| Highlights of Dawn | November 1958 |
When God’s Glory Fills the Earth
“Then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” —Zephaniah 3:9
ONE of the qualities with which the Creator endowed man was the desire to worship a higher power, a deity. Basically it is a manifestation of humility, a recognition of weakness and a dependence upon a source of superior wisdom and strength. It is also blended with the urge to praise and give glory to the fountain of life and blessings. This desire to worship deity, when properly exercised, leads to rich and lasting blessings.
But this God-given trait of the human species has, because of the fall, provided an opening for many satanic deceptions, and through these deceptions man has been misled into worshiping devious sorts of false gods, and has adopted many false practices in connection with the worship and service of deity. Even the true God of the Bible has been so grossly misrepresented that his true character and purposes are almost entirely unknown by those who profess to love and serve him.
For example, Jehovah said, “Their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isa. 29:13) The god of torment has been formed by the “precept” of men, with Satan’s help. Those who worship and serve the god of torment do not know the true God of the Bible, the God of wisdom, justice, love and power. They may read the Bible. They may profess to believe the Bible, but their god is not the great Eternal One of the Bible who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that through his work of redemption all the families of the earth might be blessed with the opportunity of attaining everlasting life.
So far as the professed Christian world is concerned, some of the most blighting errors of belief and practice are distortions of the Bible’s teachings. One of the prominent themes of the Bible is that the Creator would send a Messiah and King who would establish a world-wide governmental control over mankind. Concerning this great One Isaiah wrote, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”—Isa. 9:6,7
The entire professed Christian world believes that Jesus came as the One to fulfill this prophecy. Jesus revealed, and later his apostle confirmed, that before the establishment of his kingdom in power and great glory there would be selected from the world of mankind a “little flock” who were to have the privilege and honor of reigning with him. In order to prove worthy of this high position in the future kingdom of the Messiah, these were given the opportunity of suffering and dying with Jesus.
The teachings of Jesus and of the apostles are all directed to those who accept this invitation to follow in the Master’s footsteps of self-sacrifice unto death. They applied the Old Testament promises of divine guidance and help almost exclusively to this “little flock” of sacrificing disciples. Indeed, the apostles Peter and Paul wrote that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our admonition; that not unto themselves did the prophets minister, but unto “us,” meaning the disciples of Christ in this age.— I Pet. 1:10-12; Rom. 15:4; I Cor. 10:11
In his parable of The Wheat and Tares Jesus foretold that after “men slept,”—an evident reference to the death of the apostles, who were the spiritual guardians of the Early Church—an “enemy” would sow “tares” in the field where the “Son of man” had sowed “wheat.” The “wheat,” Jesus explained, were the “children of the kingdom,” and the “tares,” “the children of the wicked one.”—Matt. 13:24-30; 36-43
The “wheat,” the “children of the kingdom,” were, originally, the apostles and other faithful members of the Early Church. These were imbued with and inspired by the kingdom promises of the Bible, and entertained the glorious hope of living and reigning with Christ in his kingdom. Tares are imitation, or counterfeit wheat, hence what happened was that the “tares” began to proclaim and promote a new concept of the kingdom of Christ. This new concept was that the kingdom promised in the Bible was really set up at Pentecost, and that it would continue to spread its influence until it embraced the whole earth. Since the Bible taught that Christ’s kingdom would become universal, this deception seemed plausible and scriptural.
But from this point on, the distortions became even more serious. The “tares” did not hesitate to use the power of civil governments to spread the influence of their pseudo kingdom, and thus their brand of Christianity was imposed upon one country after another by the power of the sword. And when it was, the entire populations of those countries were considered to be Christian.
Eventually, after much strife of arms and bloodshed, practically all of Europe came under the domination of the “kingdom” power as it was headed up in Rome. To maintain control there was no hesitancy in resorting to war, to the torture rack, the inquisition, and to the cruelty of burning “heretics” at the stake. All of this was done in the name of Christ and of the God of the Bible. It is evident, however, that the prelates of that which by then was an apostate church, had an entirely different conception of Christ and of God than is presented to us in the Bible. Actually they were the devotees of false gods to whom they had attached the name of Christ and of Jehovah.
This situation continued throughout the Dark Ages. The Reformation brought about some changes, but the erroneous theory that the kingdom of Christ was established at Pentecost, and that all the people in so-called Christendom were the subjects of that kingdom, largely continued to prevail. With this view has come the notion that the exceeding great and precious promises of the Bible apply to everyone who might wish to claim them.
