| Highlights of DAWN | May 1978 |
Man’s Long Pursuit of Peace and Plenty
THE history of civilization is the story of man’s perennial struggle for life, freedom, plenty, and happiness, and the myriad ways in which he has sought to gain this elusive end. From the time of his fall from God’s favor, he has tried one arrangement after another in his attempt to find the one that would truly and completely satisfy his soul’s desires and rid the world of the bane of war, hunger and want, sickness and slavery, envies and inequalities.
The earliest effort at mutual assistance between individuals for the purpose of gaining security and the necessities of life was the family arrangement. Aside from the fact that this arrangement was ordained by God, this would seem to be a normal development; for surely (it would be thought) the natural love and ties between the various members of a family could be counted on to insure fair dealing and the promotion of their joint interests. Sadly, however, this arrangement often failed.
We read, for instance, in Genesis 29 that Jacob agreed to work for Laban, his prospective father-in-law, for seven years to gain the lovely Rachel for his wife. But at the end of that time Laban tricked Jacob into accepting Leah, the elder sister, as his wife. Jacob was then required to labor another seven years to pay for his beloved Rachel. He also complained that Laban had changed his wages ten times during the twenty years he had worked for him.
Beginning with the sad account of the slaying by Cain of his own brother Abel, we find history replete with accounts of jealousies, struggles, rivalries, and even murders within families, in the pursuit of life’s necessities, power, position, or, paradoxically, peace. In the everlasting struggle for land, life, or liberty, blood ties often prove to be but frail reeds! Indeed, we are daily reminded that one of the bitterest and most hate-filled struggles between nations the world has ever witnessed is even now going on between Israel and the Arab nations, all of whom are descendants of a common and highly revered ancestor, Abraham.
As time rolled on and world population increased, families grew into tribes, and tribes into nations, with the strongest or the most ruthless or the most intelligent among them becoming the rulers, whether of tiny feudal states or of mighty kingdoms. But throughout the centuries, regardless of whatever arrangement or form of rule was accepted by, or imposed upon, the people, there was always that unfortunate and troublesome gap between the position of the affluent and powerful few on the one hand and the humble illiterate masses on the other. For the latter, in varying degrees, there was always more or less of hunger, misery, disease, and suffering. For these, Utopia never came to pass.
And thus, for century after long century things have gone along ever since man was placed on this Planet Earth. Sometimes conditions were better, sometimes worse—but for most of mankind there was little hope or expectation of material improvement.
With the approach of the biblical “time of the end” (Dan. 12:4,9), two new factors appeared on the world scene. One was the industrial revolution, which started the population trend away from the rural areas into the urban centers, under the lure of better wages and steadier employment. But too often the reality did not match, or even approach, the promise. Having given up the relative security of the farm, many found themselves laboring long hours in hard employment for low wages, endeavoring to keep their families alive while living in virtual slums.
The other factor that arrived along with the movement toward an industrial society was the general increase of knowledge, which simultaneously brought to the masses an awareness of their lowly condition along with a hope of escape, thereby stirring them to action. Thus the stage was set for the introduction of the labor union, which sought to improve the condition of the poor and to gain for them a more equitable share of the fruits of their labors.
Perhaps the foremost advocate of social change at that time was Karl Marx, the German philosopher and founder of “scientific” socialism. Marx argued that property and wealth gradually come into the hands of the privileged few at the expense of the workers. In collaboration with F. Engels, he produced a powerful pamphlet entitled The Communist Manifesto, sometimes called “The Birthcry of Modern Socialism.” It urged upon the working masses a permanent struggle to bring about by peaceful means the abolition of property distinctions and the common ownership of all products and the instruments of production. His announced goal was the achieving of a classless society in which all would share equally in the world’s goods. The well-known closing words of this ringing battle cry were, “Workers of the world, unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains, and you have a world to gain.”
This would appear to have been a fair and reasonable objective. But for some the proposed program was not sufficiently dynamic. The desired goal and the attainment of its benefits seemed too far removed in time. Lenin and his associates therefore advocated early physical seizure of power, with stern suppression of all opposition, the eventual goal being to create a worldwide communist state based on the socialist principles of public ownership of productive property, with universal sharing of the products of labor by a classless society.
