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cause. When you ear improper foods,
for example, you eventually pay rhe
price rhrough sickness. And on and
on ir goes.
World peace is simply a matter of
cause and effecr. Paul said rhere was a
way
ro peace, a key rhar people have
nor gcasped, and rhe etfecr of chis lack
of undersranding has been almosr six
millennia of human misery and suf–
fering.
But whar is chis
way
to peace of
which che Bible speaks? Why hasn'r
man, wirh his cver-expanding wealrh
of knowledge production, been able
ro discover chis cause and etfecr a so–
lurion?
Yes, why?
Drawing upon che wisdom and
perceprion of lscael's King Solomon,
we learn that " rhere is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, bur rhe
end rhereof are rhe ways of dearh"
( Proverbs
14 :12
and
16:25).
In orher
words, rhere is a way thar leads ro
war, sutfering and death, as well as a
way rhat leads ro life, happiness and
peace.
Could chis mean thar rhe natural
approach to life thar men everywhere
have adopred is nor thar which would
auromarically bring peace ro che
earth? Is there anyrhing wrong wirh
man 's approach ro Jife?
Put mosr simply, rhere are rwo ba–
sic approaches ro life. First , rhere is
che approach of. "ger" - ger for self,
do
ro
orhers before rhey do ir ro you.
Man accepred this basic approach at
crearion.
Ir
was
not
builr inro him,
nor forced upon him. He accepred ir
by free choice, and ir became the basic
motivarion behind
his
narure and per–
sonaJity.
The orher approach
ro
life, diamer–
rically opposed
ro
che way of gerting
is the way of "give." This way is a
well-meaning, well-inrended, our–
going concern for che lives and atfairs
of orhers, putring orhers before seJf.
Mankind has been pur on earth ro
learn che way of peace, of g iving -
but he has almost universally rejecred
it.
PlAIN TRUTH
Jonuory
1973
Man has fanrastic abiliries, but he
lacks che perspeccive
ro
use rhem
wisely. His ralenrs have been appl ied
ro wrong uses; and instead of crearing
for himself a world of lasring peace
and cooperarion, he has genecated a
nuclear sralemate rhar, if shaken ,
could spell his urter descrucrion.
Man is incomplece. Somerhing is
missing. He can propel himself ro che
moon, but
he
can'r rruly live in har–
mony witb hi s fellow man on earth.
The Aoswer ro che Problem
The man called J esus wa$ senr wirh
a Message.
Ir
was a reporr of rruly
good news,
in advance. Today we call
His message che Gospel, which sim–
ply means "good news."
His news repon had ro do with
world governmenr. He believcd
Jere–
miah's commenrs on man 's inabiliry
ro bring peace and rule himself suc–
cessfully Oeremiah
10:23).
He should
have, because He was che
One
who
original ly inspired Jeremiah's words
ro
be writren.
He also believed che foUowing
prophecy of Isaiah concerning che
world of tomorrow for the same very
good reason: "And rhere shall come
forrh a rod out of che srem of J esse,
and a Branch sha!J grow out of his
roors [a world ruler, a descendant of
David, che son o f Jesse} : and che
spirit of che Lord shall resr upon
him. . .. he shall nor judge afrer che
sighr of his eyes.... But wirh righ–
reousness shaJI he judge che poor
... and
he
shall smire che earrh with
che rod of his mouth, and wirh rhe
breath of his lips shall he slay che
wicked" (Isaiah
11:1-4).
Here is an ancienr prophecy about
world government and world peace
- under rhe rule of God and His
law.
Jesus carne telling mankind rhar
we would have only so much time ro
write che lessons of human experience
in defiance of God.
Then, ar a definite point in che
srory flow of God's master plan, God
would have ro intervene ro save us
from ourselves. A new government
would be esrablished rhar would
bring peace - enforce peace, if you
please. Power will then be taken away
from selfish, vesred intereses and be
given ro those qualified ro rule.
Isaiah was allowed a glimpse of
chis furure kingdom of peace. "They
shaJI not hurr nor desrroy in all my
holy mountain [ narion or govern–
menr}: for che earth shall be full of
rhe knowledge of che Lord, as che
warers cover che sea" (l saiah
11 :9).
There's no confusing chis descriprion
wirh presenr-day sociery, immersed
and fooled as ir is by rhe hopelessly
empry and erroneous concept o f God–
Jess evolution.
The Aposde John was privileged
ro
see in vision rhe furure return of
che Messiah:
"1
saw heaven opened,
and behold a white horse; and he rhat
sar upon him was called Faithful and
True, and in righreousness he dorh
judge and make war.... his name is
called che Word of God. ... and out
of his mouth goerh a sharp sword,
thar wirh ir he should srnire rhe na–
tions (chac refuse ro give up cheir self–
ish, competirive ways}: and he shall
rule chem wirh a rod of iron ..
."
(Revelation
19:11, 13, 15) .
At chis time violence will no
longer be man's way of life. When
che governmenr of God is ser up, che
nations will learn che way of g iving
which leads ro peace, insread of che
way o f gerting, of comperition and of
nacional self-inreresc chat leads ro war.
"This shaJI be the covenant that
I
will make wirh che house of Israel;
After rhose days (che trauma ac che
close of chis age of human civilizarion
and rhe recurn of rhe Messiah ro rule
chis earrh}, saith che Lord,
I
will puc
my law [che Jaw of God that leads co
peace- the Ten Commandments] in
their inward pares, and wrire it in
their hearrs; and will be their God,
and rhey shaH be my people" Oere–
miah
31:33) .
Then, and only then, will che end–
Jess search for peace on earrh be no
longer a search, but a realiry.
O
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