First Steps to World Peace
What will be the first step taken by Christ to straighten out world problems?
Christ will first dethrone and chain Satan and his evil host of demons so they cannot deceive and sway the nations of mankind with their evils (see Revelation 20:1-3). Without this step world peace is not possible. But no government on earth knows that!
Under Christ's direction nations will be forced to stop warring and fighting.
War making is one of the greatest curses on humanity. But, under God's all-powerful world government, this major cause of economic insecurity, disruption and misappropriation of limited human and material resources will be forcibly stopped.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [government] of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains [it will rule over all nations] . . . and all nations shall go . . . and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord . . . and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. . . .
"And he [Christ] shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords [military hardware] into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:2-4).
With so many totally destroyed economies among the nations, Jesus can start afresh in rebuilding many nations in his totally new way of living.
Notice the new economic focus of nations. It will be based in agriculture, in the soil, in producing abundant food and building materials, not in machines for war and conquest.
Today, most nations are burdened with huge defense and military outlays. Some defense outlays eat up as much as half of government budgets while agriculture and essential economic sectors languish for funds. These military outlays are in defense of competitive world ideologies — capitalism and communism — neither of which can solve the economic injustices in this world.
But after military threats to peace are eliminated, then what?
Every human being will be given an inheritance in property, in productive land. This is land that a person can live upon or always fall back upon to provide the basic essentials of life for himself and his family.
Humans under God's government will not be slaves to a state or to some industry or job that totally divorces them from the productivity of their own land.
Notice the prophecy of Zechariah 3:10. "In that day [after God's government is established on earth], says the Lord . . . everyone of you will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree" (RSV).
But you may ask, will there be enough good and fertile land for all? It will be produced by the power and mercy of the Great God!
"The wilderness and the solitary place . . . and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. . . . Say to them that are of a fearful heart [that's much of humanity today], Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come . . . he will come and save you. . . . In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water . . . " (Isaiah 35:1, 3, 6-7).
What a happy day for impoverished and landless millions to look forward to! (We could have it today if we would quit our selfish, sinful ways!) But there's even more good news!
Right agricultural practices will produce ever more abundant crops. "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed . . . and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit thereof" (Amos 9:13-14).
And yet another fantastic blessing! God will control the weather to back up his promised blessings for obedience."
thou shalt harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God . . . the Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand" (Deuteronomy 28:2, 12).
No more will obedient nations be forced to suffer great natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. No more will natural disasters wipe out great segments of their economy and inflate the cost of remaining food supplies and resources.
How much money are those blessings worth to any nation's prosperity and stability? You can't put a price tag on them!
But what about anyone who would think to destroy one's crops or property, or to rob, rape or steal? That is all too common today.
"Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind. . . The fool will no more be called noble, nor the knave [churl or ill-minded person] said to be honorable" (Isaiah 32:1, 2, 5, RSV).
No more will criminal gangs or corrupt leaders terrorize a city or be permitted to bleed critical segments of national wealth for themselves.
Criminal and corrupt thoughts will be discouraged before they become a habit of thinking in human minds. " . . . yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers [spirit members of the God family — manifested in human form]: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:20-21).
Scalpers and speculators seeking to make a quick killing by spreading false rumors will not exist. Corrupt and greedy officials will be exposed and deprived of power. The unrepentant criminal will be speedily and justly punished. God's saints will be able to judge the hearts and attitudes of all men (Hebrews 4:12, I Corinthians 12:10). True justice will reign at last.
"Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, [nor] wasting nor destruction within thy borders" (Isaiah 60:18).
Fair Taxation
Under God's government, money, at last, will have stable and reliable value. Great wealth will flow in to God's throne on earth from all nations to be used for the good of others (Isaiah 60:17). Monetary stability will be further established because it will be based on God's everlasting, unchanging government, and on God's enormous and endless power to prosper the economies of obedient nations.
God's government will not exact exorbitant and ever-increasing taxes to pay for foolish projects or deficit government spending.
God's tithing law (tithing means tenth) on income will apply to all. One income level will not be forced to pay exorbitantly higher rates than another. The labor of the diligent will not be discouraged by being taxed away, as it so often is today.
God's law reveals how the widow, fatherless and needy should be locally taken care of (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). The massive welfare state as we know it today will not exist. If an able man won't work, neither shall he eat (II Thessalonians 3:10).
But what about business and social relationships?
God's law — the Ten Commandments — and God's Word, the Bible — which amplifies the intent of God's laws — will be the basic guide of how humans ought to conduct all social and business relationships. Nations won't need endless and complicated bureaucracies, regulations and laws to govern every human action. Honesty, truthfulness, fair prices, service and safety will be expected in all business and social relationships.
Business and smaller industry will certainly exist. But they won't be permitted to be giant polluters of the environment. Whatever industry and pollution exists will be controlled to provide safeguards to workers and to the environment — or they won't exist at all.
Tomorrow's world will use nonpolluting and natural energy sources in an effective way. Totally rebuilt communities and nations will be able to begin anew from such an energy base. A much more agriculturally based world will not need the vast quantities of oil that are consumed today. Whatever energy sources are used will be environmentally safe.
In all human production and activity the emphasis will be on quality, not quantity or cheapness. Lasting quality goods conserve resources and energy over the long run. Today's consume quickly-and-throw-away society will be no more. Reusable materials will be recycled.
Human beings will be taught how to establish happy homes and stable marriages. Humans will find opportunities to fully develop talents and abilities.
Women will rejoice in being homemakers, mothers and teachers of their children. Both parents will enjoy taking responsibility for teaching their children a great deal of their primary education. Children will be wanted and cherished. They will be needed to rebuild and beautify the earth.
God will heal the sick, blind, maimed and mentally damaged. "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened– [by God's healing power], and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." (Isaiah 35:5-6). No more millions of nonproductive hopeless lives or incurable diseases.
Everyone will know what it means to experience love from others. All will be taught to respect all other humans regardless of race — for their incredible human potential. Every nation of mankind will be given their own land to develop the special talents and abilities God has given to each.
What a different world!
Gradually Spreading Miracle
Don't misunderstand. God's government and blessings won't happen in all nations all at once. It will take time. Nations will have many wrong ways to change, many wrong ideas to unlearn and overcome.
God will first give a nation the chance to accept or refuse His ways. The consequences for repeated refusal to obey are indicated in Zechariah 14:16-19.
Christ said the kingdom, or government, of God would be like leaven in a lump of dough (Matthew 13:33). It would gradually spread throughout the whole earth. God expects those who have learned and prospered from God's ways to teach and help others less fortunate. Prosperous and successful individuals will not devote their whole lives to accumulating more and more wealth for themselves.
Wealth and abundance are not wrong. God wants all to prosper and be in health (III John 2). But under God's wonderful government a person's success and character will not be measured by the abundance of what he possesses. Success and character will be more measured in how a person helps, shares and serves others.
Education, at last, will be universal. There will be a universal language to understand God and His ways (Zephaniah 3:9). No more will religious, political and economic confusion and strife be permitted to divide nations and lead humans into hate, animosity and war.
". . . for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).
God speed that happy age! That's good news really worth announcing to the world — and preparing one's self to take part in — today!