| Highlights of Dawn | July 1953 |
God’s Assurance of Peace
“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. … Righteousness shall go before him: and shall set us in the way of his steps.” —Psalm 85:10-13
THE people of all nations have a genuine heart-longing for peace. They desire peace within nations and among nations. No normal person is happy amidst turmoil and strife; nonetheless, the present generation has been almost continuously plagued by war. As Sir Winston Churchill has said, “The first fifty years of the twentieth century have been among the most terrible through which the human race has ever lived.” But, in common with all the other brilliant minds of the world, Sir Winston does not know the real significance of this “most terrible” time, nor what the end will be. We quote him further:
“On the other hand they [the first fifty years of the century] have contained the greatest promise for the future in the advance of science, in the broadening of the assembly of peoples in every way. All hangs in the balance now. No one can judge. Posterity alone can say whether this has been a great age or an age which preceded vast disaster.”
Churchill made this statement in 1951. Since then the world has suffered through two more years of the “cold war,” with the threat of destruction by atom and hydrogen bombs hanging almost constantly over the nations. Nor is there any indication that this situation will improve. The slight ray of hope engendered by Russia’s Spring “peace” offensive has already subsided. Actually, of course, most people were as fearful of this sort of “peace” as they have been of war.
Churchill, assisted by the French government, by the pope, and by Mr. Stevenson, the defeated candidate for the presidency of the United States, encouraged a top-level conference with Russia with the thought of at least keeping alive the hope of peace. At the same time, negotiations for an armistice in Korea broke down; strife between the British and the Egyptians flared up in the Suez Canal Zone; and the communists increased their threat against Indo-China.
Regardless of how optimistic we may try to be, there is little brightness in the outlook from the human standpoint. The prophetic “increase of knowledge” (Dan. 12:4) manifested in all fields of human endeavor has put within reach of the world unimaginable prosperity, but instead of enjoying these blessings in peace, the nations are living under the shadow of atom bombs, while the natural resources of the earth provided by God for the feeding and clothing of mankind are being wantonly diverted into munitions of war.
Science has made possible an abundant life for all, but at the same time has provided the potential to destroy all life. While millions are enjoying material blessings made available by science, complete happiness is not possible when on nearly every street corner one is confronted by air-raid shelter signs.
The ominous threat to humanity posed by scientific developments heads up in the atom bomb. The reason that the ability to utilize atomic energy carries such dreadful possibilities is quite clearly stated by Thomas E. Murray, of the Atomic Energy Commission. We quote:
“Atomic bombs are only dangerous because some atomic men cannot be trusted. Science cannot save men from themselves, any more than society can. Rather, it is individual men who must save society and save themselves. If men will not live by virtue, they may have to die by power! The crisis we face today comes from the greed of men and their will to power regardless of conscience. The responsibility for the crisis is man’s refusal to submit his behavior to reason and to reason’s God.”
Well said! A world without God must sooner or later perish, even though there were no atom bombs. In the past, civilizations have perished because they were built on selfish and godless foundations. The difference now made by the atom bomb is that—so far as human wisdom can discern—the human race itself will perish with civilization.
Mr. Murray says, “It is individual men who must save society and save themselves”—but this presents no hope, for men cannot save themselves; only God can do this. Herein lies the reasonableness and the potency of God’s provision for the solution of all the problems which have been created by human selfishness.
Yes, selfishness, not the atom bomb, is the real threat to lasting security and peace. Selfishness means following the desires and inclinations of self without due consideration to the convenience and happiness of others. The principle of selfishness became operative in human affairs when our first parents transgressed God’s law. They chose to ignore their Creator’s will, and to be guided instead by their own desires.
Fundamentally, selfishness is godlessness, and this, in the very nature of things, follows through to human relationships. The person who shuts God out of his life and charts his own course of behavior will not give much consideration to the conveniences and preferences of his fellowmen except insofar as his own well-being makes it necessary.
There are degrees of godlessness, and thus of selfishness. We have an extreme represented in the communist ideology, which rules out God entirely. The result of this is that all the concepts of truth and justice which in a measure have been practiced by the professed Christian world are not considered binding by communist leaders. To them the selfish ends they seek justify the use of any means they may deem necessary in order to gain them.
A more palliative, even congenial, form of selfishness is found elsewhere in the world. Life in a community is tolerable, indeed most times pleasant, because people have learned that happiness depends upon consideration of others. There is a measure of the “milk of human kindness” in the hearts of practically all people. This is because man was created in the image of God, and despite the long downhill travel over the road of sin and death, there is a remnant of that image of God still remaining in the hearts of humanity.
But this is not enough! This spirit of kindness and love brings happiness into the home, and to a lesser extent to the community, but it is not altruistic enough to encompass all mankind. For example, the people generally of a highly privileged nation are not willing, voluntarily, to give up a measure of their blessings in order that living standards in other nations might be raised. The result of this is that the “have not” nations chafe under their burden of poverty until they are willing, even at the risk of war, to seize a larger share of earth’s bounties.
