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Mystery
ofCivilization
We continue, with tbis
sixth
installment, the serial
publication of Herbert W. Armstrong's latest book
Mystery of the Ages.
F
EW
stop to think about
it, but when you do,
could a n ythi n g be
wrapped in more mystery
than this world's civilization?
How explain the astonishing
paradox, a world of human
minds that can send astro–
nauts to the moon and back,
produce the marvels of sci–
ence and technology, trans–
pl a n t human hearts- yet
cannot solve simple human
problems of fa rnily life and
group relationships, or peace
between nations?
The developed nat ions have
made awesome progress. They
have produced a highly mecha–
nized world provid ing every lux–
ury, modern convenience and
means of pleasure. Yet they are
cursed with crime, violence, in–
justice, sickness and di sease,
broken homes and famil ies. At
the same time more than one–
half the world ·is living in illiter–
acy, abject poverty, filth . and
squalor. Violence and dest ruc–
tion a re rapid ly multiplying.
Many ask, "Why, if God exists,
does he allow so much violence
and human suffering?"
16
We were born into this 20th-cen–
tury world as it is. We take it for
granted. But we can't explain it. lt's
like viewing a movie at a point al–
ready near the end. We see what is
occurring at that point, but, not hav–
ing seen it from the beginning and
not knowing how events developed
to the point of viewing, we simply
cannot understand what we are see–
ing. A fiction writer wrote about a
time machine that could t ransport
one back to sorne time in history. If
we had such a time machine, we
should now transport ourselves
backward 6,000 years where we
could actually see what was transpir–
ing in that original Garden of Eden,
at the foundation of the world .
That 's where this civilization
started. Then we may better under–
stand why there is now talk of the
imminent end of the world.
How did our civilization develop
to our 20th-century state? What a
mystery that is to thinking people!
Of course most are not thinking
people and never ask themselves
that question. But if one does, he
finds the question enveloped in
mystery. So let us understand.
It
has been explained in this vol–
ume how God created man for the
supreme purpose of reproducing
himself. But this supreme purpose
necessitated the creation in us with
our own assent, diligence, effort
and joy, the supreme spiritual
character of God. But in so doing,
why did God place man on the
earth ? Why this particular planet?
The Unfinished Earth
God placed man here to restore the
government of God to the earth.
Lucifer and his angels had been
placed here originally. God had put
them here on an unfinished earth.
Remember , God creates in dual
stages. Like a woman baking a
cake, she bakes first the body of
the cake, but it is not finished until
she puts on the icing. The sub–
stance and body of the earth had
been created before the angels
werc placed here. But God in–
tended for the angels to develop
the surface of the earth, to beautify
and improve it. For this purpose he
gave them his government to regu–
late their conduct and performance
together in so doing.
But Lucifer, on the throne to
administer the government in coop–
eration a nd harmony for their
world, rebelled. He turned cooper–
ation and harmonious activity into
competition, evil, rebellion and de–
struction. Light on earth was
turned to darkness. Wasteness, de–
cay and ruin carne to the surface of
the earth.
Then in six days (Ps. 104:30) God
sent forth his Spirit and renewed the
face of the earth for man.
But sti ll "the icing on the cake"
The
PLAIN TRUTH