| Highlights of DAWN | July 1985 |
The Day the World Ends
“The heavens and the earth, which are now … are kept in store, reserved unto fire … [until] the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” —II Peter 3:7,8
IN THE paradoxical world of today, various patterns of belief are manifesting themselves. An increasing number of distraught people of the earth are losing practically all faith in God and in religion, as the dark clouds of atheistic communism inch their way over more and more of the earth’s surface.
Then there are others attending the churches of the land in what is wishfully hoped to be a religious revival, who have no particular religious convictions, but hope that in some way membership in a church may stand them in good stead when the much-feared third world war begins.
Besides, there is a minority of deeply religious people—“fundamentalists,” they call themselves—who see in the present global-wide chaos and distress of nations what they believe to be certain evidence that the second advent of Christ will take place at any moment, and that this will signal the end of the world. To these earnest souls the end of the world means the destruction of the earth, and of everyone on the earth except a saintly few who will be found worthy to be caught up into heaven to spend eternity with the Lord.
We share the belief of these that present world events are indeed related to the return of our Lord Jesus and the end of the world, but we do not agree that the end of the world which is taught in the Bible denotes the destruction of the earth. To us the Scriptures clearly teach that “the earth abideth forever.”—Eccles. 1:4; Matt. 5:5
Isaiah 45:17,18, reads, “Thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” Here we are assured by the Lord that he has established the earth, and that he formed it to be inhabited.
This is fully in keeping with the Genesis record of creation, where we learn that when God created our first parents in his image he commanded them to multiply and to fill the earth, and subdue it. (Gen. 1:27,28) This indicates God’s purpose in the creation of the earth. It was created to be man’s eternal home, and man was created to live and enjoy the good things of this earthly home, not for a brief time, but forever.
It is true that man transgressed divine law and was sentenced to death, but this does not mean that the Creator’s purpose concerning him has failed; for the Scriptures reveal that God, in his love, provided redemption for fallen man. It was for this purpose that Jesus came into the world at his first advent. The Scriptures declare that Jesus was made flesh for the suffering of death, “that he by the grace [or favor] of God, should taste death for every man.”—John 1:14; Heb. 2:9
Paul expresses this hope for fallen humanity in greater detail in his first epistle to the Corinthians. He wrote: “Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”— I Cor. 15:21,22
In a sermon recorded in the third chapter of the Book of Acts, the Apostle Peter explains that this restoration of the human race takes place following the second advent of Christ, during an era which he described as “times of restitution of all things.” Peter informs us that this future time of human restoration had been foretold by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began.—Acts 3:19-23
Categorically, therefore, all of God’s holy prophets denied that the earth would be destroyed when Jesus returned, for they taught, instead, that then the human race would be restored to life on the earth. This means that the original purpose of God in the creation of man will be realized, and that he did not create the earth in vain.
The World that Ends
However, the prophecies do foretell the end of a world. One of these prophecies is associated with an admonition to Christians not to love the world. I John 2:15-17 reads, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
From this passage of Scripture it is evident that the world which passes away, or comes to an end, is not the earth, but the selfish, sinful associations of the people on the earth, here called a world. The Greek word here translated world is kosmos, which simply means order, or arrangement. In this context, and in other prophecies of the Bible relative to the end of the world, it corresponds in a general way with what we describe as a social order.
Jesus said to his disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) In John 16:11, Satan, the devil, is identified as being “the prince of this world.” This is why it is an evil world. It is a world, or social order, that is characterized by sin, selfishness, greed, oppression, crime, war, sickness, pain, and death—in fact by all the evils which we properly hate.
Who will not be glad to see a world like this come to an end? Surely all right-thinking people should welcome any evidence that its end is near, and that in Its place a new world will be established on the same everlasting planet Earth—a world in which goodness, peace, health, and happiness—yes, even eternal life—will be the common heritage of all who obey its laws of justice and righteousness.
Satan will then be bound, and Christ Jesus will be ruler of that new world. (Rev. 20:1-3) Psalm 72:4-8 describes some of the blessings of Christ’s rulership over the earth. We quote: “He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. … He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 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.”