Nor does education help in this situation. As a matter of fact, when a nation becomes better educated the people are more aware of their lack, and thus more determined to do something about it. For this reason the prophetic “increase of knowledge” in this “time of the end” has much to do with the up surging of the backward peoples of the earth which we are now witnessing, and which is posing such a threat to western civilization.
The Only Remedy
The only way out of the desperate straits into which six thousand years of selfishness has led the people is to return to God. We do not mean by this a return to the religious concepts of the immediate past or of the Dark Ages, or to any form of religion which throughout the ages has been practiced by man; for at no time have humanly conceived religions prevented war. Indeed, some of the bloodiest wars of history were fought in the name of Christ—but certainly not with his blessing.
A return to God in the true sense implies recognition of the supreme right of the Creator to control one’s life by his righteous laws. This was the attitude of our first parents, but only for a short time. Self-interest soon replaced God’s will in their lives, and they became rebels to God, and their children—the human race—with them.
When created in the divine image, man was given dominion over the earth. Under God, he was a king in his domain. David wrote concerning this, saying, “Thou [God] hast made him [man] a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.”—Ps. 8:5,6
In Hebrews 2:6-9 the Apostle Paul quotes the words of David concerning the dominion originally given to man by God, and then adds, “But now we see not yet all things put under him.” How true! Man lost this dominion. Rejecting God’s control in his life, he lost his own control, with the result that if allowed to continue long enough in this rebellious course, he would destroy himself, and the fear of the scientists today might thus be realized.
But God loves his human creatures. Jesus illustrates this in his Parable of the Lost Sheep. (Luke 15:3-7) In this parable there are a hundred sheep; but one is lost, and the shepherd is not happy until that lost sheep is returned to the fold. The Scriptures show that there are many orders of intelligent creatures on higher planes of life than man. But it was the human creation that went astray. It was the human race that became the “lost sheep” of the parable.
But, as Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Thus “God commendeth his love toward us,” Paul writes, “in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” and for the whole human race. (Rom. 5:8) In order to do this, it was essential for Jesus to leave his heavenly home and to be “made flesh.” It is this great exhibition of love for the fallen race that Paul speaks of when, after saying that we do not now see all things put under man, yet we do “see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”—Heb. 2:9
The setting of this statement in association with Paul’s quotation from David concerning the original status of man as king of earth indicates that the redeeming work of Christ was designed by the Creator to prepare the way for human restoration to that which was lost—“We see not yet all things put under him; but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, … that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Here, then, is the first step in God’s great program for solving the problem of selfishness and rescuing the human race from all the evils to which selfishness has led, including death itself. Man renounced God in favor of self, but God manifested the better way, the only way in which there can be lasting peace and happiness—the way of love—by giving his own Son to die for the people. Jesus added to the example of love by freely laying down his own life in order that the human race might live.
Example Not Enough
The example of divine love as seen in God’s gift of his Son and in Jesus’ own willing and supreme sacrifice is not enough to halt the human race on its course of selfishness and turn the people in the direction of love and righteousness. In the first place, millions do not know of this wonderful provision which has been made for them, while other millions who do know at least something about it, and who profess to believe, fail in their attempt to follow the example set before them.
So, as we should expect, there is more to the divine plan for rescuing the “lost sheep” than this first step of redemption. In addition, God made provision for a “kingdom,” a “government,” to take actual control of the human race for a thousand years to implement a program of re-education in the ways of love. This same thousand years will be the “judgment day” of the Bible, and we read that when God’s judgments are in the earth “the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”—Isa. 26:9
In the divine arrangement, those who will administer the laws of Christ’s kingdom will be uniquely prepared for that great responsibility. With the exception of Jesus himself, who will be supreme in that kingdom, its administrators will all have formerly been members of the sin-cursed and dying race. They will be the few throughout the ages who earnestly, and by God’s grace, succeeded despite their own fallen condition and their sinful surroundings in their efforts to champion the course of obedience to God and to his ways of love.
Righteous Abel was the first of these. Others were Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel; the last, prior to the Gospel age, being John the Baptist. These and the other ancient worthies demonstrated that at heart they loved God and righteousness. Under God’s directing providences they were disciplined and otherwise prepared to be the human representatives of Christ’s kingdom, those, according to God’s promise, who will be made “princes in all the earth.”—Ps. 45:16
Similarly throughout this Gospel age there have been a few who have demonstrated their supreme love for God by accepting Jesus’ invitation to take up their cross and follow him. In the hearts of these, also, love has ruled; and because “love seeketh not her own,” these have been glad to spend and be spent in the service of God and their fellows.
In many instances this devotion to God and his principles of righteousness has been at great cost of suffering, even unto death. And in the case of every faithful follower of the Master there has been a determination to prove faithful regardless of the price of loyalty. Through it all they have increased in love, in patience, in kindness, and have experienced the joys which result from returning good for evil.
