Significant Progress and Invention—Europe’s Breaks in Spite of Everything—What Will Be the End?
By CHARLES S. JOYCE
In looking over the history of the nations for the past century, one is favorably impressed with the marked progress that has been made in all branches of universal knowledge. Man has been enlightened intellectually. His mind is broader, deeper, and more comprehensive than that of his forefathers.
THE PROPHET SEES THE INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE
Daniel the prophet, in looking down the stream of time, saw the wonderful things that would happen in the closing scenes of man’s history; and by the pen of inspiration, he foretold that men should run to and fro, and that knowledge would be increased. How true this is, and how precisely it has come to pass! Most of the wonderful inventions and masterpieces of science have been produced in the last half century.
This sudden increase of knowledge goes to demonstrate the rapidity with which this old world is rushing on to its impending doom—yes, rushing on to its doom; for in this enlightened age, in this boasted twentieth century of marvelous progress in science and art, where do we find ourselves? Is the world enjoying the peace and prosperity that should follow such achievements?—Ah, no! We find that the whole Eastern hemisphere, and practically every nation under the sun, is involved in the bitterest, bloodiest, and most barbarous war that has ever been recorded in the annals of history.
PEACE EFFORTS FAILED
In spite of the gigantic efforts put forth by peace conferences to stay the wrath of the war god, he has broken forth in all his fury, and has swept down like an avalanche upon the nations of earth, and the devastation is terrible. The work of generations has been undone. The millions of money spent to maintain peace have been of no avail. The cry of peace and safety, and the arming of the nations, occurring at the same time, have been as prophesied. The bugle calls to the last and great struggle, which is to terminate in the battle of Armageddon.
The nations have responded to the battle cry. “They are at one another’s throats, from the Orkneys to the China Sea; the iron rule of militarism prevails; the hours are gory—each day a debacle. Here, without taking toll of the blood and the butchery and the loot and the lust; without counting the incredible ferocity and filth of it; without marking the ruin and ruthlessness of it; without thinking of the sacrifice and the slaughter—here, all over the countries of this Eastern world, exists a situation that is as widespread in its enormity, as it is infinite in its ramifications.”
A WRECKED CONTINENT
DR. PAUL S. CHINAPPA
When we come to realize in a measure the appalling character of the catastrophe, we must look beyond the battle field, and by so doing can see nothing short of a wrecked continent; for “this war and its stern realities will be poverty, ruin, hunger—perhaps famine. The sternest reality will be the wreck of the commercial and trade prosperity of every nation involved, and the consequent ruin of hundreds and thousands of men. This war means not only dead men and weeping women; it means starved men and starved women. It means financial disaster. It means obliteration of credit. It means taxes beyond the possibility to pay. It means depreciated currency. It means long continued woe. It means that the whole commercial hemisphere has been wrecked—which means, in its turn, that the people will pay a price that will make the price of spilled blood seem like cents to dollars.”
HEART FAILURE THROUGH FEAR
As these things are now presenting themselves upon the earth, men’s hearts fail them for fear. Their minds become greatly agitated, and they ask why this great calamity has come upon the earth, and if it was not possible to hold the world’s peace intact, thus doing away with war and strife forever. No, such a thing was impossible for men to accomplish; for God, looking upon the future history of the nations, saw that they were doomed to destruction. In view of this fact, God has, through His servant Daniel, given us ample instruction concerning this, and that His work was not to be in vain, and that He would set up a kingdom where war and strife and sin would be no more.
God said that the kingdoms of earth would not cleave one to the other. Dan. 2: 43. But men have tried to make this prophecy of no effect in various ways. There is not a country or nation upon the earth but is related by marriage, directly or indirectly; but family ties have failed to keep peace and ward off the inevitable struggle for world supremacy.
England and Germany, whose sovereign heads are first cousins, have become the bitterest of enemies, and all because of avarice and desire for earthly glory.
THE BRIGHT PROSPECT BEYOND
Therefore, as we see these things coming upon the earth in fulfillment of prophecy, we are to know the time is at hand, even at the door, for the setting up of the eternal kingdom.
Then why should we be perplexed, why disturbed, when we know that as we watch the dying struggles of earthly kingdoms, we are drawing near, yes, even standing upon the threshold of the kingdom of our God, and of His Christ, which shall stand forever and ever?
