Why You Should Be Concerned
IF YOU love what is right, and want better conditions, you should be very concerned about what is happening to man’s institutions. You should also be very concerned about your position in relation to them.
Why? Because in so many areas human failure is not just a ‘passing phase. It is direct evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy showing that we are living in the closing years of this wicked system of things. Long ago the Bible foretold of our generation that “wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.” (2 Tim. 3:13) That chapter of Bible prophecy describes what is aptly called “the last days.”—2 Tim. 3:1.
Further, the exposing of so much corruption and the failure of institutions to meet the needs of the people confirm what God long ago stated in his Word: “To earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jer. 10:23) Is there any doubt, after seeing the mismanagement of human affairs in our lifetime, that man cannot ‘direct his affairs’ successfully apart from God? Human leaders, independent from God, will never solve mankind’s problems.
A prominent factor involved, one that also accounts for so much wickedness in high places, is that Satan the Devil is “the god of this system of things.” (2 Cor. 4:4) He is the corrupt invisible spirit creature who rebelled against God and instigated the rebellion of the first man and woman. He has been permitted to dominate human affairs for a limited time, which is why Jesus Christ called Satan “the ruler of the world.”—John 14:30.
By permitting the rule of rebellious Satan, and rebellious humans, God would allow to be demonstrated once and for all time whether anyone apart from God’s guidance could successfully rule earth’s affairs. Mankind’s experience throughout history, and especially in these past few years, should prove to reasonable persons that rule of earth apart from God has been a huge failure.
Thus, what Watergate and similar failures in human institutions as a whole show is this: (1) that Satan the Devil is indeed the ‘ruler of this world,’ since the widespread disregard for truth so obviously reflects his wicked traits (John 8:44), and (2) that we are very near the time when God will bring rebellious, independent rulership apart from God to a halt.
What will God do to the ruling institutions of this world? The prophecy of Daniel 2:44 says clearly: “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 [in power today], and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”
Yes, God, by means of his heavenly government in the hands of Jesus Christ, will soon crush this entire wicked system of things out of existence. No longer will rulership be left in the hands of man or Devil. Rulership will be exercised by the one who can really be trusted, Christ Jesus. He has already proved that he is loyal to God’s laws, and is also a kind, loving, just and able administrator of man’s affairs.—Isa. 11:3-5; Heb. 4:14, 15.
How It Affects You
What does all of this have to do with you? This: your life is directly affected. Why? Because God’s destruction of this system of things is scheduled for the very near future!
During the coming destruction, many people will look to man’s institutions—till then seemingly as impressive and stable as mountains—for protection and safety. They will say: “Hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne [God] and from the wrath of the Lamb [Christ Jesus], because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev. 6:16, 17) But there will be no escape in man’s institutions, because all of them will go down into destruction.—Rev. 19:19, 20.
Then, after the destruction of this wicked system, God will usher in a marvelous new order. In that new order only trustworthy persons will be permitted to live. Over them, in heaven, Christ Jesus in his kingdom will rule “for righteousness,” and his representatives on earth will carry out his instructions “for justice itself.” (Isa. 32:1) That is why, long ago, the prophet Isaiah looked forward to God and his rule, saying: “With my soul I have desired you in the night; yes, with my spirit within me I keep looking for you; because, when there are judgments from you for the earth, righteousness is what the inhabitants of the productive land will certainly learn.”—Isa. 26:9.
Do you really care for your life, and your future? Do you want to survive this system’s end? Do you want to live in a new order founded on what is right? If so, what must you first do? God’s Word answers: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth, . . . Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) That means your turning to God and his Word and learning what his instructions are for you at this crucial time in history.
An individual who was distressed by Watergate asked: “If you can’t trust the Government, whom can you trust?” In view of the failures of so many human leaders in our time, the Bible’s counsel takes on added force now, when it states: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.” (Ps. 146:3) The Bible also says: “Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.” (Prov. 29:25, 26) You can trust Jehovah God and his promise to rid the earth of wickedness and usher in a righteous new order. You can trust him because God “cannot lie.” He is “the God of truth.”—Titus 1:2; Ps. 31:5; Heb. 6:18.
The folly of putting unwarranted trust in humans was even referred to during the Watergate hearings. Seeking to explain the tragedy of so many officials being involved in scandals, it was recalled what happened to Cardinal Wolsey, powerful clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. Wolsey was involved in political affairs, zealously serving the king. But then he incurred the wrath of the ruler, was stripped of his power and accused of treason. Soon thereafter he fell ill and died. But before his death, Wolsey said remorsefully: ‘Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not at my age have left me naked to my enemies.’
If you put your trust in humans, looking to them for solutions to man’s growing problems, you will certainly come to disappointment, and very soon now. But if you put your trust in God, and do his will, you are certain to reap the benefits, for God is “the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.”—Heb. 11:6; 1 John 2:15-17.