“Multiply and Fill the Earth”

SIX thousand years ago the Creator commanded our first parents, whom he had just created, to multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Today the carrying out of this divine purpose is posing a serious problem in many parts of the earth. At the present time the number of births over deaths is so great that the total population of the earth in seventy years will be double what it is now. At the same time, due partly to two global wars in a generation and partly to inadequate systems of distribution, two-thirds of the earth’s population are chronically undernourished.

Increasing populations in all countries, and a proportionate decrease of essential food supplies nearly everywhere, are among the most serious problems facing the world today. While not acute in the sense that either one or both will necessarily cause war this year, nevertheless they are among the basic reasons for the ever mounting tension between the eastern and western worlds which, if a solution is not found, will help to plunge the nations into a bitter and destructive slaughter more terrible than anything we can now imagine. Sir Gladwyn Jebb, when president of the United Nations Security Council, said:

“If the population problems of underdeveloped countries are not solved, there will either be an outburst of anarchy or some attempt will be made to solve them on Stalinist lines—even though this might mean the elimination of millions of people in the areas concerned and human suffering on a colossal scale.”

Americans on the whole seem glad that the population of this country is increasing, but that which may seem desirable here is even now, in view of world instability, a growing menace in many countries. Let’s note a few examples and figures:

The latest figures available for Ceylon indicate that there the population is doubling every twenty-six years.

In Puerto Rico, statistics as of 1949 reveal that the population is doubling every twenty-five years.

In Japan, partly because of better living conditions from the occupation of the United States Army, an already dense population will be twice its present size in thirty-three years. This is a rate of increase more than twice that of the world average.

The present rate of increase in the Marianas, Caroline, and Marshall Islands, means that the number of their inhabitants will double in thirty-three years.

Egypt is already one of the most overpopulated and poverty-stricken countries of the world, yet at its present rate of population increase there will be twice as many people in Egypt at the end of the next forty years as there are now.

The rate of increase of population in the Philippines during the first half of the twentieth century shows that the present population of twenty million will be twice that many at the end of the next thirty-five years.

India increased her population by fifty million from 1931 to 1940. This was a gain in only ten years as great as the total population of Great Britain. It is claimed that with the anticipated lowering of India’s death rate, her present high birth rate would make it possible for India in a single century to fill five planets as full as the earth is today.

Statisticians of the United Nations inform us that Latin America, where the total population now is as great as the combined number living in the United States and Canada, will double its population within the next forty years.

This rapid increase of the world’s population during the last half century is due partly to the lowering death rate resulting from the increase of medical knowledge. This is more pronounced in the United States than in most other countries; although here the birth rate has decreased proportionately, if not more rapidly than the death rate, which means that the population increase has lagged far behind that of many other countries. Here, midway in the nineteenth century, the average length of life was under forty years, whereas now it is over sixty-seven, and is still rising.

In addition to increasing medical skill, knowledge of all kinds has contributed to this great increase of life expectancy. Even in the United States a hundred years ago, cities were just beginning to install water systems, and as late as 1845 the largest city of the country did not have a public sewage system. There was then no central heating. In fact, there were none of the many modern conveniences which are considered essential to life in this country today.

Without investigating historical facts, many get the idea that these improvements in methods of living and working were of gradual development. But they were not. They have all come suddenly by comparison with the thousands of years of virtually no progress which preceded the opening of the nineteenth century. The Bible alone gives us the reason for this. Its prophecies identify our era in human experience as “the time of the end,” and inform us that there would be a phenomenal “increase of knowledge.” (Dan. 12:4) Other prophecies indicate that this increase of knowledge would be brought about by divine providence, one highly symbolic statement being that God’s lightnings would enlighten the earth. (Ps. 77:18) Light is used in the Bible as a symbol of knowledge.

This divinely foretold general enlightenment of the world in the prophetic “time of the end” is also responsible for the many distressing problems facing the world today. Only recently, for example, a spokesman for India, in a plea to the western world to try to get a better understanding of Asia’s problems said that the United States does not seem to realize as yet the great change that has occurred throughout the Asiatic world due to the spread of knowledge, and that these once backward peoples now want their rightful place in the affairs of the world, and their just share of earth’s bounties.

