It is a time when a social order which is called civilization is crumbling to its fall. All the incidental events which occur fit into a general pattern leading to this one great cataclysm, described in the prophecies as the “end of the world.” Because of misunderstanding, this latter expression has struck fear into the hearts of millions; but when properly understood in relationship to the plan of the ages for human redemption and recovery, it is found that in reality the prophetic end of the world is man’s only hope of survival.

Seldom is the meaning of the prophecies clearly discernible in detail until their fulfillment is well advanced; and one of the main blessings Christians derive from their study of the prophetic writings of the Bible is not the knowledge they acquire of coming events, but the strengthening of their faith in the dependability of the Word of God, when they are able to see how accurately its previews of the future are fulfilled. This also enables us to determine the meaning of events in relationship to the plan of God, and of the will of God for us in this calamitous time in which we are living. From the above headlines, we can see that no newspaper columnist could more accurately and more graphically describe world conditions as they are now unfolding before us, than did the Prophet Zephaniah. This inspired writer designates the period in which we live “the day of the Lord.” In this day, he declares, “the mighty man shall cry … bitterly.” Whether we apply this to individuals or to nations, how true it is! How bitterly has the mighty “John Bull” been crying during recent years. But the crying has done no good. The strength of this once mighty world power has continued to wane, and complete collapse would already have occurred had it not been for the support rendered by the United States.

“Uncle Sam” is another “mighty man” that is doing a great deal of crying also. This nation now claims to be the strongest in the world, and therefore entitled to world leadership; but what bitter crying was heard when unexpectedly an army of despised Chinamen marched against American soldiers in Korea. This was thousands of miles from our shores, but it served as a reminder of the great military strength of the communists, hence of the long, almost endless struggle which lies ahead in order—if it is possible at all—to stamp out this menace to world peace.

The “mighty men” of industry, and in the financial world, are also crying bitterly. They see the economy of the world toppling over with increasing debt, yet they can find no way to avert a further pyramiding of debt if the war effort is to be stepped up; and human reasoning tells them that the nation must increase its military strength if it is to survive. So they continue to cry.

“That day,” the prophet continues, “is a day of wrath.” This refers to the wrath of God against the unrighteous systems of the earth which have exploited the people, and very often in his name. It is, writes the prophet, “a day of trouble and distress.” How wonderfully these words would serve as a headline for many of the news reports of our times.

It is also, the prophecy continues, “a day of wasteness and desolation.” This is now being fulfilled in many ways. Think of the literal “wasteness and desolation” that has been caused by two global wars, and this was nothing in comparison to what will follow in the wake of the third outbreak of human passions when that final battle of ideologies is joined on a global scale.

But the “wasteness and desolation” wrought in the hearts and lives of countless millions which have been in the pathway of war have been even more tragic. The scattering of families and the destruction of hopes have brought desolation to the lives of these millions in a way that we here in America cannot fully understand. This has been true all over Europe and Asia, and even now this desolation is continuing to spread.

Zephaniah also writes that this would be “a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” This “darkness and gloominess” has settled down over the earth intermittently ever since the outbreak of the first World War in 1914. There have been brief moments, as it were, when seemingly a little light streaked through the clouds of threatening storms; but for the most part, it has continued dark, and at times it has been very dark indeed. Look back over the editorials of our leading papers for the past few months, and once more also glance through what the columnists and the statesmen, and even the military leaders, have been saying, and you will find that the prophetic statement, “darkness and gloominess,” would make a very fitting heading for most of their articles.

The prophet writes further that this would be a “day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.” This is true both literally and symbolically. Literally, the hitherto “fenced cities” and “high towers” now afford no protection against the weapons of modern warfare. But this prophecy is even more significant when we think of it as descriptive of the supposedly impregnable principles of so-called civilization, and of the claim that these made the world in which we live invincible against the forces of evil. The churches were supposed to be a bulwark to protect “our way of life,” but they have failed. Their influence in a dying world is quite insufficient for its protection. The dangers confronting civilization are being trumpeted from many sources, but it is too late.

