| Highlights of Dawn | May 1964 |
The World of Tomorrow
THE New York World’s Fair of twenty-five years ago focused attention on the marvelous progress man is making along all lines of human endeavor and particularly in the fields of science and invention. Its slogan was, “A Century of Progress.” Many of the exhibits at that fair projected the results of this progress into what was then referred to as “the world of tomorrow.” The General Motors exhibit for example, gave a remarkable portrayal of the superhighways which would be developed for handling the ever-increasing automobile traffic. The earlier demonstrations of television were seen at that fair, as well as electronic cooking and many other achievements which since have come into wide use.
The future highways portrayed by General Motors are now a reality, and are fast being laid across the country from coast to coast. Electronic cooking is now being utilized in automatic food venders, and otherwise. Television is an established part of life throughout much of the world, and television receiving sets have found their way into millions of homes. Advancement in science and invention during the twenty-five years since the last New York World’s Fair has outstripped what was then thought possible.
But there has been a somber hue to this bright era of progress and achievement, for we have been brought face to face with the dismal fact that man has also developed potentials of destruction which might well lead to the death of the entire human race. And with all his increased knowledge man has not been able to safeguard himself against this awesome possibility.
The last New York World’s Fair was held during the early years of the Second World War, but before the United States had entered that struggle. The outcome of that war is a divided world, with the communist nations on one side and the anti-communist nations on the other. The communists are determined to take over the control of the world, and the capitalist nations are just as determined that this must not happen. Both sides have the latest weapons of destruction, including the hydrogen bomb, so the outlook is not bright.
Viewing the future strictly from the standpoint of scientific achievements, it seems bright indeed. Living standards should continue to lessen the work hours needed to provide the world’s needs, and even its luxuries. This, in turn, should give more time for healthful relaxation and cultural development.
But human selfishness tends to negate the benefits of man’s increasing knowledge. Additional hours of leisure in many instances may lead to increased crime. This, together with the continuous threat of destruction by nuclear fission, makes the future dark and fearsome. All in all, the shape of things to come is, from the human standpoint, most uncertain.
The Bible Answers
The Bible alone explains the significance of what is taking place in the world today, and presents a clear preview of the world of tomorrow. And the Bible reveals that tomorrow’s world will be God’s world, for out of the present chaos and uncertainty is to emerge the long-promised kingdom of Christ, that world-wide government of peace and security foretold by the Prophet Isaiah in his forecast of the birth of Jesus. He wrote, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”—Isa. 9:6,7
Jesus was born to be this great world ruler, but first it was necessary in the plan of God for him to die as man’s Redeemer, and the prophecies of the Bible reveal that his kingdom was not to be set up in the earth until his return. The prophecies also forecast many of the conditions which would prevail throughout the earth at the time of his return. One of these prophecies is Daniel 12:4, which reads, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
“The time of the end” referred to in this prophecy is not the end of time. Neither is it a time in which the earth is to be destroyed by fire, as visualized in the end-of-the-world tradition which developed in the Dark Ages. Rather, it is the time when the reign of sin and death comes to an end, these evils being destroyed through the agencies of Christ’s kingdom due to be established at that time. Therefore, evidence that we have reached this prophetic “time of the end” should be, and is, most reassuring, especially since it is also a time in which all human efforts to establish lasting peace have met with dismal failure.
Daniel’s prophecy reveals that the time of the end would see a great increase of knowledge, and this has been witnessed by mankind during the last hundred and fifty years. It might at first be difficult to realize that this foretold increase and diffusion of knowledge has been of such relatively recent accomplishment. However, a study of the facts reveals the accuracy of Daniel’s prophecy. The invention and perfecting of the printing press was one of the things which helped materially to make possible this phenomenal increase of knowledge.
Let us think of knowledge for the moment in terms of literacy. Throughout all the ages of the past relatively few of the human race in any part of the earth were able to read and write. In more than 6,000 years of human experience, 5,800 years witnessed little progress in the general education of the people. The United States is one of the foremost nations of earth, yet only ninety years ago twenty per cent of the population in this progressive country were illiterate. Illiteracy in other nations was the heritage of still larger percentages of the people, and advances were still slower and of more recent attainment. In India, 88 per cent of the people were illiterate in 1941; and in Russia, 90 per cent were illiterate in 1900.
