| Highlights of Dawn | July 1964 |
“Such As Never Was”
“At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” —Daniel 12:1
DANIEL’S prophecy concerning a “time of trouble” was referred to by Jesus as constituting one of the signs of the end of the age, and of his second presence. (Matt. 24:3, Diaglott, 21,22) In Jesus’ reference to the prophecy the foretold trouble is referred to in our Common Version translation as “tribulation.” Like Daniel, Jesus stresses the fact that this “tribulation,” or “trouble,” would be “such as was not” on the earth—“since the beginning of the world,” Jesus said. And Daniel said, “since there was a nation.”
But Jesus added a note of comfort. He gave assurance that there would never be anything like it again. This statement also locates the fulfillment of the prophecy at the end of the age, and the time for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom, which, as the Scriptures reveal, will be during the thousand years of its reign, and which will destroy all evil and bring about the full establishment of the Creator’s will in the earth in answer to the Christian’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6:10
There are many prophecies, both in the Old and New Testaments, which indicate that there would be calamitous events throughout the earth just before the full establishment of Messiah’s kingdom. Many of these prophecies are couched in symbolic language. Isaiah 34:1-4 reads, “Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”
Jeremiah 25:31-33 reads, “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword. … Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.”
Zephaniah 3:8 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 [Hebrew, zeal].” In order to assure us that it is not the literal earth which will then be destroyed, the Lord informs us that following the symbolic fire of his zeal, which will devour the symbolic earth, the people will still be living on the literal earth, and that he will turn to them “a pure language,” that they might call upon him unitedly, and serve him “with one consent.”—Zeph. 3:9
In the New Testament we also have symbolic prophecies depicting the foretold “time of trouble,” or “tribulation.” The Apostle Peter presents one of these. In discussing the time of our Lord’s second presence and the establishment of his kingdom, Peter wrote, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.”—II Pet. 3:10,12
The Earth Abides
Beginning in the darker past, many students of prophecy falsely concluded from these symbolic prophecies that the return of Christ would signal the complete destruction of the earth by literal fire. These failed to grasp the plan of God pertaining to the purpose of Christ’s return; namely, that it was for the restoration of the human race to life on the earth. They seemed not to know about Peter’s reference to the “times of restitution” which, as he said, had been spoken by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began.—Acts 3:19-21
It is in keeping with this grand design of the Creator on behalf of the fallen race that the Bible assures us of the continuance of the earth, and that it was not created in vain, but formed to be inhabited. (Eccles. 1:4; Isa. 45:18) Were the earth to be destroyed, God’s glorious restitution project, which in his plan is to take place following the return of Christ, would come to naught. But when we recognize that the prophecies which so vividly describe the calamitous events to take place at the end of the world, or age, are couched in symbolic language, then we find harmony in the Bible.
In the prophecies quoted a number of symbolisms are used. Prominent among these is “fire.” Fire is used in the Scriptures as a symbol of destruction. In the prophecies relative to the end of the age it is used to symbolize the destructive forces which destroy what the Bible refers to as “the heavens and the earth, which are now.” (II Pet. 3:7) In this connection we find the prophecies referring to “armies,” and to their destruction. (Isa. 34:2) It is the divine purpose that Satan’s entire social order of sin and selfishness shall be destroyed, including war and the implements of war. “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth,” wrote the psalmist.—Ps. 46:9
In Luke’s account of Jesus’ reference to the great “tribulation” which would come upon the earth at the end of the age, we are given a forthright description of just what is involved. First he refers to “signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars”—which, of course, is symbolic language—and then he adds, “upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity.” Luke continues, “the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”—Luke 21:25,26
Intermingled with symbolisms, Luke thus reveals that the great “time of trouble” foretold by Daniel, and verified by Christ, is actually a time when there was to be upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; and that on account of the ominous threats of increasing trouble and calamity, it would be likened to the roaring of the sea and waves, and men’s hearts would fail them for fear as they looked forward to the things coming on the earth.
The Present Situation
Without doubt we are now living in the end of the age and in the midst of the prophetic “time of trouble” which was to accompany our Lord’s return in preparation for the full establishment of his kingdom. Daniel said that this trouble would be “such as never was since there was a nation.” This is true of the present “distress of nations.” Let us note some of the evidences which establish this fact.
