When the Answer Will Become Reality

THERE can be no question that the entire human race needs to be united so that all can work together for the common good, and overcome difficulties that take away from the enjoyment of life. Happily, Jehovah God has a time for bringing all things into harmony with himself through his Son, Jesus Christ. Of this, we read in the Bible: “It is according to [God’s] good pleasure which he purposed in himself for an administration [a managing, a stewarding] at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.”​—Eph. 1:9, 10.

Note that this gathering into a unity with Christ started “at the full limit of the appointed times,” that is, a time appointed beforehand by God. This proved to be the year 33 of the Common Era. It was then, on the day of Pentecost, that Jehovah God began unifying men and women destined for the heavens as fellow rulers with his Son. (Acts 2:1-4, 14-21; 2 Cor. 1:20-22; Eph. 2:4-7) But his purpose is not limited to this. He also wants to gather all “things on the earth” into a perfect unity with his Son.

Why in Our Generation

Since the initial stage of this unifying under Jesus Christ began at God’s appointed time, should we not also expect this to be the case with the final unifying of “the things on the earth”? When we look at the present problem-racked, divided world, is it not obvious that this unifying is desperately needed right away?

Truly we are living in a period of history unlike any other. One date, 1914 C.E., stands out as the beginning of this time of unprecedented violence, uncertainty, disunity and mounting problems. Little wonder, then, that historians generally speak of 1914 as a “turning point.” Writes Colonel R. Ernest Dupuy:

“In 1914 the political structure of the society of nations, teetering on the pinnacle of power balance, came shivering down like a house of cards. Before World War I ended, three great empires had dissolved in the bloodbath, obliterating with them the last decadent vestiges of the Holy Roman Empire, while a new force in world power structure was slowly rising on the leverage provided by the doctrines of Karl Marx. . . .

“World War I was a significant milestone on the highway of world events. It marked the end of one epoch and the beginning of another.”

Long before the outbreak of the first world war, sincere Bible students, now known world wide as Jehovah’s Christian witnesses, called attention to 1914 as the starting point of tremendous trouble for the present ungodly world. They did so on the basis of Bible chronology and prophecy. With the start of World War I, many people recognized that what these Bible students had been proclaiming was not something to be treated lightly. On August 30, 1914, the New York World, in its magazine section, stated:

“The terrific war outbreak in Europe has fulfilled an extraordinary prophecy. For a quarter of a century past, through preachers and through press, the ‘International Bible Students’ . . . have been proclaiming to the world that the Day of Wrath prophesied in the Bible would dawn in 1914. ‘Look out for 1914!’ has been the cry of the hundreds of travelling evangelists who, representing this strange creed, have gone up and down the country enunciating the doctrine that ‘the Kingdom of God is at hand.’”

Events that have taken place since then, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, confirm that 1914 marked the start of the “last days” for the present system of things.

Well-informed men have a deep sense of foreboding and fear regarding the future. On September 5, 1974, for example, Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim observed that there is an “almost universal sense of apprehension” about where the world might be heading. He was greatly disturbed about the feelings of “helplessness and fatalism” accompanying this fear.

Certainly, the situation today has proved to be just as Jesus Christ foretold: “On earth nations will stand helpless, not knowing which way to turn . . . men will faint with terror at the thought of all that is coming upon the world.”​—Luke 21:25, 26, New English Bible.

What do these developments indicate about the future? Within the lifetime of many who witnessed the start of the “last days” God’s devoted servants will experience a grand liberation. After telling about the fear and anxiety among nations, Jesus Christ continued: “When all this begins to happen, stand upright and hold your heads high, because your liberation is near. . . . Look at the fig-tree, or any other tree. As soon as it buds, you can see for yourselves that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all this happening, you may know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you this: the present generation will live to see it all.”​—Luke 21:28-32, NE.

So, then, the time for God’s kingdom to take over all of earth’s affairs and to bring about a perfect unification of mankind under Christ is drawing very near. This means that everything in opposition to that grand unification must be removed, including the Devil and his demonic hordes. The King Jesus Christ will be the chief one to crush all opposition, paving the way for the start of mankind’s rehabilitation, having the atoning benefits of his sacrifice applied to them.​—2 Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 19:11-21; 20:2, 3.

Thus all the perplexing problems facing mankind are about to be solved permanently and in a way that will truly benefit lovers of right. Would you not like to be among those to enjoy the grand liberation that God’s kingdom by Christ will bring about? If so, you will certainly want to take positive action. Identify yourself as being a loyal supporter of God’s way for unifying “the things on the earth.” But you may wonder, How can I do this?

[Diagram on page 15]

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ALL IN ONE GENERATION

1914

WORLD WARS

MASSIVE FAMINES

DISEASE EPIDEMICS

VIOLENT CRIMES

GLOBAL POLLUTION

End of This System