Inventions
The general increase of knowledge, accentuated greatly by the advent of printing, led to inventions along many lines. There were a few inventions prior to the nineteenth century, and then, suddenly, during the first fifty years of that century, came the bicycle, dynamo, food canning, photography, the steamboat, the telegraph, the tractor, the electric motor, the steam locomotive, the match, the reaper, and the sewing machine. From 1851 to 1900 came the airship, elevator, open-hearth steel, the typewriter, the gas engine, the incandescent lamp, the phonograph, the radio, the submarine, the telephone, the power loom, and refrigeration.
From 1901 to 1964 science and invention have produced the airplane, television, the X-ray tube, radar, atomic energy, space rockets, the earth satellite, and jet propulsion, to name a few of the later developments. It is during this period that radio and television as public utilities for the dissemination of knowledge and entertainment have come into general use. If you can imagine yourself in a world in which the foregoing benefits were not known, you have only taken yourself back in history less than two hundred years. Truly the increase of knowledge has come suddenly!
Travel
While the increase of knowledge has produced advantages along all lines of human endeavor, it is particularly manifested in the field of travel. As Daniel foretold, there would be an increase of knowledge, and many would “run to and fro.” About two and a half centuries ago, prior to the advent of any of our present means of rapid travel, Sir Isaac Newton, who was a great believer in the prophecies of the Bible, said that the time would come when people would travel as fast as fifty miles an hour. How conservative was Newton’s prediction in the light of modern speeds of travel!
Prior to this prophetic era described by Daniel as “the time of the end,” travel in horse-drawn carriages or by horseback was the fastest means of going places, and this had been the situation throughout the centuries. Then suddenly came the steamboat, the railroad, the automobile, the airplane, and now the jet plane which carries millions of passengers throughout the earth at speeds above 600 miles an hour. And the end is not yet!
A Time of Trouble
The foretold increase of knowledge and running to and fro should have been a great blessing to the human race, and in countless ways it has been. But because of human selfishness and greed it has also led to trouble. Daniel’s prophecy also foretold this, pointing out that in this time of the end there would be a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) Jesus quoted from this prophecy, and applied it to the time of his return. Jesus uses the word “tribulation” instead of trouble, and predicted that this tribulation would become so great that unless it was cut short no flesh would survive.—Matt. 24:21,11
It is this situation which confronts the nations today. Man’s knowledge has increased, he can split the atom, and perhaps one day fly to the moon; but he is unable to curb the power of selfishness now implemented by nuclear fission, so he is filled with fear. Jesus foretold this also. He said of this very time that there would be upon the earth “distress of nations, with perplexity; … men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.”—Luke 21:25,26
Another of God’s prophets wrote that God’s “lightnings enlightened the world,” and that “the earth saw, and trembled.” (Ps. 97:4) Lightning is used in this prophecy to symbolize an increase of knowledge. The prophecy states that God’s lightnings “enlightened the world.” The prophetic increase of knowledge, which is now fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy, has reached mankind through the providences of the Lord because the time is fast approaching when the human race is to be emancipated from ignorance and superstition through the agencies of Christ’s kingdom. But the Lord knew that this increase of knowledge, this symbolic “lightning,” would first cause the people of the earth to tremble because of the potentials of destructive trouble it would make possible.
However, this is merely the first effect of increasing knowledge. Under the direction of the Lord, knowledge will continue to increase. And it will not merely be knowledge along technical and scientific lines. Eventually, through the administrative agencies of Christ’s kingdom, a true knowledge of the Lord will be disseminated throughout the earth. The Prophet Isaiah wrote that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) The Prophet Zephaniah wrote that the Lord will turn to the people a “pure message,” that they might all call upon and serve him “with one consent,” or in agreement and unity.—Zeph. 3:9
Day of Preparation
The Bible describes the present era of increasing knowledge as the day of God’s “preparation.” (Nahum 2:3,4) Preparation is being made for the functioning of Christ’s kingdom throughout the whole earth. Labor-saving machinery, especially automation, is presenting a serious problem in the economic world. The increase of knowledge reflected in these advancements in production techniques has enabled man to provide many times over for his normal needs, even providing luxuries formerly denied him. Feverish preparation for war on the part of many countries provides temporary relief from unemployment, but it is feared that even so the number of unemployed might well continue to increase.