This erroneous concept of truth, associated with the inherent desire to worship a deity and to trust in a higher power, has, for example, led the politician to believe the statement of the Psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” applies to him. Indeed, the thought is that this and other promises of the Bible apply to almost anyone who may wish to quote and use them in times of expediency and emergency. It is responsible for the general practice among those in high positions in the so-called free world to call on God to help them in the carrying out of their designs, and to use his name freely in their political and patriotic speeches.
Today the God who is so frequently mentioned, and whose guidance and help are so often sought, is considered to be the champion of liberty, and to stand for the individual rights of man. He is also supposed to be committed to the principle of “religious liberty,” which means, it is claimed, that every individual has the inalienable right to worship whatever sort of a god he wishes, and to serve his god, or gods, as he may please.
Today, of course, as was true throughout the Dark Ages, the god of the western world is claimed to be the God of the Bible. It would seem that not many stop to think, certainly not to ask, why the God of the Bible suppressed all freedom of religion during the Dark Ages, and now champions the cause of religious liberty. It is perhaps little considered among the general public that the God of the Bible is unchangeable, that with him there is no “variableness, neither shadow of turning”; and, as with Jesus, that he is the same, “yesterday, and today, and forever.”—James 1:17; Heb. 13:8
The Great Deception
Surely we should be sympathetic toward all who have been caught in the labyrinth of religious confusion that exists throughout the world today. We should not blame the people, but recognize that it is a result of the master deception that the kingdom of Christ was established nineteen centuries ago, and that all who are not avowedly worshipers of heathen gods, or are atheistic communists, are a part of that kingdom and therefore are entitled to think of God as their benefactor, their guide, their rescuer, and that they are entitled to call upon him in any and every emergency which may arise.
This confused viewpoint leads to many paradoxes. Basically, the real power that all the western nations depend upon today, even as in the past, is military might. So, actually, in calling upon God to bless their efforts to preserve the free world they are asking him to bless their armies, their atom and hydrogen bombs; their long range missiles, and their atomic submarines.
In this there is little change since the days of the Dark Ages, except that now the nations have weapons of war which are more destructive. The decision is reached that the aims of the western world are sanctioned by God, and that he will bless their armies in attaining and maintaining those aims. The fact that billions of dollars are spent to bolster governments in countries like Greece and Spain, which deny religious liberty to their people, is considered to be proper since these governments will help to fight the common enemy, communism.
And atheistic communism is an enemy. Every authenticated report reaching us from behind the Iron Curtain indicates that it is a system of tyranny and oppression which is surging forward by its military might to conquer the world. President Eisenhower, in a recent nation-wide speech over the radio and television concerning the Formosa crisis, spoke of the pressures which were being exerted by communism against the free world, first in one place and then in another. It is no wonder that the statesmen and rulers in the western world are apprehensive!
Just as we should be sympathetic toward those of the free world who are confused in their religious thinking, even so as Christians we should also try to understand the viewpoint of the atheistic communists. One of the main reasons they are atheists and opposed to the western world’s version of Christianity is that they recognize the evils which have been associated with it and, indeed, are a part of it. The communists in Russia today have never heard of the true God of the Bible and his loving plan of salvation for a lost and dying race.
Some time ago, Nikita Krushchev expressed his viewpoint concerning the god of the western world, and why atheist communists were not impressed by him. We quote from his comments, as reported by Frank Conniff, in the Greensboro, North Carolina, Daily News:
“God is but a mask those people put on. Their acts are contrary to humanism. They lean on the Word of God and then violate it. How can we understand it when churchmen, clergymen, throw holy water on guns that are intended to kill people. … The colonialists, with their armies, came in and brought the church and God with them. … They brought the cross and the Bible to colonial countries. They left the people their religion and took all the people had.”
In his comments Krushchev also spoke of the War of the Crusades. And while a prejudiced viewpoint is very apparent in these observations, they are not without foundation in fact. In the first World War German soldiers were told that they would go immediately to heaven if they died on the battlefield fighting Britain and her allies. American soldiers were recruited by the clergymen of this country in the name of Christ—recruited to kill the Germans who were going to heaven for fighting the Americans.
