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ancient rivals were lumped together. Colonies and
territories received nationhood with little thought to
natural r·esources, transpor tation links or natural
frontiers.
The guidebooks to certain African countries today
casually inform the visitar that "most of the country
is useless desert." Hardly an incentive to visit- and
a tragic condition for those who must live there.
Educated Africans, however nationalistic they may
be, recognize that these problems are an almost
insurmountable barrier to nation building today. But
that is going to change.
When the Messiah Jesus the Christ returns
he will begin a process that the Bible calls the
" restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21, Revised
Authorized Version throughout) . One important
aspect of this restoration will be the
reestablishment of just national boundaries for
al l peoples of the earth. Although many have
long lost sight of this fact, it is God who "has
made from one blood every nation of
meo ... and has determjned their preappointed
times and the boundaries of their habitation"
(Acts 17:26).
God does know best. He will redraw the map
with the best interests of every people.
It
may
mean sorne readjustment- but no nation will be
shortchanged, and no people will be condemned
to struggle to survive in tracts of "useless desert."
Paradise Rest ored
Not that there are going to be any useless deserts
anyway. Significant African wastelands today are
man-made, devastated through generations of
ignorance and poor management.
Africa js potentially a fertile continent. No one
need ever have starved there. But millions of acres
of productive land through centuries have been
ruined through erosion, worn out or so infested with
pests and parasites that neither man nor beast can
live there. This, too, will change.
Read what God's plans are for today's useless
deserts: " For waters shall burst forth in the
wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land
springs of water; in tbe habitation of
jackals ... there shall be grass with reeds and
rusbes" (Isa. 35:6-7).
It will not happen overnight, of course. No
doubt it will take hard work and careful planning
to undo all t he damage done by generations of
misuse. But with the firm and fair hand of the
kingdom of God guiding local leaders, those now
useless deserts will become sorne of the most
desirable areas of the earth.
Sorne of the most spectacular examples of
God's creative handiwork are found in
Africa-breathtaking scenery, magnificent lakes
and rivers and a wonderful array of animals, birds
and every kind of wildlife.
Even they are threatened in today's wretched
world. Sorne of the most majestic of God's
32
creatures have become endangered species, and
only careful protection in game reserves is saving
them from extinction.
But in the coming restoration of all things, God's
magnificent African creation will thrive again.
Elephants, lions, leopards and rbinoceroses will once
again find place in the land. Exotic birds will fill tbe
air, and tbe lakes and rivers will teem with a rich
variety of fish . In tbe Millennium wild animals will
lose their fear and hostility toward man (Isa.
11:6-9) . What a place Africa will be then- a
showplace of God's finest natural
handiwork.
Storehouse of Treasure
But the new Africa will not just be
a tourist attraction. God has also
blessed tbis continent with abun–
dant mineral resources and agricul–
tura! potential. Today the econo–
mies of many African nations are a
shambles, and their industrial
potential has collapsed in ruins. In
the Millennium this also will
change. And all the world will ben–
efit from the storehouse of Africa's treasure.
Befare this can happen, there will have to be a
new economic arder, to clase forever the gap that
has opened between tbe rich and the poor. It is not
accurate for the Third World to point the finger at
rich developed nations and say, "It's
al/
your
fault"- but
sorne
of it is.
Something
is drastically wrong with the way this
selfi.sh world does business. Sorne nations are so
deep in debt that they can't even afford tbe interest
payments on their loans.
Third World leaders have called for a redistribu–
tion of wealth. The richer countries resist this, real–
izing tbat in present circumstances, this would in ef–
fect mean a distribution of poverty. They pity the
misery of the Third World, but they have their own
problems to contend with.
The world economic system, based on greed, com–
petition and selfi.shness, is prophesied to collapse.
It
will be replaced witb a new economy that will en-
The PLAIN TRUTH