“I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men,” says the Lord through the Prophet Zephaniah. Blind men can walk, but very uncertainly. They have to feel their way, and they often stumble and fall. And how true this is of the way the leaders of the world are now walking. Another prophecy declares that they would walk like drunken men; and judging from what has been occurring during recent months, perhaps the Lord wants us to think of both these expressions, that symbolically speaking, the rulers of the world are both blind and drunk.

The Lord explains that the reason all this trouble—this prophetic “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation”—would come upon the nations, is because they have sinned against him; and that because of this “their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.” (Zeph. 1:17) All individuals of the human race are under condemnation to death because of sin, and these have continued to die ever since the transgression of our first parents in the Garden of Eden. But in addition to this, the nations have transgressed against the Lord in many ways, and continue to do so; and now they are suffering just retribution for their sins.

Many of these national sins are being brought to light from time to time. It is a day when secret things are being uncovered, when injustices and sins conceived in secret are later shouted from the housetops. At the first meeting of the National Council of Churches (Cleveland, Ohio, November 27–December 2) a manifesto was issued in which, in a veiled sort of way, it was admitted that the judgments of God were now falling upon America and the world, although they were not courageous enough to come out boldly and declare that this was the real reason for the world’s present plight.

Perhaps one of the most significant statements made by the Prophet Zephaniah is the one in which he says that “neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” The United States has been pouring millions of dollars into Europe, not because of love for the Europeans, but as a measure of defense against communism, hoping thus to protect America against anti-capitalistic Russia. The money power of this country is being used in other ways as a means of protection, but it will fail; for their silver and their gold shall not be “able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” Today, the United States owns most of the gold supply of the world, but it is buried in Kentucky, while the nation quakes with fear at the impending catastrophe which this gold cannot prevent.

Zephaniah tells us that the “whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy.” This is confirmed by the Lord in chapter 3, verse 8, where he declares that “all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” This, of course, is not the literal earth, for we are assured that it will never be destroyed. (Eccles. 1:4; Isa. 45:18) It is, rather, the social order, and the “fire” which destroys it—the fire of God’s jealousy—is symbolic of the judgments of God against that which is so grossly out of harmony with him and with the principles of righteousness which will be manifested in the incoming kingdom of Christ.

Paul describes the symbolic earth which is now being destroyed as “this present evil world.” (Gal. 1:4) It embraces all mankind, and in no part of the earth will the people escape the “fire” of God’s jealousy; for no government can claim immunity on the basis of its righteousness. Thus the distress, the gloom, the bitter crying are apparent everywhere, on every continent and the isles of the sea.

Dark indeed would be the picture were it not that the prophecies pierce for us this temporary gloom with which we are surrounded, and reveal a blessed time of peace and happiness which lies just beyond. Thus, while we are passing through the death struggles of this “present evil world,” we are assured that soon there will be a new world—not a new social order created by man, but one which will be of divine origin, even the kingdom of Christ.

This glorious hope is set before us also by the Prophet Zephaniah. (ch. 3, vs. 9) He tells us that after the whole symbolic earth is destroyed by the fire of God’s jealousy, the Lord will turn to the people a “pure language,” or message, and that as a result of this, they will all call upon him, and unitedly will serve him.

“A pure language.” How meaningful! Today various factions of the human race are at one another’s throats because of misleading and impure propaganda. But the propaganda machines of the nations will also be destroyed, and in God’s new world, through the righteous agencies of Christ’s kingdom, the truth concerning God, as well as the laws of the new order will be made known to all mankind. Then the knowledge of the glory of God will fill the whole earth as the waters now cover the sea; and when the people see the glory of God, and learn to know the reasonableness of his righteous requirements, they will want to serve and obey him.—Isa. 11:9; 25:6-9; Hab. 2:14

Joy in the Morning

“His anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” —Psalm 30: 5

DARKNESS is almost universally accepted as a symbol of uncertainty, trouble, and distress. How often it is said these days that the world is now passing through the darkest period of its existence! Conversely, light is recognized as a fitting symbol of stability, peace, and happiness. But in the “darkness” of the present no one is able to see “daylight” ahead; no one, that is, except those who have confidence in the promises of God pertaining to the establishment of his kingdom; and for these the future is very bright indeed.