Within America, the enlightenment of the people caused a rebellion against conditions which in 1900, gave skilled workers less than five hundred dollars a year, while Andrew Carnegie, in the same year, by the exploitation of their labor, made a net profit of $23,000,000, with no income tax to pay. The same power of knowledge is causing backward nations to rebel against the more privileged inhabitants of the earth. The result of this, both within and among nations, was foretold by Daniel as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” Jesus described it as “distress of nations, with perplexity, … men’s hearts failing them for fear as they looked forward to the things coming upon the earth.—Luke 21:25,26

It may seem paradoxical that the increasing knowledge of the people should on the one hand result in so many advantages and blessings, while on the other it leads to increasing tension and trouble throughout the world, one of the problems being the stepped up increase of the world’s population. However, this is understandable when we take into consideration that knowledge alone does not do away with human selfishness, and basically this continues to be, even as in the past, the world’s number one problem.

Only the prophecies of the Bible furnish the real explanation of this complex situation which now confronts the world. That explanation is summed up in such prophetic expressions as “the time of the end”; “the last days,” and “the day of the Lord.” However, the “time of the end” does not mean the end of time. Nor does the expression, “last days,” mean the end of human experience, or of human life on the earth. The “day of the Lord” does denote that this time in which we are living is the Lord’s due time for world-shaking changes to occur; a time when the human race will be brought head on with situations which soon will cause the people of all nations to realize that they cannot continue doing as they like, as has been the case throughout the centuries, but that now a higher power must be recognized and obeyed by all who wish to continue to live.

It is, then, the “time of the end” of a humanly created social order. These are. the “last days” of the selfish exploitation of man, and of all the suffering thereby caused. It is the “day of the Lord,” that is, the time when a divine kingdom or rulership will be set up in the earth, a rulership which will have to be recognized by all the people, both on this side and on the other side of the Iron Curtain. When we take these scriptural facts into consideration, then everything which is taking place in the world today, paradoxical though it may seem, fits into a prophetic pattern which is harmonious and most revealing.

Take the population problem, for example. As already noted, God’s command was to multiply and fill the earth. The Scriptures reveal that this was due to be accomplished about the time the long awaited kingdom of Christ would be set up in the earth. The command to multiply was limited, and it is implied that when a sufficient number of people have been born to fill the earth properly, the Lord will intervene to stop human propagation.

And during the reign of Christ, now at the door, sickness and death will be destroyed; for the human race is to be restored to the perfection of life lost by our first parents when they disobeyed God’s law. The secret of life is held by the Lord, and will continue to be, which means that miracle-working power will need to be employed in order that all the Bible’s promises of health and everlasting life be fulfilled. This is especially true with respect to the resurrection of the dead, for they, too, are to be brought back to life.

On the other hand, we think it is reasonable to suppose that man will be permitted to co-operate in connection with many of the changes to be wrought by the new kingdom. Already the average length of human life, having reached an all-time low at the beginning of the “time of the end,” has been nearly doubled. This has come about through the increase of knowledge, which itself is of divine providence.

Those who are now so concerned over the possibility that the earth will soon become overpopulated, give as their only hope the fact that medical science will discover new and adequate means of birth control. To what extent man will be permitted to find the solution to this problem, the Scriptures do not reveal; but we can be assured that the Creator who said to our first parents that they should multiply and fill the earth, will make certain that procreation ceases when the earth is filled.

Meanwhile, the foretold increase of knowledge continues to mount the forces of selfishness which are wrecking man’s world, preparatory to the manifestation of Christ’s kingdom. The governmental controls in that kingdom will restrain evil by first of all binding Satan, the master mind which set in motion the principle of selfishness. Love will then be made the governing principle in all human relations, and “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”—Isa. 2:4; Micah 4:4

