Newsletter--- July 2006

Armageddon – Then World Peace

Armageddon – what does this mean? All versions tell of some cataclysmic event that will bring an end to the world. Depending on who you listen to it can happen in many ways. The source of this idea is found in the Book of Revelation. In chapter 16, verses 12-16, we read;

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates ; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great Day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

It would take much time to properly study all of the symbols and statements of this scripture. One thing is clear: It is God's intention to bring all the world together for a great battle. But what will be the nature of this battle? What will be its outcome? To help us understand this we must first take a look at what the Bible tells us is God's overall purpose for this world.

The Earth Abideth Forever

Ecclesiastes 1:4 tells us; “but the earth abideth forever.” We also read in Isaiah 45:18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.” These scriptures, and others, tell us that God has a purpose for this world beyond what we can imagine. That purpose has been expressed in a very simple prayer.

Thy Kingdom Come

For almost two thousand years Christians have been saying this prayer, as instructed by Jesus, in one form or another. But have we lost sight of what it truly means? Has the time been so long, or have we said it so many times, that we have become deaf to our own words? What did Jesus mean by this prayer? Part of this prayer, in Matthew 6:10 , reads; “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”. A better translation of “in earth” is “upon earth”. The prayer is that God's righteous rule would some day return to this world.

This time is spoken of in many ways throughout the Bible. Another name for it is the times of restitution. This theme is so central to the Bible that Peter tells us in Acts 3:19-21; “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the LORD; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive (retain) until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” All of the prophets have spoken of this time in one form or another.

But does this kingdom rule mean that God will punish the wicked, give heavenly reward to the others, then destroy the world? We saw earlier that this is not God's intention. We saw that the earth is to abide forever, and it was created to be inhabited. How then do we tie all this together?

Judgment Day

This is another part of the Bible that has been greatly misunderstood. As with the Armageddon picture the usual thought is punishment of the wicked, rewarding of the good, then the destruction of the world. While a major part of it is to destroy evil, it is not intended to destroy people. Its purpose is to uncover and destroy all ideas and practices that are against the will, law, and spirit of God. This judgment will be manifested in different ways. One manifestation we call a national judgment. It is not against individuals in particular, but a judgment upon the nations, removing from them anything that would not stand approved by God's law (Isaiah 25:9, 26:9 and Zephaniah 3:9).

Time of Trouble

In Daniel 12:1 we read; “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” Jesus, in speaking of this same time, in Matthew 24:21, adds the words “no, nor ever shall be”, meaning the world would never experience this again. Michael means “like God”. Jesus is the express image of the Father's person (Hebrews 1:3). This prophecy speaks of Jesus' return, which was mentioned earlier in Acts 3:19-21, for the times of restitution.

Speaking of this time, Zephaniah, in chapter 3, verse 8, tells us; “Therefore wait ye upon Me saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be destroyed with the fire of my jealousy.” Wait a minute. All the earth to be destroyed? But we already saw that the earth is to abide forever. Is God contradicting Himself? No. We must remember that in prophecy symbolism is used, often to hide the true meaning until the due time has come for it to be understood. Symbolically “earth” represents society, the organized social structure in existence at any point in time. This is in line with our previous thought that it is to be a group judgment first. God will be judging all the political, social, financial, even religious institutions – measuring them against both justice and love. This is to see where punishment may need to be given to right past wrongs, and where the ideas and practices may have to be done away with because they do not meet the divine standard.

This time of trouble is necessary, because the time for the kingdom has come, but the world does not willingly give itself over to God. While it is true that there is much good in the world, and that very many are seeking to love their neighbour as themselves, the scriptures indicate that there will be many who will refuse this kingdom rule, at least at first, and will have to be taught obedience the hard way – that initially the world will have to be ruled with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15) until willing obedience is given. For over six thousand years God has very much allowed humanity to rule themselves, stepping in where necessary to prevent sin from going too far, or to direct things in accordance with His overall will.

Some scriptures give us an overview of this time. One such group of texts is in 1 Kings 19:11,12. We read; “And He said, ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mountain before the LORD.’” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake to pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire:and after the fire a still small voice.”

The strong wind that rent the mountains is a picture of the world wars of the last century. Wind is a symbol for war and a mountain is a symbol for a kingdom. For centuries, until 1914, the great kingdoms and colonial empires of Europe ruled the world, but no more. An earthquake is a picture of social upheaval and revolution. Fire is a symbol for anarchy, lawlessness – a consuming force that destroys all things it touches if not controlled. These are pictures of some of the forces at work that will greatly contribute to this time of trouble. Notice the phrase “the LORD was not in”. This is not God's work, directly. This is humanity's work. Also note the last point – the still, small voice after the fire. This is the voice of God speaking peace after all the calamity is over, and humanity has spent itself in its own efforts to bring peace. The Apostle Paul also speaks of this time, and its progression in intensity when he compares it to a woman giving birth (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

In Matthew 24:22 Jesus tells us that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved”, showing that if the events of this time were left unchecked humanity would be destroyed. But in the same verse He tells us that “those days shall be shortened”. It is not God's purpose to destroy His creation – but to teach them the ways of righteousness.

The Kingdom

Now it is God's purpose to take things fully in hand and show His right to rule, His right to be acknowledged as God, and to be obeyed. Humanity will have had ample opportunity to try all their ideas. While some measure of good has been accomplished, much evil has also been the result. It is God's purpose to bless humanity. They must learn that the only true way to have everlasting life and blessing is by a relationship with and obedience to God. In due time this will be the case.

In the meantime, the world must continue through this time of trouble. Many Bible texts show various aspects of this time. It is a big subject, with much to be accomplished. Two important things to remember are that it will be the hardest time the world has ever known, or will know, but that it will result in God's glorious kingdom. What will be the features of that kingdom?

Haggai 2:7 tells us; “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come” - peace, and all that it can bring. Micah 4:3-5 tells us; “And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken it.” In Isaiah 11:9 we find; “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain (kingdom): for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

Conclusion

We hope that we have been able to show you that it is God's purpose to save humanity through His beloved son Jesus Christ, and that the time for this salvation, in His glorious kingdom, is in progress. We rejoice in the coming time of blessing. Yet we would be remiss if we did not also bring forth the scriptures that show that this kingdom will not come about easily. Our purpose has not been to frighten, but to warn and instruct. We would not want to be among those who speak of peace, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14 ). We would be remiss in our duty to God and to you if we did not present the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27 ).

There is much more to be said on this subject. We hope that you will take advantage of the literature offer that comes with this message. What we would have you remember above all things is that even though there has been much trouble in this world, and more is yet to come, that God has all things in hand and will not allow anything that is not for the ultimate good of this world. He has promised a kingdom of peace and life to all who will ultimately prove obedient to His law of love. In many ways, it is unfortunate that the way to that blessing is through so much trouble and suffering. But He has offered hope even in this time. We find in Zephaniah 2:3; “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be that ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.”

The Armageddon prophecy has yet to play out. But beyond it is world peace in the glorious kingdom of God and His son Jesus Christ.

We invite you to send for your free copy of the booklet, “What is This World Coming To?”, which gives a more complete discussion of our subject.		‘The Divine Plan of the Ages’ f ree Booklet 350 page Book

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