In the course of time the implementation of this doctrine led to one of the cruelest bloodbaths in history, when the czarist regime of the old Russia was overthrown in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, with the promise of providing justice, plenty, and equality for all. Thus the beginnings of the Russia that we know came into being. And to one degree or another it has since provided the pattern of government for many other nations, old and new.
We of the present generation are living in what is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable periods of human history. It is the time when the kingdoms of this world, which have so long failed to bring justice and happiness to mankind, are being overturned, largely through the power of the increase of knowledge that is newly abroad in the world.
Just since 1914, ruling houses that were snugly in power for long centuries have given way to various other forms of government. The seeds of socialism planted by Marx, with the seductive promise of equality for all, have produced socialist governments that are presently ruling more than fifty sovereign states in all parts of the world, taking in some forty percent of the world’s population. And the trend, promoted by the still increasing enlightenment and resultant dissatisfaction of the people with their lot, continues apace.
No one would presume to argue that the pre-1914 world was ideal—far from it! Wars prevailed, poverty was rampant, injustice common, hunger too general, disease and suffering too prevalent. Even here in our own nation these conditions still meet the eye and assault the consciousness and conscience too often. This, indeed, is the very reason this “present evil world” is being destroyed! But what do we find in these present-day so-called socialist states that have so largely replaced the former rule? How well have they fulfilled the promises made to the expectant millions who so eagerly and hopefully hailed their rise to authority?
In the matters of health care and education, the socialist countries have performed well. Medical services are good, certain diseases well contained, and education at no or little cost generally available. Some peoples, like the Swedes, get generous handouts from the cradle to the grave. And pensions for retired workers are usually provided.
But in the typical socialist country of today consumer goods are generally of low quality, and chronically scarce. Housing shortages are common. In Russia, agricultural production is deficient, as the collectivized farmer has lost much of his incentive to drive himself. In Poland, too, although most of the farmland is still privately owned, production is low because farm prices are kept down by the authorities, thus depriving the farmer of the will to work. In Burma, a so-called third-world socialist state, production of the nation’s basic food (rice) has been cut to less than one-third of the 1962 tonnage because of inept governmental policies. In some of the social democracies such as Britain, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, etc., income tax rates are so steep as to discourage incentive. Ownership of property or business thus becomes less desirable, and again production declines.
But it is perhaps in the area of human rights and freedom that the disparity between most of the socialist states and the other forms of society is most evident. This becomes particularly apparent when it is remembered that equality for all people in a classless society was one of the chief inducements held out to the people to adopt socialism. But in the Russia of today—that Russia which promised to bring equality and bounty to all alike and which represents history’s greatest experiment in sharing equally in a classless society there are still the masters and the underlings, the privileged few and the struggling hordes, the wealthy and the poor, the persecutors and the persecuted.
In Russia today, while the average person waits in line for low quality goods at high prices, the elite class may procure fine quality imported luxuries and scarce goods at low cost in special stores. Also, the privileged few have access to the highest quality medical care, while the general public accepts the regular service. In some socialist nations the higher officials have second [vacation] homes, and many send their children to special schools and vacation camps.
In the matter of freedom of speech, a right so dearly cherished in free countries, the Marxist-Leninist regimes are particularly lacking and especially sensitive. Freedom of speech is guaranteed to the people in the Soviet constitution, but it is extremely unwise for one to exercise this right carelessly. Critics of the regime face loss of jobs, loss of living quarters, ostracism, deportation, imprisonment, or, in some cases, death. The media are under the complete control of the state, and all information is colored accordingly.
In the more extreme socialist countries the rule is authoritarian. The prisons contain thousands of dissidents. Democracy is nonexistent, equality a myth, and freedom a vanished hope. Oxford Research Fellow Leszek Kolakowski was an avowed socialist who left Poland in 1968. He is quoted as saying, “In Eastern Europe we expropriated the owners, and we created one of the most monstrous and oppressive social systems in world history.” If Karl Marx could see Russia and Eastern Europe today, one wonders what thoughts would pass through his mind!
We believe that present experiments at socialism, however well-intentioned, will fail—indeed, are failing—to fulfill man’s innermost longings for peace, plenty, justice, and happiness, even as other systems have failed.
