| Highlights of DAWN | August 1977 |
Human Rights
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” —Jeremiah 23:5
PRESIDENT Carter’s stand for human rights strikes a responsive chord in the hearts of all people. A perusal of the headlines of any newspaper on any day reveals the sorry plight of groups and individuals who are suffering from oppression and deprivation. These disadvantaged peoples are clamoring to be heard in the world’s forums and are demanding equal rights and equal opportunities. Unfortunately, some in desperation have resorted to violence in order to dramatize their underprivileged condition.
The United States, because of its heritage of freedom and power, is in an advantageous position to speak for the under-privileged of the world. And the forthright pronouncement of this policy will have some impact on world opinion and may result in alleviating some of the more flagrant abuses. But there can be no universal change as long as the nations of the world are motivated primarily by self-interest.
Even the United States, which has always proclaimed the cause of human rights more or less loudly, has found that the pursuit of justice sometimes leads to consequences that are not in harmony with our voiced objectives. In fact, the rhetoric at times has clothed, or attempted to hide, very unjust and self-seeking acts. Witness, for example, our treatment of the American Indians, Blacks, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans. In these areas our actions on the whole have not been moralistic or just.
We have in the past erroneously adopted the attitude that righteousness followed our flag; that is, any activity that we decided upon was thought to be right. This misconception has led us into unexplainable involvements, such as the war in the Philippines and the bullying of our neighbor Mexico.
We must come to realize that there are limits to our power to effect positive moral change in the world, just as we have had to recognize limitations to our economic and military power. We cannot by force of arms or power politics enforce principles of morality. In fact, we have not even been able to enforce morality by the less drastic method of economic pressures on lending agencies or by boycott.
By now we should have learned also that moral conflicts arise from our existence as an imperfect nation in an unjust world. To maintain a moral posture in all our dealings with our neighbors it is obvious that there will be a price to pay; and history has proven that neither we nor any other nation will be willing to pay that price, that is, to have our so-called rights of self-determination and self-interests infringed upon in order to help a neighbor.
We recognize that this outcry for freedom and justice from the oppressed and underprivileged is a sign of the times in which we are living, and the cry will increase in intensity until justice and equity are made manifest in the kingdom. The Prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 23, verse 5, spoke of these days: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
God’s original intention for man was that he live in dignity and peace and have dominion over the earth, including the animals and other lower forms of life. The Apostle Paul, in Hebrews 2:6-9, speaks of this wonderful first purpose of God: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now 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, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
This idyllic life was not attained to, because Adam willfully transgressed God’s law. Adam was created perfect, in the mental and moral image of God. (Gen. 1:27,31) He was capable of perfect obedience, and God required this of him. If he obeyed he was to have life, but if he disobeyed he was to die, that is, return to the dust of the earth from which he was taken. (Gen. 2:17; 3:19) The Scriptures tell us that he was disobedient and therefore the just sentence of death was passed upon him and all of his offspring. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 5:18, expresses the matter thus: “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation.”
This is why the Apostle Paul, in Hebrews 2:8, states, “But now we see not yet all things put under him.” However, the text goes on to state, verse 9, “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.” God, in his foreknowledge before the foundation of the earth, had made the provision that Jesus would in due time take Adam’s place in death, thus providing a ransom price for Adam and all who had life through him.—I Pet. 1:18-20; I Cor. 15:21,22
The text in Hebrews 2:8 states that “we see not yet all things put under him.” The inference is that there will be a time when all things will be put under him. And we find in the plan of God that this is so.
After Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world on Calvary’s cross, God resurrected him from death and exalted him to the divine nature. (Psalm 110:1) And in Acts 3:20,21 the Apostle Peter states: “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Restitution means to restore. What is going to be restored? The obvious answer is the perfection of mankind, his dominion, his relationship with God, and an opportunity to earn everlasting life.
