Overcoming Fear of What Is Coming (1944)
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... the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, ... of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end . The zeal of JEHOVAH of hosts will perform this.—Isaiah 9:6,7.
DEVOTED to the principles of justice, truth, equity and kindness as exemplified in the acts and sayings of The Creator of the Universe and of His King Christ Jesus.
Overcoming Fear of What Is Coming on the Earth
RE YOU one of that general run of humanity that is groping around in uncertainty, unsure as to the future of this earth and viewing it as unknowable and unpredictable? Are you one of those many millions that are in fear, seeing that something is about to come upon the earth and that, from its looks, it must be the worst yet? In a word, as you look ahead, not only into your personal future but into that of all the earth, are you afraid?
It was easy for a prominent politician to say, "The only thing we have to fear is fear." But he supplied nothing to allay man's fear. That political leader and his own party and the opposing political parties have all fallen victim to fear. Dumbarton Oaks Conference is one proof of it. They have been unable to sidestep the fulfillment of the prophecy, namely: "Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Whoever said that must have been a true prophet; and he was. He was the greatest prophet ever on earth. He was the plain Messiah himself, Jesus Christ. And his words have been preserved for this day when they apply by the historian Luke, at chapter 21, verses 25 and 26 of his record. Luke presents the above-quoted words as part of Christ's prophecy on the "end of the world".
It is not because politicians and others really believe we have reached the end of the world that they are afraid. No more than those of old Noah's day took him seriously and believed that the end of the ancient world was near at hand. But, end of the world or not, all peoples now are uncertain and suspicious of the threatening future and are afraid. While facing what is inescapably coming, they are uneasy because of not being sure they have the solution for the
vast problems of the present and future. So many plans and remedies proposed for curing the world's ills and sufferings confront men; and there is such a conflict between these plans and remedies. One proponent condemns or suspects the other fellow's plans and remedies, while not altogether trusting his own. Everybody hopes against hope that man can somehow meet the situation, and meantime fear grows. It is driving mankind down the wrong road! Whether it is appreciated by men or not, this very world-wide condition of fear, of perplexity, of turmoil of the sea of humanity, and of distress of nations, is incontestable proof that we are at last at the end of the world.
WHY NOT TO BE FEARFUL
But, you may argue, how does knowledge of that as a fact help me to overcome fear? From the religious point of view of the end of this world, it would seem to be a calamity of which to be afraid. Let a strange spectacle appear in the sky and an unreasonable rumor get around that it betokens the end of the world, and religious church-members are the first to grow panicky or highly alarmed and at once to go in for "more religion". Such is a fear due to ignorance, a fear due to lack of understanding because of being taught religion's unscriptural doctrines and traditions. The only antidote against the heart-failure from fear that grips
the entire world is the knowledge and proper understanding of the sacred Bible. In that Book it is written: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) Getting acquainted with his Word helps to overcome fear.
Did those men who asked Christ Jesus for
advance information on the signs of the world's end ask him because they were afraid of its ending? No; but because they were eager for it to end. They knew what this world has been and is. They realized that its end and removal will lead to the greatest blessing that could come to this earth; for the destruction of this world makes way for a clean, healthy, righteous New World for men of good-will who love truth and righteousness. Those men knew nothing of religion's teaching that the end of this world means the burning up of our terrestrial globe to a cinder by literal fire. Religion, Catholic and Protestant, has misrepresented the Bible by teaching the destruction of the glorious sun, moon and stars, and the earth upon which we live. Jesus and his disciples knew from the Bible that "the earth abideth for ever". (Ecclesiastes 1:4) They read therein God's own words: "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." (Isaiah 45:18) There are many more Bible statements to prove that, one glorious day not beyond reaching by those of this generation, this earth will everywhere be inhabited by decent people living in peace and happiness.
What religion has done is to bring contradiction into the Bible by frightening the people to think that the
Bible's symbolic statements about fire are literal.
How foolish this is can be seen by trying to make it mean literal fire where the scripture (Hebrews 12:29) says: "Our God is a consuming fire." Fire is symbolic of complete destruction; and such "fire" the God of righteousness will bring upon this guilty world. But it is a fire you can live through.
Fears vanish when understanding comes in on what is the world that is doomed to an early end. When Peter wrote that the "world that then was" perished in the flood of Noah's day, he did not mean this earthly sphere passed away. When Jesus several times called Satan the Devil "the prince of this world", he did not mean this earth; for the Bible says that the day is near when "Jehoyah shall be King over all the earth", and "the God of all the earth shall he be called". (Zechariah 14:9, Am. Stan. Ver.; Isaiah 54:5, Roth.) The earth survived the end of that pre-flood world, and it will also outlast the end of this world. World means organization, and is made up of two general parts, a higher and hence superhuman part symbolically called "the heavens", and a human or earth-level part called "the earth". Both parts together go to make up a "world" in Bible speech.
The higher or invisible part of the world has ever been a bane to mankind, because those symbolical "heavens" are made up of man's worst enemies, namely, the wicked demons under their prince, Satan the Devil. The means those spirit powers have used to keep man away from God and his truth has been and is religion, with all its confusion and its terror-striking doctrines, of the world's end, fiery hell, "purgatory," etc. As the apostle Paul said by inspiration: "In later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies."—1 Timothy 4:1,2, Am. Stan. Ver.
The human or visible part of the world has failed to give right government and relief to mankind, because this symbolical earth has, knowingly or unknowingly, fallen under the malignant power of the demon "heavens". The history that this symbolic official "earth" has made for itself brings no credit to it; and the present earthly situation is simply the final outcome of its selfish policy under demon influence. Religion has always tried to drag the Lord God into responsibility for the terrible course of the symbolic earth. But the Lord God
Jehovah has no connection or alliance with this world and its "heavens" and "earth". The Son of God also has nothing to do with its mismanagement of man's interests, for Jesus Christ said to the Roman politician, Pontius Pilate, these words: "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36) Hence "Christendom", a part of this world, is misnamed, by religious clergy.
ONE WORLD. ONE GOVERNMENT
WORLD FREE OF FEAR
HE GRASP of the above simple facts of pure Scripture should free your heart from fear. Such Bible truths should fortify
you against the terror that seizes religionists, politicians and commercial traffickers as they look anxiously ahead to the things they see coming upon this globe. Why? Because this world can now be seen to be not God's "world". The end of this world and its religion, politics and greedy commerce does not mean the combustion of this earthly globe in the flames of literal fire, with everybody except a few "heavenward-bound saints" perishing therein. Because this world has defamed God's name and crushed the honest, righteously disposed people long enough, Jehovah God will destroy its invisible demons and their visible official human servants with a destruction as clean-sweeping as by fire. Thereby will come at last to mankind deliverance from devilish oppression and death-dealing misgovernment. Such "end of the world" leaves our earthly sphere to exist and clears the way for God's world to be fully set up over the earth.
Whereas religionists, politicians and selfish merchandisers are in fear because they have everything to lose there when their operated world ends
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