While there have been times in the experience of the human race throughout the six thousand years of its existence when it has not been as densely dark as at present—times when faint glimmers of light pierced the darkness—it has nevertheless been one long nighttime of suffering and death. As our text so truly declares, weeping has endured constantly during this long period of darkness. Nevertheless, those who have understood the plan of God, and have had confidence in its ultimate and glorious completion, have known that in his own due time there would come a “morning” of joy, a time when suffering and death would end, when tears would be wiped away from all faces.

That which caused darkness to settle down over the human race is clearly stated in our text—it was the “anger,” or the “wrath” of God. But when we think of these terms as they are manifested in God’s attitude toward his creatures we are not to suppose them to mean that he is vengeful or vindictive, anxious to vent his spite upon those who transgress his laws. Neither do they imply that he will eternally torture those who fail to accept the provisions of his grace through Christ.

These terms refer, rather, to the manner in which God’s justice metes out punishment to those who willfully transgress his laws. Such come under his condemnation, that is, they are required to suffer the just penalty for their sin, which is death—“The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) This sentence fell first of all upon Adam. Through him, Paul explains, “judgment came upon all men to condemnation.” (Rom. 5:18) Thus all men were condemned to death, God’s anger being thus manifested toward them.

Our text clarifies the thought further by showing us the contrasting picture—“In his favor is life.” From this we get the thought that God’s wrath is, in effect, the withdrawal of his favor. When this occurs, the result is death, for only “in his favor is life.” And this is exactly what happened when, in the Garden of Eden, Adam chose to disobey the Creator’s law. God’s favor, in part at least, was demonstrated in the provision of Eden, where everything was supplied which was pleasant to the eye and good for food, including the trees of life. But when Adam sinned, all this was lost. He was driven out of Eden, out into the wilderness of the imperfect earth where there could be no other destiny for him except to die.

But the material blessings of Eden did not represent all that Adam lost. On addition to these, he lost the friendship and fellowship of his Creator; so he was completely cut off from the smile of God’s favor. The life line of his very existence was severed and there was nothing to prevent him from withering and dying. Thus did the nighttime of human experience settle down upon the estranged and dying race.

“In the Evening”

God’s anger resulted in death, but in his favor is life. After telling us this, the Psalmist follows with the illustration of night and morning—weeping endures for a night as a result of God’s wrath, but joy comes in the morning because of his favor. The Hebrew word translated “night” is more properly rendered “in the evening.” The thought is that weeping begins and endures throughout the evening, but joy cometh in the morning.

This more accurate translation of the Hebrew text helps us to grasp the larger meaning of the prophecy, to realize more fully what is meant by the nighttime of weeping and the morning of joy. It will be recalled that each of the six days of creation is shown in Genesis as consisting of an “evening” and a “morning.” “The evening and the morning were the first day,” the “second day,” the “third day,” etc. Only six days are thus described, and although the seventh day is mentioned, the record does not state that “evening and the morning were the seventh day.”

The obvious reason for this is that the seventh day was not ended when the Book of Genesis was written, nor has it yet come to an end. The creative days were not periods of twenty-four hours, as determined by the course of the sun around the earth, but were long periods of time. A reasonable assumption is that each of those days was a period of 7,000 years. It was at the close of the sixth period that man was created. Then God ceased, or rested, from his creative work—rested on the seventh day.

It would be in the very early beginning of the seventh day, or period, then, that man fell into sin, and the resultant penalty of death was inflicted upon him. It was then that human suffering began. This was in the “evening” of the seventh day. This evening, or obscure beginning of the seventh day, soon settled down into the blackness of night, and throughout all its long centuries the “weeping” of the human race has continued.

But just as the previous six “days” began with the “evening,” and reached their completion in the “morning,” so it will be true with the seventh day. A morning is coming, a morning in which the purpose of God in connection with the seventh day will come to fruition, and that morning will be one of joy—“Joy cometh in the morning.”