This is, indeed, one of the contributing causes of the tensions which exist internationally. As the backward nations emerge, and learn the techniques of manufacturing, they become competitors in the world market. With selfishness ruling in the hearts of the people, there is much fear as to what the final outcome of this will be; and fear is one of the elements contributing to the great “time of trouble’ with which the present age comes to a calamitous end, and the way opened for Christ’s kingdom.
Last November the president of the AFL-CIO labor organization referred to automation as a curse. The only method of combating this curse, as the labor leaders see it, is to reduce the number of work hours in a week. Prior to the advent of labor-saving machinery, it was not unusual for men to work sixty and more hours a week. Now the official work week is forty hours, and labor leaders are pressing to have it reduced to thirty-five hours. Some want it even less than this.
However, God, in permitting the great increase of knowledge of our day, had a long-range plan in mind. He knew that, to begin with, it would lead to serious dislocations in the world economy, resulting in distress and war; but he also knew that the increased potentials of production would be needed in order to carry out his kingdom program. For example, one of the kingdom promises reads: “They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.” (Isa. 65:21) This promise is to be fulfilled throughout the whole earth.
The people of this country are interested in maintaining their present high standard of living, and, if possible, raising it. That is good! Even in this fair land there are millions of people who are living far below the average standard. These do not have bathrooms, and automobiles, and television sets, and refrigerators. God is interested in these people, and in the underprivileged of all nations. He is no respecter of persons. He has designed that all the countless millions in the “have not” nations shall have their standards of living raised, that they shall enjoy the bounties of earth, together with the people of those nations now more highly favored.
Think of what this implies in the field of manufacture, and in the growing of food! With needs so gigantic, all the labor-saving machinery now available, and the improved equipment yet to be invented will be needed, and without shortening the work hours of the week. Besides, as we shall point out from the Word of God, all those who have died are to be awakened from the sleep of death—not all at once, of course, but throughout the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom, for every man shall come forth in his own order. (I Cor. 15:23) These will need food, clothing, and homes, which in turn will call for still greater production.
And, without doubt, we are now living in the transition period leading into the full establishment of Christ’s kingdom. God foreknew this, and being the great economist that he is, fostered the increase of knowledge just far enough in advance to bring chaos to man’s world, and at the same time preparing the means by which to furnish to all mankind—the living as well as those who will be resurrected—the material blessings of the kingdom which he has promised.
Not Fantastic
Those who are not accustomed to thinking of Christ’s kingdom as being a literal, well-organized government designed to function world-wide may view these thoughts as fantastic and unrealistic. But they are not! Since man has been upon the earth he has been plagued by suffering and death. Wars have disrupted his peace and security, and selfishness has blighted his happiness. There has been injustice on every hand. The innocent have suffered, and in many instances the guilty have flourished. The Scriptures state: “Now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.”—Mal. 3:15
Throughout the ages men and women have continued to ask, Where is God in all these evil situations? Why does he not do something about human suffering? Many have lost faith in God because of his seeming lack of interest in his human creatures. Professed Christians who are somewhat acquainted with the promises of the Bible, know that wonderful assurances of divine interest are contained in these promises, but they have come to believe that the blessings God has outlined in his promises are to be received after death, and in heaven. To a point, this is true. God has provided wonderful blessings of life in heaven for the footstep followers of Jesus; but in addition to this he has assured us that in his own due time he will manifest his power throughout the earth, and, through the agencies of Christ’s kingdom, shower blessings of peace, health, and life upon the people of all nations.