A Time of Trouble
We are glad that this present evil world is coming to an end, and that it will be replaced by a social order in which Jesus, The Prince of Peace, will be the supreme ruler. (Gal. 1:4) In the prophecies of the Bible which forecast the end of Satan’s world, it is revealed that, to a large extent, the nations of earth and the various elements of society become opposed to one another, and in a clash of rival human passions, destroy themselves. In a general description of this holocaust the Prophet Daniel refers to it as “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.”—Dan. 12:1
Various symbols are used in the prophecies to help us understand some of the details involved in this time of trouble which destroys Satan’s world. Fire is one of these. Fire is one of the most destructive elements known to man, and fittingly depicts the heated and raging human passions which lead to a disintegration of the forces of law and order which hold the social order together and enable it to function.
In our text the Apostle Peter uses the terms heavens and earth to denote the spiritual and material aspects of the present social order, and tells us that they are reserved unto fire until “the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. To this he adds the explanation that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
In other words, Peter wants us to know that the day of judgment which follows the destruction of the present evil world, is not a twenty-four flour day, but a day which is a thousand years in length. It is the time during which the Christian’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” will be fully answered.—Matt. 6:10
But Peter wants us to know that ungodly men will not be destroyed in the day of judgment until they have had a full opportunity to repent and to obey the laws of Christ’s kingdom which will then be ruling throughout the earth. He wrote: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”—vs. 9
Jesus also taught that the day of judgment would be a period in which the people of all nations would have an opportunity to indicate their harmony with his righteous laws, and thereby prove worthy of life, or demonstrate their willful opposition to righteousness and thus prove unworthy of everlasting life. This lesson is taught by Jesus in his parable of the sheep and the goats, as recorded in Matthew 25:31-46. The sheep and the goats of this parable are not the saints and sinners of the present age. The Scriptures reveal that the true followers of Jesus during the present age will share with him in the future judging of the people of earth. (I Cor. 6:2,3) These are the holy “messengers” who are on the throne of his glory with Jesus, as indicated in the parable. Jesus said of these believers that they will not come into judgment.—John 5:24, RSV
Restitution
The parable states that the sheep are given a position on the right hand of the Lord. This is simply a symbol of the fact that they have proved worthy of receiving his favor. It is to these that the Lord says, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” This is the kingdom given to the human family at the time our first parents were created. (Gen. 1:27,28) Its restoration to the sheep class during the judgment day is what Peter described as the “restitution of all things.”—Acts 3:21
Those who will then receive this restored inheritance—the dominion of earth which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world—will prove worthy of it by their entering into the unselfish spirit of the new age, and cooperating in its works of love. In the parable, it is to these that Jesus says, “I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Thus is revealed the spirit of love this class manifests.
But in the parable they seem surprised that they had rendered these services to the Lord, and they ask about it. The Lord’s reply is, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (vss. 34-40) Since man’s fall into sin and death, selfishness has been the motivating force behind nearly all human activity. But, through the reign of Christ, this is to be changed. The people will be taught the ways of love, and in the parable those who prove worthy of having the original dominion of earth restored to them are those who yield to the influences of love, and adopt it as the mainspring of their lives.
Life Restored
Those in the judgment day parable who prove worthy are also given life. These are the righteous of the next age who receive life eternal. Adam, by his transgression of the divine law, lost life for himself and his progeny as well as dominion over the earth; so life, as well as the lost dominion, will be restored to the worthy ones, the sheep of the parable. This was made possible by Jesus, who took the sinner’s place in death.