The purpose of God in connection with this seventh day of creation has been to allow man to gain an experience with evil, that he might learn for himself the terrible results of disobedience to divine law. During this whole time God has been “resting,” that is, he has not hindered the downward course of man, except as it might interfere with his plan for the ultimate recovery of the race. This is accomplished through Christ, who became the Redeemer of man from sin and death, and will, during the “morning” period of this seventh “day,” be the Great Physician who will heal and restore mankind to life, thus bringing joy to all. When the work of those closing morning hours of the final creative day is complete, as it will be at the close of the thousand years of Christ’s reign, then it can be recorded that “the evening and the morning were the seventh day.”

Weeping Still Continues

But the morning of that day has not yet fully dawned. We are still living in the “evening” or nighttime, the time of obscurity and darkness. Man is still experiencing the chilling effects of sin. Fear and distress are rampant everywhere, and the groans of the suffering and dying race can be heard on every hand. Individuals, families, and nations are all suffering. Man is born with the seeds of death implanted in him, and as these mature he gradually sickens and dies.

But this is not all! As he gropes his way through the darkness, the hallucinations of the night cause him to mistrust and to hate his fellows, so the people fight each other, individually, nationally, and on a global scale. This increases the suffering, and as Robert Burns wrote, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.” These experiences are not peculiar to our generation, for they have been the same throughout all the ages. The main difference now is that man’s selfishness has been implemented by horrible instruments of destruction, so that were it not for divine intervention by the medium of Christ’s kingdom, which has been promised, racial suicide would doubtless ultimately be the result.

Yes, it has been a long, dark night of weeping, but the full blaze of morning is near. Jesus came to be the light of the world, and the prophet speaks of him symbolically as being the “Sun of Righteousness,” who, in God’s due time, “shall arise with healing in his wings.” (Mal. 4:2) Here light is associated with righteousness, and the light shining from the “Sun of Righteousness” will heal, or give life to the people.

Besides, the light from the “Sun of Righteousness” will be a proof that God’s anger is no longer manifested to the people, that his favor has returned to them—and “in his favor is life.” God began to show his favor to the human race when he sent his beloved Son to be the Redeemer of the world. Some have learned of this, and have rejoiced in the light of his love, but the world as a whole has continued on in darkness.

But it has not yet been God’s due time for Jesus, the Light of the world, to be properly recognized by the world. The Gospel age has been set aside in the divine plan as a time during which there was to be a selection from among humanity of a little company which later would have the privilege of sharing with Jesus in healing the sin sick world of mankind. In the Scriptures, this little company is called the church—the true church of Christ, not the great denominational systems of the earth. The members of this church are those only who actually lay down their lives in the service of their Master.

Now this work of the present Gospel age is nearly completed. Soon the light of God’s returning favor, as it will be manifested through Jesus, will be recognized by mankind as a whole, and in the warmth of that light they will be refreshed and blessed. The Apostle Peter places this final phase of the divine plan after the second coming of Christ, and explains that then “times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”—Acts 3:19-21

Here the word “presence” is translated from the Greek word prosopon, meaning “out from the face of.” In the Old Testament, God’s favor to his people is described as a lifting up of his countenance upon them. So God will lift up his countenance upon all mankind through the returned Christ, and the result will be “times of refreshing.” No longer will God’s back be turned upon his human creatures, no longer will he be “angry” with them; but instead he will beam upon them with his love and favor, and under the warmth of that love, life will be enjoyed—everlasting life to as many as accept the divine provisions of life through the redemptive work of Christ.

Peter explains what the “times of refreshing” will mean for the people, saying that there will be “times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” How comprehensive is this promise! All things will be restored which God has promised. He has promised to restore the willing and obedient of mankind to health and life. He has promised to restore man’s lost dominion. Above all, God’s favor will be restored, and in the light of that favor the people will behold the glory of God which then will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Let us, then, continue to look for the signs which betoken the coming of dawn, which indicate that the nighttime of weeping is coming to an end, and that soon the morning of joy will break in all its glory upon a suffering and dying world to bring health, and peace, and life, and joy—the joy that will come in the morning of that last great day in the creative plan of God. And may each sign of the coming morning of joy increase our faith and hope, and inspire within us an ever increasing desire to tell the whole world these blessed tidings, the tidings of great joy which yet shall be unto all people.

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