And the prophecies of the Bible identify present world conditions as those which were immediately to precede Christ’s kingdom. Today, more than ever before, people are asking why God doesn’t do something about human suffering; and it is the privilege of every follower of the Master who understands the significance of the prophecies, to assure the people that the time is at hand when God will do something about the needs of mankind.
The very fact that one asks why God doesn’t do something to straighten out the tangled affairs of mankind, and thus to relieve human suffering, implies faith in the Creator’s ability to do so. It should not be considered fantastic, therefore, simply to point out that the time has come for God to act, and to call attention to the wonderful things he has promised to do. After all, it is just this for which Christians have been praying ever since Jesus walked throughout the Holy Land—“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6:10
By the close of Christ’s thousand-year kingdom this prayer will be fully answered. The divine will is to be re-established throughout the earth. And think what this will mean in human experience! Because God’s will is done in heaven, we can be assured that there is no sickness and death there. This means that when God’s will is done here on earth there shall be no sickness and death. And this, indeed, is what God’s Word promises. We quote: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”—Rev. 21:4
Death is man’s greatest enemy, and the Bible promises that this great enemy shall be destroyed by the power of Christ’s kingdom. Referring to this kingdom, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (I Cor. 15:25,26) We rejoice in this assurance! And note that “all” enemies of God, of righteousness, and of man are to be destroyed. That is why, when the reign of Christ is complete, God’s will shall be done here in earth even as it is now done in heaven.
Why the Wait
It is proper to ask why the Lord has waited so long before doing anything for the human race. One reason is that he desired the people to experience the result of sin and selfishness. (Rom. 7:13) So, in the outworking of his plan of redemption and salvation, he has allowed sufficient time for every generation of the race to have this experience with sin, the wages of which “is death.” (Rom. 6:23) And even now barely enough people have been born to properly fill the earth in keeping with the Creator’s original design.—Gen. 1:28, R.V.
Meanwhile God has been working out his plan for the blessing of those who have experienced the awful results of transgression of his laws. A hint of this plan was given by the Creator when he sentenced our first parents to death. He then said that the “seed” of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15) Later this same “seed” is mentioned, and is identified with the patriarch Abraham. God’s promise to him was that his seed would bless all the families of the earth.—Gen. 12:3; 22:17,18
This promise is referred to in Galatians 3:8,16, where it is explained that Jesus is this promised “Seed.” When Jesus was born, the angel, in announcing his birth, declared it to be glad tidings of great joy which were to be to all people, or, as the promise was made to Abraham, to “all families of the earth.” The angel explained that Jesus would be a Savior. The angel appearing to Joseph told him that Jesus would “save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:20,21) In order to accomplish this work of salvation on behalf of mankind, it was necessary for Jesus to die. In death, Jesus took the sinner’s place. One of the words used in the Bible to describe this aspect of the divine plan for recovering man from death is “ransom,” and the Bible explains that Jesus gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.—I Tim. 2:3-6
Explaining further this facet of the plan of God, Paul wrote, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that [margin, or, in whom] all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) Again: “Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Rom. 5:18) The ultimate result of this redemptive work of Christ on behalf of Adam and his progeny is further explained by Paul in I Corinthians 15:21,22, which reads, “Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
The making alive referred to by Paul is what the Scriptures elsewhere describe as the resurrection of the dead. In the Old Testament it is described as a returning from death, and Isaiah wrote that the people “shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa. 35:10) Even children will participate in this return of the dead to life. Jeremiah likened this to a returning to their own border; that is, they will re-cross the border as they return from the land of the dead to the land of the living. (Jer. 31:15-17) Jeremiah describes death as “the land of the enemy.”
