You Can Survive the Coming Collision
THE world is heading with accelerating speed toward collision—a collision that soon will utterly wreck the present world order. Yet there will be survivors of that collision, and these will take up life in a new world order.
Will the wrecking come as the result of all-out nuclear war? or a global ecological disaster? or an international financial crash? No, none of these present dangers will be the cause of the smashup. This is made certain by the one source that foretold with accuracy the present course of world events, namely, the Bible, the inspired Word of God.
The conditions it forecast are here, affecting us, threatening us, daily becoming more complex and troublesome. Surely, then we should not shut our eyes to what that prophetic Word shows is just ahead.
According to the Bible the coming collision will be a clash between governments—but not just another war between nations. The clash comes over the issue of world domination. The contenders are, on the one side, all human governments of the whole earth and, on the other side, God’s own government, his promised kingdom by his Son, Christ Jesus. Of that government and of our time, the inspired prophet long ago wrote:
“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.”—Dan. 2:44.
But why should such a clash come? Why must it result in the complete wrecking of the entire present world order? What will follow?
Why the Collision Is Unavoidable
The situation is much like that of a man who owns a beautiful piece of land. He allows other persons to reside on that land, free of charge, even supplying them with many of their basic needs, allowing them to make use of all the things the land will produce for their benefit. He rightly expects of them, however, that they will use the land in a decent way, not for criminal or immoral purposes; that they will keep it clean and work for its improvement. Yes, they having accepted his generosity, he properly expects that they should gratefully have his interests in mind and heart.
What, then, if such persons steadily turned the land into a virtual garbage dump, engaged in bitter fights and bloody violence, along with lewd conduct? And, when the owner sent representatives to them to urge them to correct their course, what if they mistreated such spokesmen, even killing some of them? Should the owner allow them to continue using his land? Or should he evict them, forcibly if need be? If he were to let them continue on, would he not share responsibility for their rotten conduct? Could his name be held in good repute by others and could he merit their respect if he failed to take action?
This is the situation now existing. This earth, viewed from the barren regions of the moon, has been described by astronauts as a lovely “jewel in space.” All that man has been able to learn about the universe testifies that this planet is unique—its marvelous life systems and conditions are rightly described by scientists as “miraculous.” Earth obviously has a Creator and Owner, and the Bible identifies that One as Jehovah God, “the Maker of heaven and earth, of the sea, and of all that is in them, the One keeping trueness to time indefinite.”—Ps. 146:5, 6.
By God’s toleration, imperfect men have dominated this earth according to their own will for the major part of 6,000 years now. God has let them go to the limit in their efforts to carry out their schemes and satisfy their ambitions. What does the record they have built up now show?
It shows that men have grossly misused this earth and have ignored or willfully rejected God’s will regarding it. True, many of them have prayed, “Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.” Yet the facts show that mankind in general has taken, not only a course of independence toward God, but one of defiance toward him and toward his announced purposes for the earth. But how can that be, when so much religious worship is carried on by so many millions earth wide?
Basis for Eviction
The words of the inspired apostle Paul well describe the situation when he says: “They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works.”—Titus 1:16.
Yes, the evidence shows that so much of the world’s religion has been hypocritical. A tremendous amount of human blood stains the earth and much of it was spilled in the name of religion. The violence and cruelty of the various Crusades, the Thirty Years’ War, the Spanish Inquisition are history. Just as historical is the religious support given warring nations in World Wars I and II—clergymen on opposite sides urging their national armies onward in mutual slaughter with assurances of God’s favor. As an article in the Catholic St. Anthony Messenger magazine of May 1973 states:
“The Christian churches often convey the impression that they will bless any war or adventure the leaders of the state decide to launch.”
The twentieth-century rate of killing and the millions of dead moved the editors of one British magazine to say that this slaughter constitutes ‘an indictment of our own species’ very right to occupy this sector of the universe.’ Yes, the brutal destruction men have carried on in their struggle for political and commercial power has caused grave reproach to the heavenly Owner of this earth. It is reason enough for him to sweep them away.
Yet the world continues in the greatest arms race ever, inventing weapons for even more massive killing and destruction of property. What the prophet Isaiah wrote of the apostate people of Israel applies with equal force to mankind in general today:
“Their thoughts are hurtful thoughts; despoiling and breakdown are in their highways. The way of peace they have ignored, and there is no justice in their tracks. Their roadways they have made crooked for themselves. No one at all treading in them will actually know peace.”—Isa. 59:7, 8.
Slowly but surely this world is turning this planet into a vast garbage dump. While he was secretary-general of the United Nations, U Thant was moved to warn that worldwide pollution had reached the point where, unless immediate steps were taken to correct the situation, “the very capacity of the planet itself to sustain human life will be in doubt.” Yet greed for wealth causes men and nations to keep on polluting lakes, rivers and oceans, poisoning the soil and befouling the air—much like a tenant who cares not one bit about protecting the property of his landlord. Jehovah God therefore has declared his determination to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”—Rev. 11:18.
Despite the announcement made of God’s own choice of government to administer earth’s affairs, men have stubbornly persisted in their efforts to rule the earth independently of God. They have tried every imaginable type of government. Rulers have been changed over and over again; citizens have repeatedly replaced one set of men in power with another set. Yet the majority recognize that their problems have not been solved but, instead, have worsened. And people commonly acknowledge that political governments often have been riddled with corruption, dishonesty and oppression. It was, in fact, ex-president of the United States Harry Truman who wrote that to make out, well as a ruler a man “can’t live the Sermon on the Mount” but “must be a Machiavelli, Louis XI of France, Caesar, Borgia . . . a liar, double-crosser, a hero and a what-not to be successful.”
Yet the majority of earth’s population today turn a deaf ear to those who proclaim to them the good news of God’s promised kingdom or, worse, they mistreat and even persecute such Kingdom announcers. At the same time, world leaders, religious, political and others, stand up and prophesy glowing things for the world in the future. And, though all the evidence shows these predictions to be sheer falsehood, the people “have loved it that way.” (Jer. 5:31; also Isa. 30:9-11) Since they have chosen this course and stubbornly hold to it, God has no alternative but to ‘bring their way upon their own head.’—Ezek. 9:9, 10.
Yes, human rule of the earth independent of God has proved a miserable failure. Jesus’ words concerning religious leaders of his day well fit all the world’s leaders in our time: “Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matt. 15:14) Their misuse of earth will result in a head-on collision with the one government able to accomplish God’s will toward this earth, his kingdom by his Son.
The collision is certain because God will never abandon his righteous principles so as to avoid this violent encounter. That collision will smash to bits this entire world system, as long ago foretold in the prophecy at Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45. Then God’s own government will take over the direction of all earth’s affairs for the lasting good of all then living.
How can you survive that coming collisions? Only by taking your stand loyally and firmly now on the side of that righteous government. You will thereby show that you really mean it when you pray to God: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”—Matt. 6:10.
Then to you the words of the psalmist will apply: “A thousand will fall at your very side and ten thousand at your right hand; to you it will not come near. Only with your eyes will you look on and see the retribution itself of the wicked ones. Because you said: ‘Jehovah is my refuge,’ you have made the Most High himself your dwelling; no calamity will befall you.”—Ps. 91:7-10.
Consider now the thrilling opportunities that will open up to all obedient mankind in that coming new order.