A King Shall Reign in Righteousness
WHEN Christ rode humbly into Jerusalem upon the back of an ass, a crowd of people spread their garments and branches of trees on the roadway. They welcomed him as their King and Deliverer by crying out: “Save, we pray, the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah’s name! Save him, we pray, in the heights above!” (Matt. 21:9) These people placed their hope in him for a kingdom of peace.
During the centuries that have passed since that day, multitudes have heard about this King. They have professed faith in him and claimed to be his followers. Many even named their children after the names of his disciples. Thus names like John, James, Peter, Matthew, Thomas and Paul became common among them. That part of the world in which they predominated became known as Christendom.
Although these people professed allegiance to the Prince of Peace, they have not lived in peace. They have ignored his command to have love for one another. Instead they have hated, tortured and killed. Mankind’s fiercest and most destructive wars have been waged among them. Yet these people imagine themselves to be followers of Christ. They think they are Christians. Some even believe that it is up to Christendom to establish Christ’s kingdom on earth.
It is difficult to understand how anyone can imagine that Christ’s kingdom can be established by humans, let alone by humans who have no regard for God’s laws or for the principles Christ taught.
Just because the people of Christendom talk about him in their churches and name their children after his disciples does not mean they are truly following him. It does not mean they will set up Christ’s kingdom or even become subjects of it. Those who are truly Christ’s followers think as he did, live by the same righteous principles as he did and preach the same Scriptural truths as he did. They do not profess love for the King, Christ Jesus, and also seek the friendship of the world, which the Bible identifies as his enemy.
The worsening relations among the nations cause some people to think that Christ’s reign is centuries away. This view was expressed recently by a military analyst when he said: “The millennium still lies beyond the centuries. There is no such thing as a permanent solution to all problems; one may be solved only to be replaced by another. There is no complete or absolute security—and there never will be in a world of life and death.”
The actions of the nations are no sound basis for coming to such a conclusion. Christ’s reign does not wait for them to begin acting like civilized humans instead of unreasoning animals that are ready to jump at one another’s throats. It does not wait for the people of Christendom to begin living by Christian principles. If it did, the wait for his millennial reign would be not only for centuries but for eternity.
God has given Christ the authority and power to begin exercising complete dominion over this earth at his appointed time. The actions of the nations have no bearing upon when his reign will begin. He does not have to wait until heathendom and Christendom become Christians. In fact, Christ is already established in Kingdom power and is ruling in the midst of his enemies, as foretold by Psalm 110.
At God’s appointed time this heavenly King will purge the earth. Heathendom and Christendom will be swept out of existence. “Ask of me, that I may give nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession. You will break them with an iron scepter, as though a potter’s vessel you will dash them to pieces.” (Ps. 2:8, 9) This is the only way to stop them in their mad course of destruction. There can be no coexistence between them and the kingdom under Christ.
A great multitude of people are recognizing Christendom’s hypocrisy and lawlessness and are turning their backs on her. They refuse to have any further part in her hatreds and wars. By laying aside weapons of war to live lives of peace, they have done what was foretold by the Bible: “But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that . . . many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. . . . he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks.”—Mic. 4:1-3, AS.
These peace-loving people make it known to the world that their King is Christ and that his kingdom is the government they trust in for security, justice and peace. As a people they form a New World society that will realize the promises made in connection with Christ’s millennial reign.
The fact that these people have learned the ways of peace in a war-torn world and are united in love in spite of racial and national differences is proof that a society can exist in peace and security. This was noted by an Australian newspaper that said: “Jehovah’s witnesses is the only world peace movement to succeed. . . . They have proved it is possible to live together in peace.” They are able to live in peace because they follow Christ as the disciples did and not as Christendom does.
After Christ has purged the earth of the present system of things, these meek, peace-loving people will have Jesus’ words fulfilled upon them: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5, AV) Their security and peace will not be threatened by lawless people, for “the wicked shall not be.” This is assured by the fact that Christ will be ruling the earth in righteousness. He will have fulfilled the hope of those people who hailed him as King on that day he rode into Jerusalem on the back of an ass.
Jehovah himself will give strength indeed to his people. Jehovah himself will bless his people with peace.—Ps. 29:11.