| Highlights of DAWN | December 1981 |
Armageddon—Despair? or Hope?
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” —Revelation 16:16-18
THERE is an increasing awareness abroad that the world is changing; that all is not right with it; that man’s best efforts are not bringing the peace, happiness, and fullness of life that the suffering peoples of the world so deeply crave; that, indeed, so-called Christendom’s boasted civilization is in danger of being destroyed; and that there is need for a drastically different, more equitable, and more enduring world arrangement. The resulting discouragement, frustration, and even fear of the people is reflected in the rising frequency with which we are confronted in the news media of the day by the words ‘Armageddon,’ ‘doomsday,’ and ‘apocalypse.’
In 1938, when Dr. Albert Einstein occupied a post at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, he wrote, “With the splitting of the atom, gigantic forces will be released. They can be used for the good of humanity, or for its destruction. … We are all children of the Creator and we must recognize the brotherhood of man, and begin to behave as brothers.” Dr. Einstein was an ardent pacifist, and active in the cause of world peace; nonetheless, he wrote to President Roosevelt urging investigation of the possible use of atomic energy in bombs, and a modern day Pandora’s box, possessing the power to annihilate the human race, was shortly thereafter brought into being.
Some of the scientists who had collaborated on the production of that first atomic bomb began publication of a newsletter which in 1947 became known as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. As a cover symbol for the paper they chose a doomsday clock, setting its hands at eight minutes before midnight. “In its January [1981] issue, the Bulletin responded to new weapons’ developments by both superpowers (which now have a total of almost 50,000 warheads stockpiled) by advancing the hands to four minutes before midnight.”—Discover Magazine, 3/81
Long before the power and sophistication of the world’s armaments had reached their present awesome levels, Dwight D. Eisenhower called attention to the folly of the superpowers in continuing to add to their stockpiles of destruction and misery. In his farewell address on January 17, 1961 he said, “America’s leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interest of world peace and human betterment. … The conference table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield. Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose … [for] another war could utterly destroy this civilization.”
One of the supposed deterrents to embarking on a nuclear holocaust by either of the two superpowers has been belief in the so-called doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction known, perhaps all too literally, as MAD. This theory supposes that since each side knows the other has sufficient destructive power to devastate it under any circumstances, neither side will start a war. But faith in this idea has lately diminished. Some military experts now believe the Soviet Union could, indeed, launch a first strike against the United States, keep enough warheads in reserve to wipe out the United States in a second strike, “and then confront the United States with a choice between surrender or Armageddon.”—Newsweek, 10/27/80
Exploiting these fears of world disaster are the writers of communications one sometimes receives in the mail. One such sample that lately arrived reads as follows:
“DOOMSDAY? Havens from disaster!
Let’s discuss the ‘unthinkable’—because it could happen. Suppose, for a moment: Russia launched a massive missile attack on this country … there were hundreds of multimegaton detonations … and then came the fallout, sweeping across the U.S. with the prevailing winds. Would anyone escape? Would any regions of the continental U.S. be safe from such a catastrophe? The answer is YES. … Some sections of the country would miss the devastation.”
As we observe world conditions it must be conceded that these fears are not without foundation. For a time much hope for continued peace was pinned on the effectiveness of the SALT discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union to limit, and possibly reduce, the production of armaments. These talks are now suspended, and few have hope that even their resumption would produce any worthwhile, truly verifiable agreements between the suspicious antagonists. With Mr. Reagan’s election the terrible arms race has been resumed in earnest, and at staggering cost. Inasmuch as the prevailing opinion among students of foreign affairs is that Russia is unalterably committed to gaining world domination by one means or another, many sincerely believe there is no viable alternative to such a program. Indeed, a highly regarded major general of the U.S. Army was recently relieved of his post on the important Security Council for publicly stating that, in his opinion, Russia was now poised to move against the United States.
The feverish race to gain military superiority over one’s enemies, real or imagined, is not confined to the United States and Russia. Indeed, the two great superpowers along with other industrial countries are working overtime, so to speak, to supply powerful weapons to other nations all over the world, but particularly to their supposed allies: fighter planes, rockets, missiles, tanks, submarines, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, naval vessels, and rocket launchers. For not only are the two great giants of the world and their close allies locked in a potentially disastrous arms race, but we find instability, unrest, suspicion and ferment throughout much of the rest of the world—Africa, Central America, South America, Southeast Asia, and even among some of the Soviet satellite nations.