The Gospel in a Fear-stricken Age

THE expression, “fear-filled world,” has become almost commonplace in these days of anxiety and dread on the part of the people of all nations. The prophets of the Bible were the first to mention the fear that would grip the hearts of mankind at this time. Writing as directed by the Holy Spirit of God, they described the world situation of our day as a time in which, as Jesus foretold it, the hearts of the people would be filled with fear as they looked ahead to the things coming upon the earth. (Luke 21:25,26) The Prophet David, speaking of this same time and concerning the same fear, but in a message of comfort to the people of God, said, “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”—Psalm 46:2

Evidences of this blight of fear are to be found almost everywhere. In New York City’s subway stations, and other public places, billboards display the warning that this great city will be a number one target for atomic bomb attacks, and urge the people to volunteer for civil defense—to learn how to fight fire, care for the wounded, and bury the dead. Similar defense measures are being taken nationwide.

In other parts of the world the situation is still more critical. Perhaps one of the places in which people have the greatest cause for fear is the city of Berlin, Germany. Here the potential enemy is already in control of one section of the city, while the remainder is as an island in the midst of enemy held territory. No matter how victorious the communist European armies might eventually be, in their first move West Berlin would be almost immediately occupied. That would mean not only the hardships which would be imposed upon Berliners by the occupying forces, but also the almost certain bombing of the city by the Atlantic Pact armies. Certainly the fears of the people of Berlin are well grounded.

What message, then, does the Bible hold for those who are in such imminent danger? What message does it have for the whole world today? The ominous threat of total war and atomic destruction is hanging over all nations. It is a matter of conjecture as to where the danger is the greatest. This question is brought to mind by a recently published article written by Bishop Otto Dibelius, of the Lutheran Church in Germany. The bishop preaches in St. Mary’s Church, which is located in the Russian sector of Berlin. This is the only large church edifice which survived the bombings of the last war.

The bishop states that his congregation is made up of people from all parts of the city. Those who attend from West Berlin, he says, are fearful of a third world war, and are certain that when it starts their part of the city will immediately be flooded with Russian troops. Others of his hearers are refugees from the eastern provinces which are now Polish territory. Many of these were at one time rich and highly respected people, but now are paupers. Many young men and women also attend the bishop’s church, he explains. All have suffered the ravages of war and are now enduring the hardships and privations of an uneasy peace. “What shall I preach to such a congregation?” the bishop asks.

“Today,” he continues, “it is really necessary that something of consolation be felt in the sermon, for a silent hopelessness lies over the congregation. All these people there beneath the pulpit have experienced the mercilessness of fate. For twenty years violence has ridden over their lives. Many have become doubtful about God, without quite being able to deny him—else they would not be in the church. And when one speaks to the younger generation about God, the answer is a shrug of the shoulders. They point to the ruins that surround the church. They tell the story of their family: the father perished in a concentration camp; a brother was killed in battle; a sister was raped a score of times during the occupation of Berlin and in consequence is hopelessly diseased; the family dwelling was bombed to ruins. For five years they have not had a home fit for a human being; at work they are constantly spied on. The love of God? They have never known what that is.”

And then, in addition to all these horrors of war already endured, these same people live in constant fear that the whole horrible mess will shortly begin all over again, and become even worse. No wonder the bishop admits that to give these a message that will really comfort them is “unspeakably difficult.” And let us add that it is impossible unless the message presented is the one which Jesus described as “this Gospel of the kingdom.”

The people of all nations today doubtless consider war to be the number one enemy of mankind. The sufferers described by Bishop Dibelius would be unanimous in their opinion that had it not been for war they would not have been dragged through such horrors. Yet he declares that the theologians are limited to telling the people that the peace mentioned in the Bible is limited to peace between God and converted sinners, that the idea of peace between nations is an “unbiblical utopianism.” With this very restricted concept of the “Gospel of the kingdom” it is no wonder the bishop finds it “unspeakably difficult” to comfort his hearers.

And it is particularly tragic that in Berlin a minister of the Gospel is unprepared to tell the people that ultimately there will be peace on earth; peace, that is, between nations, as well as peace between God and men. “Berlin is the one metropolis in the world,” declares the bishop, “of which, if there is war again in Europe, certainly nothing will be left but a pile of rubble, compared with which the ruined city of today will seem like a garden of Eden.”

