| Highlights of Dawn | January 1969 |
This Dark Day of the Lord
“And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning stare rises in your hearts.” —II Peter 1:19, RSV
THE sure word of prophecy is indeed “a lamp shining in a dark place,” even as our text declares. Darkness is used in the Scriptures as a symbol of sin—of that which is out of harmony with God. The Apostle John wrote that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5) The darkness of sin contributes to unhappiness, and how much there is in the world today that comes within this category!
As we enter upon the new year, 1969, we are painfully reminded that the problems which confronted the people at the beginning of 1968 are still with us. Seventy-five per cent of the world’s inhabitants are still hungry, and millions of them died of starvation during 1968. And, as of now, there is no assurance that this situation will improve during 1969. This is indeed a dark picture in which the human suffering involved staggers our imagination and defies description.
Then there are the many festering sores of trouble, discontent, war, revolution, and anarchy which at the beginning of the New Year continue to plague this sin-sick and suffering world. Every continent is afflicted with these eruptions, and we hear the clamor of the protesters, the groans of the oppressed, and the screams of the suffering and dying here and there throughout all nations. No nation today; great or small, is immune from these afflictions. No nation is secure from attack from without, neither free from turmoil within.
It is indeed a “dark” time for all mankind. Isaiah wrote, “Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” (Isa. 60:2) Joel wrote, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day’ of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains.” (Joel 2:2) Amos wrote, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”—Amos 5:18-20
The Day of the Lord
“The day of the Lord” is an expression used in the prophecies of the Bible to denote that period in the end of the present age in which, through divine intervention, Satan’s social order which is based upon and largely motivated by selfishness, is destroyed in preparation for the full establishment and rulership of the kingdom of Christ. The return of Christ and the early years of his second presence are associated in the Scriptures with this prophetic “day of the Lord.”
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”—I Thess. 5:1-4
Notice that according to this prophecy “the day of the Lord” is a time of destruction—“sudden destruction cometh upon them.” In the Greek text the word which in the King James Version is translated “sudden” has more the thought of “unexpected,” like the coming of a thief. The prophecy does not indicate whether “the day of the Lord” is a long day or a short day, but emphasizes that the destruction of that day comes upon the world unawares.
But as Paul explains, the Lord’s people, the “brethren,” would not be in darkness concerning the significance of this day and its events. They were to know of its arrival but not upon the basis of “times and seasons.” Paul explains that there was no need that he should write about the times and the seasons because the brethren knew “perfectly” what to expect in that day; they would be able to identify the time, when it arrived, by the fact that when there was a great cry of “peace and safety,” unexpected destruction would come upon Satan’s social order, and that this destruction would come “as travail upon a woman with child.”
Deceptive Progress
With the great increase of knowledge which came to mankind, beginning particularly with the opening of the nineteenth century, it was supposed and generally claimed that the people had also progressed in mutual understanding. This idea of a maturing civilization had taken such a strong hold upon the nations it was believed that at long last they would be able to resolve their differences without the necessity of going to war. Thus early in the twentieth century this viewpoint was brought into focus by the fact that 1913 was proclaimed an international peace year. It was during that year that the Peace Palace at the Hague was dedicated amidst much pomp and ceremony. High officials of government in the world’s capitals wined and dined one another in this great and international salute to peace.
This was in 1913. It was in 1914 that the first World War in all history broke out, and it continued for more than four bloody and weary years. Youths of the world were slaughtered by the millions during those years, and when a truce was finally arranged most of the church-state governments of Europe were no longer able to function. They were replaced either by communist or fascist dictatorships, and in Germany for a short time by a republic. This republic was later replaced by Nazi dictatorship.
Thus, just as Paul foretold, we can look back to what then occurred and recognize in the sequence of events clear proof that we are in the prophetic “day of the Lord.” Without difficulty we can identify the cry of “peace and safety”—a world-wide pronouncement of the belief that wars would no longer be necessary. And then, following quickly, the “unexpected” destruction began.
Paul said that this “destruction” would come as “travail upon a woman with child.” This comes in spasms, with periods of easement between. That first spasm of destruction rocked the foundations of the pre-1914 world. Today essentially all historians acknowledge that the world that existed before the unexpected destruction began, ended in 1914.
Other Spasms
In 1939 there came the outbreak of another World War—another military spasm of destructive trouble. This caused a further crumbling of Satan’s social order. In fact, much of the world was so badly shaken, financially and otherwise, that, only a continuous outpouring of American dollars has prevented a complete collapse of what men call civilization. When the second World War closed there was chaos everywhere, and this continues to be so.
Meanwhile, the crumbling world passed through the destructive depression days of the 1930’s. This was a different sort of spasm, which, nevertheless, further weakened the fabric of civilization, particularly along financial lines. The unemployment caused by “the great depression” ended with the outbreak of the second World War when millions were inducted into the armies of the warring nations, and other millions were put to work furnishing munitions of war.
Now the groans of “travail” can be heard almost constantly, and world-wide. There has not as yet been a third World War, but there have been constant smaller struggles going on in almost every part of the globe. There was the Korean War, and now the Viet Nam War. There have been revolutions in many places, including Africa. There is constant tension due to threats by the great powers.
And there is much trouble within nations—strife between races; the youth demanding a greater voice in the management of schools and colleges. The constant spiral of monetary inflation causes ever mounting demands for higher wages. The crime rate continues to rise. Conditions generally are so out of hand that one of the main issues in the recent presidential election campaign was “law and order.” And indeed the world needs law and order, for the social order established by man is ‘fast crumbling. Instead of social order, there is unsocial chaos, and disruptive influences are everywhere.