And these paradoxes go back further even than the first World War. In Volume IV of Studies in the Scriptures, an article by Wong Chin Foo is presented, which was published in the North American Review in the latter years of the nineteenth century. Mr. Foo was an educated Chinaman, and a graduate of one of our New England colleges. We quote the following from his article:
“Christians love the heathen; yes, the heathen’s possessions; and in proportion to these the Christian’s love grows in intensity. When the English wanted the Chinaman’s gold and trade, they said they wanted ‘to open China for their missionaries.’ And opium was the chief, in fact the only, missionary they looked after when they forced the ports open. And this infamous Christian introduction among Chinamen has done more injury, social and moral, in China, than all the humanitarian agencies of Christianity could remedy in two hundred years. And on you, Christians, and on your greed of gold, we lay the burden of the crime resulting; of tens of millions of honest, useful men and women sent thereby to premature death after a short, miserable life, besides the physical and moral prostration it entails even where it does not prematurely kill! And this great national curse was thrust on us at the point of Christian bayonets. And you wonder why we are heathen? The only positive point Christians have impressed on heathenism is that they would sacrifice religion, honor, principle, as they do life, for—gold. And they sanctimoniously tell the poor heathen: ‘You must save your soul by believing as we do!’”—p. 255, middle of page.
Mr. Foo was not a communist, but he clearly recognized, even as Krushchev does, the shameful way the names of God and of Christ were used in support of the selfish aims of professed Christian nations. However, he did not realize that the religion and the religionists he was criticizing were not Christian. He did not know that the “enemy” had sowed “tares” in the “wheat field,” resulting in an almost complete choking out of the “wheat.”
In the portion of Mr. Krushchev’s statement which we did not quote, he complained of religionists’ interference in the affairs of the government. He does not know that true disciples of Christ would not wish thus to interfere with civil governments, that they are not commissioned to impose their beliefs and their way of life upon the world today. His judgment is formed entirely by observing the ways of those who claim that they now compose Christ’s kingdom, and who believe that it is their duty to overthrow wicked atheistic governments.
Not only are the educated communists of today aware of situations such as that described by Mr. Foo, but they also know how the teaching of eternal torture, and the cruel methods of persecution employed during the Dark Ages, were used to keep the people in subjection to the unholy rule of the church-state systems. Yes, they know all this, but they have no knowledge of the true God of the Bible.
In Due Time
The people of the world are not to be blamed for their confusion. Doubtless most of those who still claim to put their trust in God do not associate their God with the atrocities and malpractices of the past or present. They simply like to think that there is a higher power who somehow, and at some time, will help them. In this they are right. The true God of the Bible, the Creator of heaven and earth, does love them. He loves the atheists also, and is working out his designs to bless them in his own due time.
One of God’s promises reads, “Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” (Zeph. 3:8) Then follows the promise contained in our text, that the Lord would turn to the people a pure language, or message.
The fact that the people are still here on earth after the Lord pours out his fury upon the kingdoms and nations, and after the symbolic “earth” is thus devoured by the “fire” of his jealousy, denotes clearly that the foretold devouring of the earth is not literal. Briefly, this is a figurative description of the overthrow and ultimate complete destruction of all selfishly constituted human authority in the earth, preparatory to the full establishment of Christ’s real kingdom.
We are not to understand from this that human efforts have accomplished no good. There have been in the past, and are now, noble men and women who have done their utmost to stem the tide of human selfishness. Some of these have been associated with governments, and some have not. The point is that the best of human efforts come far short of visualizing, much less establishing, a world-wide social order that would be for the highest and best interests of all mankind. It is just such a governmental arrangement that the Apostle Peter describes symbolically as the “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”—II Pet. 3:13
And it will be in this new world, after all manmade governments have been set aside, that the Lord will turn to the people a “pure language.” The word “language” is used here in much the same way as when we say, for example, that one scientist knows the language of another scientist. God will speak to the people in a language which they will be able to understand, and thus he will reveal his glory to them.
Through that “language,” or message, the people will learn that the true God is not a torment deity. They will discover that many of the things they supposed to be true concerning him are not true at all. They will learn that he provided redemption for them through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; not from a hell of torment, but from death, and that by accepting this provision of his love, and obeying the righteous laws of Christ’s kingdom, they can live forever on an earth made perfect.
Then all the darkness and superstition which have confused the minds of the people throughout the long reign of sin and death will be swept away. With their minds cleared of the cobwebs of error concerning God and the ways of God, they will be able to understand and appreciate the true significance of the “pure language” which will then be “turned” to them.
With Satan, the great deceiver of all nations bound, the true knowledge of God will quickly fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. And that true knowledge will reveal the glory of God, that glory of character which is made up by the perfect blending of his wisdom, justice, love, and power. It will be then that the people will say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:9
There will then be religious liberty. Everyone will have the privilege of pouring out his devotions to God as he desires. But the desires of all will be the same. Without dictatorship or oppression; and without the restraint and obedience impelled by fear, the people will all call upon the name of the Lord “to serve him with one consent,” or as the marginal translation suggests, “with one shoulder.” They will all worship and serve together.