A World Without Violence—Is It Possible?
“Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Ps. 37:10, 11.
CAN you imagine it?—a world in which no one has to lock his doors, where people can walk the streets alone, day or night, without fear of crime or violence, and where there are no more wars. Surely you would welcome such a world!—a world where all mankind, the black, the white and the yellow, mingle as one united brotherhood, with everyone joyfully serving for the common good—a world where people show genuine care and love for one another, each one taking a warm, personal interest in his neighbor’s welfare—a world where no great gulf separates the rich from the poor, but where everyone is a joyful worker, delighting to share in earth’s wealth—a world where those in authority do not lie, cheat or steal, but serve unselfishly for the benefit of all.
Could such a world be a possibility? Truly, yes! Indeed, it is much more than a possibility—it is a certainty, and that in the very near future! Let us explain why this is so.
Life today is beset by many problems. But the Bible assures us of a marvelous future. This will result from a kingdom rulership just as real as that of King David in times of old, but on a far grander scale. It will embrace all the earth, uniting the human race as one secure, happy family. Concerning the heartwarming benefits of that kingdom under its “Prince of Peace,” the prophet Isaiah tells us:
“To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom in order to establish it firmly and to sustain it by means of justice and by means of righteousness, from now on and to time indefinite. The very zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.”—Isa. 9:7.
Yes, God, who commands the angelic armies, will be zealous to establish that reign of peace. And he can do it! For in the eyes of the grand Creator, the nations of mankind are as a mere “drop from a bucket” and a “film of dust on the scales.” (Isa. 40:15) This magnificent God tells us also through his prophet: “I myself have made the earth and have created even man upon it. I—my own hands have stretched out the heavens, and all the army of them I have commanded.”—Isa. 45:12.
Let us reflect for a moment on those words. Do we appreciate how stupendous is that ‘army of the physical heavens’? In our own galaxy, the so-called “Milky Way,” there are said to be at least 100 billion stars, similar to our sun. If we could travel with the speed of light, it would take us 100,000 years to travel across this galaxy’s expanse. But the Milky Way is estimated to be just one of more than 100 billion galaxies, each with its tens of billions of stars. How tiny our earth and mankind are by comparison! And yet, from creation onward, the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has had all this immensity of his creation under complete control. He has ‘commanded all the army’ of those bodies.
Also, on this earth, where man has not polluted it, a marvelous creation perpetuates itself according to divinely implanted laws. Its grandeur bespeaks the glory and wisdom of a loving Creator, who is deeply interested in mankind. He tells us: “This is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the true God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited: ‘I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.’” (Isa. 45:18) Jehovah purposed this earth to be inhabited by perfect, happy humans, not to be ruined as greedy men are doing today.
We can be glad that this almighty Creator has purposed “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Rev. 11:18) This means that he will remove from this earth, not only those who are willfully polluting its air, its fields and its waters, but also the warmongers, corrupt political rulers and religious oppressors who have made life hard for the people in so many lands. In place of violence and wars, Jehovah God will bring in security and peace, even as King David prophesied: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Ps. 37:10, 11.
[Picture on page 4]
God ‘stretched out the heavens’ in which our sun is just one among billions