Another Prophetic Description
The general distress and chaos abroad in the earth today, which is inflicting suffering upon all classes, the rich and the poor, and all the various races, is symbolically described by the Prophet Zephaniah. We quote:
“The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy [Hebrew, ‘zeal’]: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.”—ch. 1:14-18
Much of the language in this prophecy is symbolic. However, it points out clearly the world-wide nature of the distress that was to come upon mankind in “the day of the Lord,” and the diversity of troubles with which the people would be afflicted. And we are surely now living in just such a time as this prophecy thus symbolically describes. Without the prophecies to guide us we might well suppose that “the day of the Lord” would be a peaceful time of blessing for the people, but according to the prophecies, this “day” is not one of brightness and happiness, but one of darkness and gloominess. It is a time during which the selfish institutions of earth are being destroyed to make way for Messiah’s kingdom.
In Nahum 2:3,4 this “day of the Lord” is described as “the day of his preparation,” and in this prophecy is foretold the much and rapid travel of the present time. Describing what is believed by many to be the automobile, Nahum writes, “They shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.” The phenomenal increase of knowledge in our day and the ability to traverse the globe in a matter of hours are contributing to the distress of nations because the hearts of the people have not been changed by their increasing knowledge.
The Dawn of Day
Reverting to our opening text, we note its reference to the dawn of day. Peter declares that the sure Word of prophecy is like a “lamp” which shines in a dark place, and he admonishes us to pay attention to this Word of prophecy “until the day dawns and the morning star rises” in our hearts. Here we have an interesting and revealing presentation of truth—it is in the day dawn that the morning star rises.
Obviously this means that when the morning star rises the world is still in darkness, for the morning star is not seen after the sun rises. And how dark this day dawn really is! In a prophecy of Joel, already quoted, we are informed not only that “the day of the Lord” is one of darkness, but is a darkness which is like “the morning spread upon the mountains.” (Joel 2:2) The thought is that while the day is dawning the world continues to be in darkness, a darkness in which all sorts of afflictions are plaguing the people and, as Zephaniah’s prophecy states, the people go about as blind men; not able, that is, to see any way out of their distresses.
Because Satan is the prince of this world, and the god of this world, “darkness” has prevailed throughout all the centuries. This made the world a “dark place,” as stated by Peter. Throughout the ages the Lord’s faithful people, to the extent that the “Word of truth” has been available to them, have been taking heed to its testimony and its prophecies; and now that we have reached the end of the age, the “day dawn” of prophecy, they discern the meaning of the dense darkness enshrouding the people, and by means of the “prophetic Word” are able to see the “morning star”—indeed, the morning star has risen in their hearts.
Jesus is the “Morning Star” of the prophecies. The highly exalted Jesus testified, “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” (Rev. 22:16) The Scriptures give many titles to Jesus, each denoting some special function in the outworking of the divine plan. The title “Morning Star” evidently has to do with the early years of his second presence, during the “dark” dawning of earth’s new day of light, life, and happiness.
Through the Word of prophecy we are able to discern the Master’s presence as the “Star” which, although it is still “dark,” assures us that the new day of promise is indeed dawning. And how precious indeed is this vision of prophetic truth. It should cause us to lift up our heads with rejoicing, because it gives assurance that our deliverance into the glorious rulership phase of the kingdom is drawing very near. Our ability to see the “Morning Star” through the “thick darkness” which has thrown the world into panic and chaos is a token to us that the deliverance of the world of mankind from sin and death is also near; that Satan’s reign of sin and death will soon end.
The Sun of Righteousness
In the natural realm it is the rising of the sun that dispels the darkness and semi-darkness of the dawning hours of a new day. The prophecies speak of this darkness in connection with the dawning of earth’s new day as “thick darkness.” The “Morning Star” of the prophecies does not dispel this darkness, a darkness that is permitted by the Lord in preparation for the blessings of the new day—in the sense that the people will be helped by the horrendous experiences through which they pass during the dark hours of dawn to realize that they cannot solve their own problems, and will be the more ready to accept the new rulership of Christ’s kingdom. And it is the blessings of this new kingdom that will be brought to mankind by the rising of “the Sun of Righteousness.”—Mal. 4:2
How glad we are that “the Sun of Righteousness” will soon rise and begin its work of dispelling the noxious vapors of the long dark night of sin and death, and to heal the people of their illnesses and to give life even to the dead. With the rising of this glorious lifegiving “Sun” the new day will begin; and what a blessed and happy day that will be!
However, that new day, to begin with, will not be completely “light.” Zechariah wrote, “It shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.” (Zech. 14:6,7) This indicates that during the entire millennial reign of Christ there will be some darkness in the world.
While the promise is that the knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, and that the blinding influences of Satan will no longer be permitted (for he will be bound), it will nevertheless take time for the people to absorb the true knowledge of the Lord and regulate their lives in harmony therewith. Besides, the dead will continue to be awakened during much of that time, and these will need to be taught the ways of the Lord, and to be given an opportunity to obey the laws of the kingdom.
Thus, during that entire kingdom reign, it would seem that some darkness will remain. However, during that very special “day” the “Sun of Righteousness” will continue to shine, and all the while will be dispelling the gloom of ignorance and sin, and its healing rays will continue to restore mankind to perfection, both mentally and physically. Pain and disease, and all the other manifestations of “darkness” will be taken away—completely and universally; while those who become willful opposers of the kingdom and its laws will be destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:23) And it will be after the symbolic earth is devoured with the fire of God’s zeal—after this present dark and gloomy period of dawn has merged into day, with its blessings—that the Lord will turn to the people the pure message of truth that they might all call upon him to serve him with one consent.—Zeph. 3:8,9