First among these is Jesus’ own enlargement upon the severity of this “great tribulation.” He said that it would be so severe that unless those days were shortened no flesh would survive. It has been recognized since the close of the second World War that man now has within his power the destruction of the entire human race in nuclear warfare. Throughout the more than six thousand years of human life on the earth men and nations have struggled with each other in wars and revolutions. These battles have often been very destructive of human life, but never before has there been the possibility that the entire human race might be destroyed. Probably the most devastating of human struggles were the first and second World Wars; but during all the destructive years of those wars the total population of the earth continued to increase.
We are not forecasting that the human race will be destroyed ere the present “distress of nations” is over. Indeed, the prophecies reveal that this will not be permitted to occur. Jesus himself said that the “tribulation” would be shortened to prevent such a catastrophe. The point we wish to emphasize is that today, and in keeping with Jesus’ own prophecy, the nations do have the potential for destroying the human race. This, we submit, is one of the ways in which the present “tribulation” on the earth is “such as never was since there was a nation.”
World-wide
In the past, conflicts among men and nations have been confined largely to local areas. There have been times when a limited number of nations have been allied in war, but usually it has been a case of one nation engaged in war against another, with the rest of the world measurably disinterested as to the outcome. True, the armies of Assyria, Syria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome reached quite far afield to conquer surrounding countries, and thus, in turn, to build up their empires. But even these circumstances did not involve the whole world, although much of the so-called civilized world was often affected.
During the era since the first advent of Christ essentially every decade has been plagued by war, but in no case did these involve the people of the whole earth. But beginning with the first World War in 1914 it has been different. The fact that this was the “first” World War emphasizes the difference, and from this standpoint identifies the distress through which the world has been passing since 1914 as a trouble “such as never was since there was a nation.”
The second World War was even more universal in the devastation it wrought upon men and nations. But the distress of nations did not end with the conclusion of the second World War. Almost immediately the great powers of earth entered into what is designated the “cold war.” In this struggle for advantage and power the people of earth have been held in almost constant suspense, for they have realized that a false move on the part of high officials in government could plummet the nations into an all-out global nuclear war, the horrors of which cannot be properly estimated.
Language is limited in its meaning, and the definitions of words often change from one decade to another. In times past the struggles of men and nations fell, in a general way, into three categories. These were described as war, revolution, and anarchy. These words still have an application to what is taking place throughout the earth, but cannot be applied in an unlimited sense to many of the events which make up the present “distress of nations.”
Following the first World War there came that great communist revolution in Russia. In the years since, this has developed to the point where it threatens to engulf the whole world. But aside from that, and further emphasizing the fact that the present trouble is different from anything which has ever plagued the earth before, are all the outbursts of human passion which are manifesting themselves in every country of earth, even the small, emerging nations of Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.
Each one of these situations is in some respects different from the others. In Cuba it was called a “revolution,” and the spirit of revolution is widely manifested in South America and other parts of the world. But the very dangerous situation in Cyprus could hardly be called a revolution, yet it is a part of the “distress of nations.” The expression, “brush fire war,” is one that has been coined to describe the hostilities which today almost continuously rage in one part of the earth or another.
As the newly formed nations of Africa and elsewhere struggle for existence, endeavoring to progress in the face of the conflicting forces of communism, race hatred, and other handicaps, many lose their lives. One could hardly refer to these circumstances as wars, or as revolution, but they are a part of the general picture of distress in this “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.”
There are still other strange situations throughout the earth. One of these is the present division of Germany where the people in one part of the city of Berlin are kept separate from those in the other part by a great wall. What will be the outcome of this situation? At present no one knows. All we know is that in the division of Germany there is a condition ready to ignite another global war; so the people of Germany, of all Europe, and of the whole world are kept apprehensive, their hearts filled with fear as they look ahead to what might almost any day come upon the earth. And Jesus said that this would be one of the characteristics of the prophetic distress of nations with perplexity.
What we might refer to as the deGaulle situation has helped to create further apprehension among the western nations, particularly his recognition of communist China. What does this mean? What is deGaulle attempting to accomplish? To say the least, he has weakened the solidarity of the western bloc of nations against the communist forces of the earth.