The Apostle Peter also states that this was so important in God’s arrangements that he caused all of his holy prophets since the beginning of the world to speak of it. We find in our study of the Bible that prophecies concerning the wonderful time of the kingdom are so numerous that they become the theme of the good Book from the front cover to the back.
The apostle goes on to quote one of these wonderful prophets, Moses, in verses 22, 23: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”—Deut. 18:15,19
God caused Moses to prophesy concerning Jesus and his second advent. The prophecy states that Jesus at that time will be like unto Moses. Not that they would be alike physically but that they would have similar positions, except that since Jesus is of the divine nature his position will be of a higher order. What position will be common to both? Moses was the mediator of the Law Covenant. Jesus will be the Mediator of the New Covenant that will be inaugurated at the beginning of the Millennial Age.
The Prophet Jeremiah, in chapter 31, verses 31-34, tells of this wonderful covenant under which the world will be brought back into harmony with God and mankind will be restored to their dominion. The Apostle Paul quotes the prophecy and relates its mediatorship to Jesus: “We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. … There are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God. … But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; … I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”—Heb. 8:1-12
This reference elaborates on the statement in Acts 3:23, “every soul which will not hear that Prophet,” and seems to indicate clearly the fact that the willing and obedient in the kingdom will hear the instructions of that Prophet, Jesus, and thereby have God’s law put in their minds and written in their hearts. Those who are incorrigible will be destroyed from among the people in second death.
It is easy for us to visualize how the living nations of the earth will benefit from the operation of the New Covenant. With God’s law written in their hearts the problem of self-interest and self-determination will no longer exist, for God’s law is summarized thus: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 22:37-39) The Apostle Paul adds, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”—Rom. 13:10
But, someone will ask, What about all the people who have lived in the past and are asleep in the dust of the earth? We find that, associated with the promise of the kingdom and equally as prominent in the Scriptures, is the promise of a resurrection from the dead. Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; those having done good things to a resurrection of life; and those having done evil things to a resurrection of judgment.”—John 5:28,29 (See Diaglott.)
Those who did good things refers to the faithful men of old—the prophets and other servants of God who because of faithfulness received a good report through faith. The Apostle Paul said of these, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”—Heb. 11:39,40
Those who have a resurrection by judgment are the rest of the world of mankind, who were born in sin and shapen in iniquity. The word “judgment” used in the Diaglott translation and the word “damnation” used in the King James version of the Bible are translated from the same Greek word krisis, which carries the thought of a tribunal that will render a judgment after a trial. The trial, or testing arrangement, will be during the thousand years of the kingdom under the New Covenant. Mankind will then be required to hear the voice of the Prophet, and those who do hear will have God’s law put in their minds and written in their hearts. Those who will not hear that Prophet will be cut off from among the people.
When the Apostle Peter (John being with him) preached his sermon to the Jews, concerning restitution, as recorded in Acts 3:19-26, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, became very angry and came upon them, “Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (Acts 4:1,2) They were astute enough to realize that for restitution to be meaningful all who had already died would have to be given an opportunity. And this, of course, called for a resurrection of the dead.
The Jews were doubly incensed over Peter’s proclamation, because, in addition to preaching a resurrection from the dead, the apostle said that it would come about through Jesus. They did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and, true to the prophecy, he was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.—I Pet. 2:7,8; Isa. 8:14,15
In the kingdom, God has promised that he “will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” (Isa. 13:12) The whole purpose of the kingdom is to restore man to the mental and moral image of God. Then and not until then will peoples and nations live together as a family, truly recognizing and happily granting human rights to all, manifesting love and genuine concern over one another’s welfare.
Long ago a very wonderful man of God painted a beautiful word picture of the kingdom functioning: “Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of the perfect earth. Not a stain of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word; love welling up from every heart meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay—not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth’s society be, and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears wiped away when thus they realize the resurrection work complete.”
May thy kingdom soon come, Lord, and end earth’s weary night of suffering, injustices, sorrow, sickness, and death.