Why is this? It is because fallen man is imperfect and selfish; and selfish man needs the goad of self-interest to make him work effectively. If he is deprived of the reward of his own efforts, he will not extend himself. Further, if one can get something without working for it, or by working very little, that one is not likely to exert himself greatly in the general interest. No system that could ever be devised by sinful men for other sinful men could ever bring peace, plenty, and happiness to the suffering inhabitants of this earth.
Is this to say that the outlook for man is altogether hopeless? That he can never look forward to a time when there will be no more starvation, sickness, wars, injustice? By no means! The whole theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation proclaims God’s loving purpose to bring not only peace, justice, and plenty to the whole world of mankind but also the opportunity for all people, both the living and the dead, to gain everlasting life in a perfect paradise right here on earth.
The mighty Lord God of heaven has patiently permitted this world to pursue its evil ways, for a definite purpose and for a definite time. The purpose is to reveal to sinful man his inability to bring about a happy, peaceful world by his own imperfect ways and to demonstrate for all time the sure but awful results of disobedience to God’s righteous laws, that “thereby sin [should be] exposed in its true character.”—Rom. 5:12; 7:13 (NEB)
The time is almost up. “I have long time holden my peace,” says Jehovah God. “I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.”—Isa. 42:14
The time during which God has permitted evil to reign and during which he has “held his peace” is called in the Scripture “this present evil world,” of which Satan is the ruler. (Gal. 1:4; II Cor. 4:4) It will end in a great time of trouble, in which the selfish, iniquitous institutions and people of this world will be destroyed.
This will open the way for the establishment in the earth of Christ’s thousand-year kingdom of righteousness for the blessing of all the families of the earth. (Dan. 12:1,2; Matt. 24:21; Luke 21:25,26; II Pet. 3:10,12; Isa. 13:11-13; II Pet. 3:13; Gen. 22:18; Rev. 20:4) It is then that the world will receive the benefit of the perfect ransom price that was paid on their behalf by Jesus Christ almost two thousand years ago.—Matt. 20:28; I Tim. 2:3-6; John 3:16; I John 2:2; 4:10
The thousand years of Christ’s kingdom reign are called the times of restitution by the Apostle Peter. (Acts 3:19-21) During that time God will write his perfect law in the hearts of the people. No longer will man die for Father Adam’s sin as at present, for in that time those who die will die for their own sin. (Jer. 31:29,30,33,34) All who prove willing and obedient and who demonstrate love for the Lord and for their neighbors will gain everlasting life.
In that glorious kingdom, whose purpose is the blessing of all the families of the earth, Jesus will be the highly exalted King of kings, and Lord of lords. The Apostle Paul wrote: “God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”—Phil. 2:9-11
It will be a just and righteous kingdom, a peaceful kingdom, and a worldwide kingdom. The Psalmist David wrote: “He [Jesus] shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment. … He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. … In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. … Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him … and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.”—Ps. 72:1-17
And it shall be an everlasting kingdom that shall never pass away. The Prophet Daniel wrote: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”—Dan. 7:13,14
Sin and selfishness of every kind will be abolished. Justice will be accorded every person. There will be plenty for all. Every man will love his neighbor. Even death will be destroyed! And God will dwell with men, and he will be their God. (Rev. 21:1-4) This will be the glorious new heaven and new earth so long ago promised by the loving Heavenly Father to his longing human family. How the suffering inhabitants of the world will rejoice in their newfound happiness, peace, and plenty, and in their newly gained freedom! How they will bask in the sunshine of the Heavenly Father’s smile and the overwhelming love of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! How eagerly, with love-filled heart, will neighbor reach out to neighbor! How joyfully will all sing praises to the loving God of the universe and his glorious Son!
All that man has been vainly striving to recapture during more than six thousand years of human misery had been freely given to Father Adam and the entire human race in the Garden of Eden. Through disobedience to the divine will, man lost it. But by the matchless grace of our Heavenly Father, and through the redeeming blood of Jesus, it will once more be freely given to all who love their Lord and follow his ways with their whole heart. For “the Spirit and bride [will] say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”—Rev. 22:17