A Government Able to Bring Relief
WHAT a relief it would be to be free from the relentless pressures bearing down on mankind today! Would you not welcome a government able to bring that relief?
There is such a government. Where? Whose? It is a heaven-based government that will shortly take complete control of all earth’s affairs—God’s kingdom by his Son, Christ Jesus.
“Come now, let’s be more realistic!” Is that what you incline to say?
Then read what follows. See what men of this world recognize is needed to bring genuine relief. Then note how the Bible foretold the way these very needs would be met by the government of God’s Son.
Relief Must Be Earth Wide
Even if men could do it, no lasting good would come from freeing just one nation or one part of the earth from today’s damaging pressures. As prominent scientist Isaac Asimov recently pointed out (Chemical and Engineering News, April 19, 1971):
“The problems that count today—the steady population increase, . . . the damage to the environment, the decay of the cities, the declining quality of life—are all interdependent and are all global in nature.”
Global problems call for global supervision and control. So, scientist Asimov voices the views of many when he says:
“The international cooperation must take the form of a world government sufficiently effective to make and enforce the necessary decisions, and against which the individual nations would have neither the right nor the power to take up arms.”
But have not men produced international organizations, such as the League of Nations and the United Nations Organization? Yes, but these have not been true world governments. Why not? Because the member nations held onto their own national sovereignty and refused to turn over the power that a world government must have.
Realistically, no global government can exist or bring relief as long as the earth is split up among disunited, rival national governments. This, too, informed men acknowledge. Under the heading “PEACE, INTERNATIONAL,” The Encyclopædia Britannica (1959 edition) says:
“The attempts to secure peace by an international government of sovereign nations have all been the victims of a contradiction inherent in these very attempts. . . . [That contradiction] can be eliminated only by a direct attack upon national sovereignty itself.” (Italics ours.)
The Barrier of Nationalism Removed
But the Bible long ago made this evident. In the prophecy of Daniel the divisive rule of the earth under rival governments and empires was described. Note, now, what it says God’s kingdom will do to such governments, as recorded at Daniel 2:44:
“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”
That crushing is elsewhere shown as due to take place in what is called the ‘war of Armageddon.’ (Rev. 16:13-16) It will not only end the confused, ineffective and often oppressive political rule of earth but bring in an entirely new order governing all earth’s affairs.
So, at Armageddon down will come all the divisive national frontiers! Planet Earth, with all its continents, isles and seas, will come under the rule of one government: God’s kingdom by his Son. Its laws and directives will prevail around the globe. And it will have the power to enforce them beyond all possibility of resistance.
More than Power and Laws
But power and laws alone will never bring relief from the pressures now plaguing mankind. For any government to bring real relief it must reach the source of so many of the pressures: men’s hearts and minds. Here again, men of this world see the need for this, as has been shown in the preceding article.
This is precisely why God’s government by his Son will succeed where all human governments have failed. Why? Because it will have the power to enforce righteousness in all the earth and to punish all wrongdoers? But not just that.
Primarily it will succeed because those gaining the privilege of living as earthly subjects of that Kingdom government will be persons who are not forced to observe righteousness. They will be those who want to do so, who prefer to do so.
All those surviving the end of the present oppressive world systems will be persons who already know and willingly live by the laws of God’s Kingdom government. Fundamental are these: “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.” “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”—Matt. 22:37-39.
Love cannot be forced. Neither can it be legislated into people’s hearts. But it can be cultivated and God’s government will do just that—is even now doing it.
Righteous Ruling Body Brings Refreshment
When Jesus Christ was on earth, he said to the weary people: “Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you.”—Matt. 11:28-30.
The Bible shows that Christ Jesus will have associate rulers with him in his heavenly government to the number of 144,000, all of them being taken from among his proved and tested disciples. (Rev. 5:10; 14:1) His government will also have visible representatives on earth. (Ps. 45:16; Isa. 32:1, 2) Since all of these must conform to the pattern Jesus Christ himself set, we can rest confident that they will serve humbly and helpfully, bringing refreshment to their fellowmen.
True Justice and Enduring Peace
No wonder, then, that the prophecy at Isaiah 11:3, 4 foretold of God’s Son and his, Kingdom rule:
“There will be enjoyment by him in the fear of Jehovah. And he will not judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears. And with righteousness he must judge the lowly ones, and with uprightness he must give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth. And he must strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the spirit of his lips he will put the wicked one to death.”
There will be no “credibility gaps” under his rule, no irritation and frustration because of entangling “red tape,” political conniving and corruption in legal matters and judgment.
Able to read all men’s hearts, this king will do what men could never accomplish—rid the earth of the wicked. Not just the muggers, rapists and murderers, but also those superficially “decent” persons who deliberately practice stealing and deadly oppression in more subtle ways. Under Kingdom rule, earth’s inhabitants will have no need to be on constant guard against being cheated, defrauded or swindled by dishonest businesses or individuals. The spiral in the cost of living will stop; wholesale pollution of earth’s land, water and air will end.
The arms race will be scrapped. No threat of all-out nuclear war will menace the people, nor even of so-called “limited” wars like those today killing and wounding hundreds of thousands in Asiatic and other lands. Why not? Because survival into the new order under this government requires that each person first have fulfilled these words at Isaiah 2:4:
“And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.”
Gone will be the crushing burden of military costs that now mount up to over $200,000,000,000 a year. Think of the cost in human labor and material that enormous sum represents! And think of what good can be done when men’s efforts and earth’s materials are all directed to constructive, helpful activities.
Pleasurable Living and Working Conditions
The modern industrialized society has crowded people into mammoth concrete jungles called cities, subjecting them to dirt, noise and lack of privacy. The facts now show the damage to human well-being this has brought. Such focal points of crime, disease, pollution, poverty, racism and drug addiction are due to disappear. The Bible shows that God purposed that man should live under garden-like conditions, and his Kingdom government will make this a reality.—Gen. 1:28; 2:15; Matt. 6:10.
As when ancient Israel enjoyed being restored to God’s favor after years of oppression in Babylon, so in the coming new order people will “build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. . . . and the work of their own hands [they] will use to the full. They will not toil for nothing.” Yes, they will “actually sit, each one under his vine. and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble.”—Isa. 65:21-23; Mic. 4:4.
No persons will then face a “daily grind” as mere “cogs” in a chain-production machine, doing monotonous work that provides no challenge to their intelligence or ability, working for people they do not know and producing things in which they can take no real personal pride. They will have a real purpose in living—doing things to bring praise to their Creator, to beautify the planet he provides as their home.
Health and Life
Many diseases today are termed “diseases of civilization,” including heart disease, stomach ulcers and cancer. Of itself the release from tension and stress in God’s new order will greatly aid mankind’s mental and physical health. But, more importantly, Christ Jesus, who gave his life as a ransom price for the redemption of mankind, will encourage and nourish the spiritual health of all his subjects. Progress in spiritual health will result in healing from inherited sin and imperfection. Eventually the divine promise given at Revelation 21:4 will see complete fulfillment:
“And he [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
What a relief never to be in fear of hearing the dread diagnosis of cancer or some other killing or crippling disease! Yes, what an amazing hope to gain the privilege of unending life, to be free from the pressure of a short and uncertain life expectancy of some few score years.
This “hope does not lead to disappointment,” for it is based on God’s sure promises. (Rom. 5:5) But when will his government act to rid the earth of the stress-creating problems? How soon can we hope to enjoy full relief?
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God’s kingdom will forever remove the barrier of nationalism; people of all races will live in peace under one government
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God’s Word the Bible promises pleasurable living and working conditions on a Paradise earth under his Kingdom government