In the divine plan these have been made partakers of a “heavenly calling.” (Heb. 3:1) They have been encouraged to set their “affection on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1,2) Accepting the invitation to be buried in a death baptism with Christ, they arise “to walk in newness of life,” stimulated with the promise that if they are faithful even unto death, suffering and dying with Christ, they shall live and reign with him.—II Tim. 2:11,12
It is in keeping with these promises that the Revelator, in vision, sees these faithful ones brought forth in the “first resurrection” to live and reign with Christ a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4,6) In Revelation 19:7 this same class is described as the “wife” of the “Lamb”—in other words, the “bride” of Christ. It is this “bride, the Lamb’s wife,” that is depicted in Revelation 21:9,10 as the “great city, the new Jerusalem,” which comes down from God out of heaven.
Combined with the city symbolism is another, the “new heaven and a new earth.” (Rev. 21:1) This is the same “new heaven and a new earth” promised by God in Isaiah 65:17, and referred to in II Peter 3:13, with the promise that therein will dwell righteousness. These symbolic “heaven” and “earth” picture the two phases of Christ’s kingdom—the spiritual; and the human, or earthly.
As we have seen, the personnel for both these phases of the kingdom are schooled and disciplined under conditions which leave no doubt of their sincere devotion to God, to divine righteousness, and to the great principle of love. They prove their love by selflessly laying down their lives for others. As each one has finished his course of training he has fallen asleep in death to await God’s due time to reward him with the place designed for him in the kingdom.
The spiritual class of this Gospel age are the first to be raised from the dead. These are exalted to “glory and honor and immortality.” (Rom. 2:7) After this the ancient worthy class will receive what the Apostle Paul describes as a “better resurrection.” Not better than the church’s resurrection, but better than that of mankind in general; for they will be restored immediately to human perfection, mentally and physically; and of course, morally, for their moral righteousness was demonstrated before they died.—Heb. 11:35,39,40
The Scriptures also speak of a “great multitude” who will be raised from the dead and serve the Lord “day and night in his temple.” (Rev. 7:9-15) These also will be a spiritual class which, while failing to demonstrate so fully as the “little flock” their loyalty to righteousness, nevertheless, finally have their robes washed “in the blood of the Lamb,” and thus made acceptable to “serve,” rather than “reign” in the temple. Perhaps their service will in large measure, be as messengers between the heavenly and human phases of the kingdom.
The Scriptures do not reveal all the details of just how the kingdom of Christ will function, but we have called attention to sufficient promises of God to indicate definitely that it will be a real government, with personnel trained under the direction of God. It will be through the agencies of this kingdom that the world of mankind will be instructed in righteousness and schooled in the advantages of love.
It will be then, as our text points out, that “mercy” and “truth” will meet together. The Hebrew word here translated “truth” has the basic meaning of “stability.” There can be no lasting stability in human relationships when there is no mercy. But oh, the blessedness of human experience when these two qualities meet and complement each other!
Then also will be fulfilled the prophecy, “Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Here the word “righteousness” is translated from a Hebrew word meaning “equity” or justice—that which is “right.” The truest expression of justice is found in the Golden Rule—“As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31) When, under the administration of Christ’s kingdom, this principle is put into practice—when justice and peace “kiss” each other—there is sure to be peace—universal and lasting peace.
“Trust,” or “stability,” shall “spring out of the earth,” the psalmist prophesied. (Ps. 85:11) Throughout all the ages of the reign of selfishness, sin, and death, there have been a few on earth who have adhered to righteousness. It will be these, as we have seen, who will make up the two phases of the kingdom of Christ. These will be the nucleus redeemed from fallen mankind, who under the guidance of God will be used during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom to point the way back to God and to righteousness.
“And righteousness shall look down from heaven.” (vs. 11) Verse 13 reads, “Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.” The example of righteousness, of stability—the peace of God—has been exhibited, and will continue to be exhibited in the outworking of the divine plan for man’s salvation through the redemption provided in Christ Jesus, and by the “times of restitution of all things” made possible by the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Thus righteousness looks “down from heaven.” This example of divine love and righteousness, together with the directing influences of Christ’s kingdom, will “set us [all mankind] in the way of his steps.” Through the example of divine love in the gift of God’s dear Son to redeem mankind from sin and death, and through the agencies of the kingdom of Christ, mankind will learn to love and appreciate “his steps,” that is, the ways of God, the ways of mercy and love.
This will mean peace, and joy, and life, to all who accept the gracious provisions of divine love and learn to obey kingdom laws. It will mean the fulfillment of all God’s promises of peace and good will. It will mean beating swords into plowshares, and spears into pruninghooks. It will mean that nations will learn war no more. It will mean that every man shall dwell under his vine and fig tree, and that none shall molest nor make afraid.
This is our assurance that peace will ultimately come to the earth. It is an assurance based upon the promises of God, for concerning it the prophet wrote, “The mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.”—Micah 4:1-4