For a long time in the “cold war” it seemed that the two large communist nations, Russia and China, were solidly united in their militant determination to destroy the capitalist world. But now that situation is changing, or so it seems. Of course, there are those who hold that the “controversy” between China and Russia is merely a part of a grand strategy to confuse the diplomats of the Western World, and that in the event a real struggle should develop between the communist and capitalist worlds, these two powerful nations would stand shoulder to shoulder. But regardless of whether or not this is so, the situation is becoming more and more confused, which again adds to the uncertainty of the people of all nations. Truly it is a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation,” identifying without doubt the fact that we are now living in the end of the age, the early period of Christ’s second presence and the near establishment of his glorious mediatorial kingdom of blessing.
Michael Stands Up
Our text states that this great time of trouble would occur as a result of Michael’s standing up. Michael is identified in the text as “the great prince which standeth for the children of thy [Daniel’s] people.” The fact that Jesus applied this prophecy to the time of his own return and second presence shows clearly that the “great prince” referred to is none other than the Messiah, and that “Michael” is one of the official titles which the Scriptures apply to him.
The reference to Michael standing up denotes his exercise of authority and power over the forces of evil which have been so dominant in the affairs of men throughout the ages of the past. It is this which, to begin with, leads to so much confusion and distress throughout the earth. However, the ultimate object is to bless the people with peace, happiness, and everlasting life, through the agencies of the messianic kingdom.
The “great Prince,” Christ, is the One of promise who will stand for the Lord’s people, and deliver them. This means that he stands for truth, and justice, and righteousness. With his kingdom fully established the righteous will no longer be persecuted, for “the rebuke” of God’s people shall be taken away “from off all the earth.” (Isa. 25:8) When Jesus outlined the signs of his second presence he said that when his people saw these things “begin to come to pass” they should look up and lift up their heads, because their deliverance would be drawing near. (Luke 21:28) He probably had the prophecy of Daniel in mind when making this statement, for as Daniel recorded, the standing up of Michael, the “great Prince,” would lead to the deliverance of the Lord’s people.
And this is more than simply a deliverance from the trouble which surrounds us in this present evil world. Verses 2 and 3 of Daniel, 12th chapter, carry the thought further, assuring us of a deliverance from death. We quote: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” The word “many” as here used denotes “all.” (See John 5:28,29, and I Tim. 2:3-6.) Among these “many” some will be worthy of entering immediately into everlasting life, either on the spirit plane or on the human plane.
But there will be others, indeed the vast majority of the world of mankind, who will not be worthy of this immediate reward. They will be brought forth and placed on probation. Due to their past lives of unrighteousness, considerable shame will he heaped upon them. This will be part of their discipline and preparation for humbly accepting the provisions of divine grace through Christ, and for obeying the righteous laws of the messianic kingdom. The text speaks of this as “everlasting contempt.” The Hebrew text does not denote unending contempt, but merely until the designed purpose of discipline has been accomplished.
Verse 3 gives further details concerning the status in the resurrection of those who, in this life, have found favor with God, and have had their names placed in his “book” of life. The text reads, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” It seems reasonable that here the reference is to those who will participate in the two rulership phases of Christ’s kingdom; that is, the spiritual and the earthly.
The spiritual phase of the messianic kingdom will consist of the resurrected and highly exalted Jesus, and associated with him his overcoming followers of the Gospel Age. These will be invisible to the human race, and will be represented here on earth by the resurrected “fathers,” the Ancient Worthies, who will be made “princes in all the earth.” (Ps. 45:16) These will work together in glorious unison in extending the blessings of the messianic kingdom to all who will accept them—those blessings provided by the redeeming blood of Christ.
The ultimate result of that glorious kingdom reign will be the deliverance of all mankind from the thralldom of sin and death. Death itself will be destroyed, and ultimately there shall be no more pain, and no more death. (I Cor. 15:25,26; Rev. 21:4) Today, as we have seen, in addition to the normal afflictions of disease and death which have plagued the human race since the disobedience of our first parents, there are all those additional woes which result from the “great tribulation” through which the people are passing.
But how encouraging to realize that the “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” is a sure harbinger of the near and complete establishment of the long-promised messianic kingdom, that kingdom which, ere its divinely planned objective has been accomplished, will make an end of all trouble and sorrow! While no one can rejoice in the world’s present woes, we should be glad for the assurance that the time has come for the great Prince of Peace to strike a death blow against all the causes of sorrow, and that even death will be swallowed up in victory.—Isa. 25:8; I Cor. 15:54,55