But it seems the greatest threat to the peace of the world exists in that most ancient area of civilization known as the Middle East. Here we find a veritable mishmash of ongoing, difficult problems: Russia occupying tier defenseless neighbor, Afghanistan, with military forces; the sporadic war between Iraq and Iran smoldering dangerously along; Syrian armies in little Lebanon to “keep the peace”; Libya preparing, if she dares, to invade any or all of her nearby neighbors—Chad, the Sudan, or even Egypt. And in the very center of all this turbulence, surrounded by some eighty million Moslem Arabs who bitterly oppose her presence in the land of Palestine with a fervor that only religious hatred seems able to beget, lies the tiny nation of Israel with a mere four millions of people.
Observing with unremitting vigilance the day-to-day developments in that crucial part of the world—and one another—are the two great nations, the United States and the Soviet Union, whose powerful navies and air forces continually and dangerously cross one another’s paths. Commenting on the explosive situation in the Middle East, one observer recently stated:
The chronic edginess of the Middle East, sharpened by the assassination of Anwar el-Sadat, has prompted a response that is by now familiar in the region—a rush to weaponry. Asserting that it was trying to ‘defuse the tensions through deterring possible hostilities,’ the United States dispatched Awacs radar surveillance planes to Egypt, speeded up shipments of tanks, howitzers and F-5 trainers to the Sudan and took precautionary steps in case of an outbreak of fighting. Transfers of weapons costing billions of dollars to the Middle East have touched off an all-out arms race, increasing the danger of an explosion, military analysts warn. … The Soviet Union, meanwhile, was pouring weapons into Libya and Syria, which signed a new defense treaty with Moscow last year.”—N.Y. Times, 10/18/81
Truly, the word of the Lord through the prophet, describing the time and place of the unfolding of these remarkable events for the special enlightenment and encouragement of his watchers down here at the end of the age, is being fulfilled in our very lifetime! Notice what Joel wrote, under the leading of the Holy Spirit:
“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about; thither cause the mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down: for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”—Joel 3:9-14
The special problems that exist in the Middle East are varied, complex, deep-rooted, and possess worldwide ramifications. The bloody conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis involves both religion and the land. It could be said, in a sense, to go back some nineteen hundred years. Both the Jews and the Arabs are descendants of Abraham, but the Jews are of the line of Isaac, while the Arabs are the offspring of Ishmael. Jews believe, and the Bible clearly states, that God gave the land of Palestine to the children of Abraham through his son Isaac. (Gen. 15:18; 21:12) But because they were disobedient, the Lord God permitted them to be driven from the land in A.D. 70, and they were scattered, even as forewarned by God, to all the nations of the earth. (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 4:27; 28:64) Soon thereafter, Ishmael’s Arab descendants, among others, moved into the land of Palestine, and they consider it to be their own homeland to this very day.
But Jehovah God had also promised he would regather the Jews from the lands whereto he had scattered them, and restore them to the land of Palestine. We who are alive today are witnesses to the remarkable fulfillment by God of that promise. The scattered Jews have been regathered to the land and in May, 1948, they there established what is now known as the nation of Israel, to the great dismay and frustration of the Palestinians who had for so long dwelt in the land. The fulfillment by Jehovah God, against all odds, of his promise to regather the Jews to Palestine should give abundant assurance that all his glorious promises on behalf of mankind will, indeed, be brought to pass in their proper time and manner.
Another problem emerging in the Middle East is the Soviet Union’s apparent determination to gain world political and territorial dominion. Russia’s latest effort to extend her influence is in Afghanistan, control of which nation would bring her directly into the area of the Middle East, and within striking distance of much of the world’s vital oil supply. And oil, of course, is another of the problems threatening to shatter the fragile peace that exists in the area at this time.
There is considerable sympathy and political support in the United States for the beleaguered nation of Israel. But, as noted, Israel is occupying land that long had been the home of Palestinians, who are Muslim Arabs, and who are determined to fight to the bitter end to prevent being dispossessed. To further complicate the issue, the Palestinians have now received official recognition and encouragement in their conflict with Israel from the powerful Soviet Union. Also, these Palestinian Arabs are religious brethren to all those other Muslim Arabs who control so much of the world’s oil supply, and on which the industrial West so heavily depends.
Thus, continued support of Israel by the United States could so provoke the Arabs as to jeopardize the flow of oil to this country from Saudi Arabia, Libya, and other Arab nations. Other Western nations are in much the same difficulty. Japan, for instance, is considered a strong ally of the United states, but since some ninety percent of her oil comes from the Arab nations of the Middle East she dares not offend them, and neither do any of the other Western nations for the same reason.
At the same time, all these Western industrial nations who are striving not to ruffle the Arabs also see the need for supporting Israel, for it is that small but strongly armed nation that is strategically situated to help in blocking further territorial expansion of Russia in the area, and thus prevent that nation from disrupting the flow of oil to the West.