But does the Bible justify us in the belief that one day there will be universal and lasting peace among the nations? Let us take a brief look at some of its prophecies and promises. The forty-sixth Psalm is a good one to start with. It is in the beginning of the prophecy that the writer alludes to our fear-filled world of today, and indicates that the Lord’s people would not need to fear, the reason being that they would know the final outcome, that it would be one of peace and good will. Verse 6 of this prophecy declares that at this time the nations would rage and that the kingdoms of the earth would be removed. We have been witnessing the fulfillment of these words for now these many years—beginning as far back as the year 1914.

The prophet also writes, “Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.” (vs. 8) Much desolation has already been wrought in the earth, but few have believed that the Lord was in any way responsible for it. Some, perhaps, have wondered whether or not the judgments of the Lord may be represented in what is occurring among the nations, but probably have limited their application to what has happened to the “enemy,” for, they would think “our side” could not possibly merit the judgments of the Lord.

However, the Scriptures reveal that the desolation which would come upon the nations at this time was to be a judgment for the national and international sins of the entire age. In this broad picture no nation has been innocent; all stand guilty before God. Recently, for example, it was reported that Red China was exporting huge quantities of opium for illegal sale in America in order to obtain American dollars. Surely this is a grievous national sin for which those responsible will some day give an account. But it is well to remember how opium got to China in the first place. History reveals that it was forced upon the Chinese people by the British, and in the name of Christianity.

Yes, God’s time for reckoning with the nations is at hand, and the overthrow of the evil institutions of earth has already resulted in much desolation. However, it is when we consider the divine objective in this that the “Gospel of the kingdom” becomes a real message of comfort. After telling us of the desolation the Lord would make in the earth, the prophet continues, “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.”

By no stretch of the imagination can this language be applied to the idea of making peace between God and men. It is God’s promise to destroy the machines of war, and to establish peace on the earth. Perhaps this is to be accomplished in part by the awfulness of the desolations of war by which “this present evil world,” or social order, is being destroyed. In any case, the very thought of war will become so revolting that the people will gladly fall in line with the Lord’s kingdom arrangements for peace.

After assuring us that the Lord would make “wars to cease unto the end of the earth,” the prophet says that he will say to the nations, “Be still, and know that I am God.” No nation on earth today has enough confidence in God to seek an understanding of his will and be guided thereby. But eventually this situation will be changed. The Scriptures indicate that when the desolations in the earth reach the point where the people realize their own helplessness, they will then turn to the Lord and he will teach them of his ways. When they do this they will learn war no more.

The Prophet Zechariah informs us concerning Christ that he “shall speak peace unto the heathen [nations]: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” (Zech. 9:10) In this promise also there is more involved than peace between God and men, for here we have described a “dominion,” a government which will actually rule the people—all the people, even “to the ends of the earth.”

This, then, is the Gospel of the kingdom, the good news that the Lord does not intend to permit the nations to continue their barbaric ways forever. True, the good news which centers in Christ includes the great fact of his redemptive work on behalf of a sin-cursed and dying race, by means of which the way has been opened for sinful man to be at peace with God and to enjoy his blessings. But the beauty of this doctrine of reconciliation between God and men is lost if we fail to take into account also the fact that divine rulership is soon to be established in the earth, and that one of the results of this will be that all mankind will be given a full understanding of the provisions of divine grace, and offered God’s free gift of everlasting life through Christ.

Nor will any member of the human race be overlooked in this divine plan for peace and salvation, for even the dead are to be awakened and given an opportunity to participate in the kingdom blessings. This will include those who have been killed in war and who have died in concentration camps, or who have been bombed to death from the skies. Those who have died of sickness, old age, or by accident, will also be restored.

Under the administrative arrangements of Christ’s kingdom, all wrongs will be righted. The scales of divine justice will be balanced in the case of every individual, so that whatever is suffered now will, when seen in the light of a peaceful and happy eternity of human experience in the restored earthly paradise, but enhance the joys of those who accept God’s gift of life through Christ and obey the laws of the divine kingdom then in force. Then will be fulfilled the wonderful promise of Psalm 85:10,11, which reads:

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.”

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