The Larger Seed
Jesus died as man’s Redeemer nearly two thousand years ago. Since his death guarantees an awakening from the dead of all Adam’s children, the question naturally arises as to why there has been a long period before this great blessing is made available for the dead world of mankind. The reason is that God has been selecting from among mankind a people whom he will honor with the privilege of participating with Jesus in the promised work of blessing. The Apostle Paul explains this point, saying that those who become real Christians are, together with Jesus, also the “Seed” of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise made to the patriarch.—Gal. 3:27-29
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, to illustrate the miracles he would perform on behalf of all mankind during the period of his kingdom, he healed the sick and raised the dead. He explained to his disciples that in keeping with his Father’s plan they also would do these works, meaning that they would be associated with him in the work of healing all the sick and of raising all the dead.—John 14:12
Jesus explained that he was going away to prepare a place for his disciples, and that he would return and receive them unto himself, that where he was they also would be. (John 14:3) The invitation to this high position in the divine arrangements is described in Hebrews 3:1 as a “heavenly calling.” It is from these, and from many other texts of the New Testament with similar connotations, that the Christian world has come to believe that God’s plan for them is to spend eternity in heaven.
And there is indeed a “heavenly calling.” But many fail to understand that this special calling is only for the footstep followers of Jesus, not for the world of mankind in general. These are invited to suffer and die with Jesus, that they might live and reign with him. (II Tim. 2:11,12) In Revelation 20:4,6 these are depicted as coming forth in the “first resurrection” to live and reign “with Christ a thousand years.”
These will be exalted to immortality in the resurrection. (I Cor. 15:50-53) Paul explains that “flesh and blood” cannot inherit the kingdom of God as joint-heirs with Christ. These joint-heirs are promised the “divine nature.” (II Pet. 1:4) They are assured that if they faithfully and patiently strive for this reward they will indeed receive “glory and honor and immortality.” (Rom. 2:7) Yes, it is a glorious hope that is set before every faithful follower of the Master, a hope which is realized in the “first resurrection.”
But this is not the hope set before the world in general by the promises of God. They will be awakened from the sleep of death as humans, and will be given an opportunity to accept Christ, obey the laws of the kingdom then in force, and, if faithful, will live forever as humans here on the earth, the home which God prepared for them. The earth is not to be destroyed, for God created it not in vain, but “formed it to be inhabited.” (Isa. 45:18) And it will yet be inhabited by the restored human race.
Referring to the time of Christ’s return to earth, the Apostle Peter explained that it would mean “times of restitution of all things,” and added that this glorious period of restoration had been foretold “by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21) Thus seen, the world of tomorrow, in addition to enjoying all the benefits of this modern age of science and inventions, will also be one in which the people will enjoy health and life. It will be a time when mourning ones will have their deceased relatives and friends restored to them. The only ones who will then need to die will be those who disobey God’s law then in force.—Acts 3:23
Human Rulers
As we have seen, Christ and the church, exalted to heavenly glory, will be the supreme rulers in that new kingdom now so near, but they will have human representatives. In the plan of God these were selected from among mankind during the ages from Eden to the first advent of Christ. They include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, and all who were truly devoted to the one and only living and true God throughout that period of approximately 4,000 years. The Scriptures refer to them as “the fathers,” and explain that they are to be made “princes in all the earth.”—Ps. 45:16
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews many of these faithful ones are mentioned, and Paul explains that they endured their trials faithfully, “that they might obtain a better resurrection.” He also says that they “without us should not be made perfect.” (vss. 35,40) While these faithful ones were the first of God’s servants to prove worthy of a special place in his plan, their resurrection must wait until all the followers of Jesus of this age have qualified to live and reign with Christ in the spiritual phase of the kingdom, and been brought forth in the first resurrection.
But the ancient servants of God will be raised from the dead at the proper time, and will take their places as the human representatives of the divine Christ. Jesus said of these that the people would come to recognize them, from east, west, north, and south—world-wide, in other words—that they would sit down with them in the kingdom of God. (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:29) Having proved loyal to God and to his principles of justice and righteousness, these will be faithful representatives of The Christ, and will administer the laws of the kingdom impartially for the blessing of all mankind.
So the world of tomorrow is to be a bright and happy world! All the problems which baffle the rulers today will be solved in that kingdom world. Even the problem of selfishness will be solved, for God will write his law of love in the hearts of the people, and eventually love will become the motive of all human behavior. (Jer. 31:31-34) All will then know and serve the Lord. The people will say, “Lo, this is our God; … we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:9