No wonder Peter wrote that God “is not slack concerning his promise.” (II Pet. 3:9) And how wonderful is the Lord’s promise! He promised Abraham that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed. Paul explains that Jesus, and associated with him his faithful followers of the Gospel Age, are this promised seed of blessing, and that the great work of blessing all the families of the earth will be accomplished during the day of his kingdom; the day in which “he will judge the world in righteousness.”—Gal. 3:8,16,26-29; Acts 17:31
There are many prophecies and promises which describe the work of the Lord during that day, and the blessings which will be showered upon the people—God’s promised blessings of peace and joy and everlasting life. It will be a time when nations will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; a day in which they will learn war no more.—Isa. 2:4
It will be a day when every man will, symbolically speaking, sit under his own vine and fig tree, and when none will make afraid. (Mic. 4:1-4) Yes, then the people will have security and freedom from fear. The only ones then who will have cause to fear will be those who willfully oppose the rulership of that new day. These are the ones in Jesus’ parable who are symbolized by goats. They fail to enter into the spirit of the new age. They continue to be interested only in self. Instead of receiving life eternal, they “go away into everlasting punishment,” or, as the Greek text indicates, into an everlasting cutting-off from life.—Matt. 25:46, Diaglott
Thus seen, earth’s new day will be one of peace and joy and life for all those who, when given an opportunity, accept the divine provisions of grace through Christ, and obey the laws of his kingdom. However, for all who refuse to do this it will be a day of perdition, or destruction. Peter confirmed this, saying that the soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.—Acts 3:23
New Heavens and New Earth
As we have seen, in Peter’s prophecy of the day in which the world ends symbolically, he describes the spiritual and material aspects of the present evil world as the heavens and the earth which are now. He speaks, likewise, of the new world; he wrote, “We according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”—II Pet. 3:13
Peter speaks of the Lord’s promise of the new heavens and a new earth. This promise is recorded in Isaiah, chapter sixty-five, verses seventeen through twenty-five. The promise is that in this new heavens and new earth “there shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man who hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”—vs. 20
This translation is somewhat vague, but the thought is that only those who prove to be willful sinners will die, and that even these will be given a hundred years during which to repent and turn to the Lord in full obedience. In Revelation, chapter twenty-one, verses one through five, the blessings of the new heavens and new earth are further described, and here we read that there shall be “no more death,” and no more pain, “for the former things are passed away.”
Isaiah further wrote that “They shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall make them long enjoy the works of mine hands.” (vss. 21,22, Margin) The elect here mentioned are Christ and his glorified saints. Not only do these intervene in human affairs to end the present time of tribulation, but they will also be the dispensers of God’s promised blessings of joy and life everlasting in that glad new day now dawning.
“As the days of a tree are the days of my people,” says the Lord of those who obey the laws of the messianic kingdom. The trees here used as symbols are the ancient cedars of Lebanon. These trees had a very long life. While generations of humans would come and go, these trees continued to live, so the Lord uses them to suggest the idea of eternal life; and, indeed, all the obedient of that new day will receive life eternal. This is the assurance given to us over and over again in the Word of God.
“It shall come to pass,” the Lord continues, “that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (vs. 24) The prayers of the Lord’s people for all the good things which he has promised will then receive a quick response. There will be no doubt on the part of the righteous that God does answer prayers which are in harmony with what he has promised to do for his obedient people.
Today, as we know, the hearts of the people are filled with fear, but we are commissioned in Isaiah, chapter thirty-five, to say to “them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with recompense; he will come and save you.” (vs. 4) The present time of trouble by which Satan’s world is being destroyed is a manifestation of God’s vengeance against a sinful social order, but God is not vindictive. It is in order that salvation and life may be brought to the people through the agencies of the new world.
And how rich will be those new world blessings! We read that “then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.”—vss. 5,6
Again, “An highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”—vss. 8-10
The ransomed of the Lord are those for whom Christ died, which is the whole world of mankind. Their promised returning is from the land of the enemy, the state of death. This is simply another way in which the Lord has assured us of the resurrection of the dead. And, because “in Christ shall all be made alive,” we know that the dead will be awakened and given an opportunity to share in the blessings of the new day.
Let us then rejoice in the assurance that soon this present evil world will be no more, and that throughout the thousand years of earth’s coming glory, the kingdom of Christ will shower upon the people all those good things implied in God’s promise to bless all the families of the earth. Yes, Lord, may thy kingdom come and thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!—Matt. 6:10