One can hardly imagine a more sinister witches’ brew of conflicting forces! When the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw as he looked down the stream of time, it is little wonder the prophet described the scene as he did. Prophetically, he answered: “I see a seeting pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.” The account continues, “Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness.”—Jer. 1:13-16
Bible students have long called attention to the Bible prophecies that indicate the Middle East, and particularly the land of Palestine, as the locale of that great and final conflict spoken of in the Scriptures as Armageddon. (Rev. 16:16) Details of that awful time are set forth in the prophecy of Ezekiel, chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine. Briefly, these prophecies reveal that Israel will be dwelling in Palestine when out of the “north” will come aggressor nations to “take a spoil.” Students of prophecy agree that the nations here described are Russia and her allies, and that in this final thrust of aggression the attempt will be made to destroy Israel and to occupy the militarily strategic Holy Land.
It is at this point that Jehovah God directly intervenes. The prophet states that then the Lord will plead against [punish, Moffatt] Israel’s enemies “with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” We may not know how literally this will all be fulfilled, but it is clear that this prophecy is an account of the great battle of Armageddon of the Bible.
When will this final great conflict in which divine power will forever banish the forces of evil occur? We may not precisely know, and we would not venture to guess; but many of the required elements of this great drama seem to be falling slowly but surely into place. Israel, after some nineteen hundred years, has been regathered to the land of Palestine. She is situated in the very heart of the struggle between the opposing giants for earthly substance, for power, for ideology, yea, even for national survival. The awesome military might is already poised, with Russia and her allies on the one side, and the United States and her allies on the other.
But the Prophet Jeremiah indicates that before the final, terrible attack on Israel will take place and she experiences her “time of Jacob’s trouble,” she must be standing alone, with none to help—with no “lovers,” (allies, Moffatt). Thus, the final victory over the forces of evil will be Jehovah God’s, and his alone. (Jer. 30:3,7,12-14,16,17) And thus will come the great climax of Armageddon, that great struggle with which this present evil world will be brought to an end.
But we would not leave our discussion at this point; for our purpose is not to alarm, but to reassure and to comfort. Many sincere people fear the approach of Armageddon as signaling the end of the world. It is true that Armageddon will, indeed, mark the end of this present evil world; but we would hasten to add that this does not mean the end of this planet Earth, nor the end of the hope of life for mankind.
The Apostle Peter tells us that in God’s loving plans for man’s ultimate, everlasting happiness, he has provided for three different “worlds,” or social arrangements, each consisting of a heavens and earth. Peter calls the first of these worlds, or social arrangements, “the world that then was.” That world, Peter says, ended with the Flood; but after all the human beings comprising that world were destroyed in the Flood except Noah and his sons and their wives, let it be noted that the planet Earth remained! The second world is called in the Bible “this present evil world” because it is under the domination of Satan, and evil flourishes, while righteousness is persecuted. It is this world, which began after the Flood, that will be destroyed in the final climax of the battle of Armageddon, precisely because it is evil.
But, happily, Peter continues his inspired discussion of these worlds by assuring us that Jehovah God has planned for a wonderful new world, or arrangement, to follow immediately upon the destruction in the battle of Armageddon of this present evil world. He calls it a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” This is Peter’s inspired way of describing that long-promised, long-hoped for and glorious thousand-year kingdom of Christ, which will bring happy, everlasting life to all the resurrected world of mankind who obey the righteous laws of that wonderful kingdom. And like the first world or arrangement that ended with the Flood, and the second world which will be destroyed in the battle of Armageddon, this glorious new world wherein dwelleth righteousness will be established on this wonderful, restored planet Earth.—II Pet. 3:3-13
Thus we see that, rightly understood, Armageddon and the destruction of this present evil world do not signify the end of all hope for mankind. Quite to the contrary, because of God’s infinite wisdom, power, and his love for every one of his human creatures who ever lived, and through the redemptive merit of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, it will be only the beginning of the first real opportunity man has ever had to gain everlasting, healthy, happy life on this wonderful planet Earth! For resurrected mankind will then have had a most useful and enduring experience with the evil consequences of sin, and will joyfully strive to do God’s righteous laws and truly learn to love his neighbor as himself. Having seen the irresistible power and majesty and justice of Jehovah God as manifested in his defeat of the mighty forces of evil, the Lord says through the prophet that then “they shall know that I am the Lord. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more; and the heathen [the nations] shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.”—Ezek. 39:6-8
And when Christ’s righteous kingdom is established in the earth there will be no more wars, no more Armageddons; we know this because Jehovah God himself has promised it through his prophet Isaiah:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain [kingdom] of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”—Isa. 2:2-4
And what will be the lot of the Lord’s people during the terrible strife of Armageddon? “In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock.” (Ps. 27:5) How “blessed is he that watcheth!”—Rev. 16:15
(For a more detailed discussion of the above subject, we invite you to read the booklet, “Armageddon, Then World Peace”.)