Coming Soon: God's Good Government!

To the degree that human beings follow biblical laws and principles, life can be abundant, prosperous and inspiring. But, with two world wars and many regional wars even in just the last hundred years—and with ongoing military, political and social conflicts on the rise, it should be clear to any objective observer that we are headed for total global disaster. Mankind has shown itself almost completely unable to govern itself.

One apparently systemic problem with human governments is corruption.  The watchdog organization Transparency International recently analyzed 175 of the world's governments and territories in preparing its Corruption Perceptions Index 2015. The organization defined corruption in this way: "Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs."

Interestingly, the 20 countries perceived as most corrupt were (from more to less corrupt): Somalia, North Korea, Sudan, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Venezuela, Haiti, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Syria, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Cambodia. Notice that this is a measure of perception, not necessarily of actual corruption. These nations have, for whatever reason, in whatever way, gained a reputation as places where corruption is flourishing. At the other end of the spectrum, the 20 countries perceived as least corrupt were: Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, Germany, Iceland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Japan, Barbados, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States. Yet we know human nature is a very real problem even in the most upstanding nations today.  Can human beings entirely solve the problem of corruption in government, business and interpersonal relations? Scripture gives a resounding answer: "No!" God reveals a fundamental characteristic of humanity: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

A New World Government

Six thousand years of recorded history have demonstrated, time and again, that human governments have not learned the way to lasting peace.  The League of Nations was established in 1920 after World War I with a mission to establish world peace.  The League failed miserably when World War II caused the deaths of millions around the world.   The Allied victory in Europe and two atomic bombs dropped on the nation of Japan in August 1945 ended that war.  The United Nations was established in October 1945 to replace the League of Nations and to carry on missions of peacekeeping and disarmament.  Yet the United Nations has not brought about world peace, nor did it prevent the genocide of two million Cambodians (1974-–1979), 800,000 Rwandans (1994) and of 200,000 in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992–1995)—nor of countless other horrors caused by nations and their evil dictators.

More than 60 years have passed since U.S. General Douglas MacArthur warned of the need for "some greater and more equitable system" to achieve lasting world peace! Mankind has utterly failed in that regard! Yet Bible prophecy reveals that God Almighty will impose such a system when Jesus Christ comes to establish world peace.  Read the announcement of a new world government in Revelation 11:15, "Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"

The only solution to the problem of human nature and corrupt human governments is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth!  If you would like to know more about the world to come, download or order our inspiring free booklet, The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?

A Challenge To You!

So, I issue a challenge to all of our Tomorrow's World readers, no matter where your country ranks on this "corruption" survey or any other survey; make it your priority to uphold true values—the values taught and practiced by Jesus Christ and His Apostles from the very beginning of the New Testament Church—in every aspect of your own life.  What is the guiding principle in your life?  Jesus gave this very powerful and fundamental true value for all human beings around the world: "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'" (Luke 4:4). If you have not studied your Bible on a regular basis, I encourage you to take advantage of our free Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course.  You can study on-line or you can receive the first four lessons by mail upon request.  You need to study God's word, the Holy Bible, to understand life, the future and the environment in which we live, if you are to overcome Satan's influence on our world today.

Do not underestimate Satan's influence. In this issue, please read the page 5 article by our Editor in Chief, Roderick C. Meredith, titled "Satan's War on Family Values." Many of you older readers can remember a time when you would have been considered insane for suggesting that women could marry women and men could marry men. Today, not only are people ridiculed for opposing same-sex "marriage" but they are even considered old-fashioned and worse if they do not go along with the idea that a person can choose his or her own gender, without regard for chromosomes and facts of birth.  Where does this confusion come from? When you understand that God is reproducing Himself—that His plan for human beings is to create new full members of the very God Family—you can begin to understand why Satan so hates the idea of the "normal" human family with its ability to reproduce new generations of potential sons and daughters of God.

Satan even wants you to believe that your life came about by chance, and that it is ultimately without purpose or meaning. Read the page 10 article by Gerald Weston, "A Purposeful Existence."  Contrary to the ideas of materialistic evolutionists, the truth is that the wonderful complexity of the human body and mind did not come about by random chance, but in fact is part of God's great plan for humanity.

Today, most people are "educated" to believe in evolution rather than divine creation. But a time is soon coming when the whole world, under the loving rule of the returning Savior, Jesus Christ, will be able to receive true education. They will learn true values and true knowledge of their purpose and the meaning of their lives.  Read my article, "Are You Ready for Christ's Return?" on page 16 of this issue.

Prepare for the Kingdom!

God will soon replace the corrupt governments of our world. He is preparing a new world-ruling government with Christ as King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9). He is also training us as kings and priests to assist the King of kings (Revelation 5:10). Will we have hearts of integrity? As we near the end of this age, we all must strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18)! We must do our best, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to exemplify God's way in our own lives.

May God bless all you readers as you follow Christ's command to watch and pray always, and as you prepare with your whole heart for your place in the coming Kingdom of God, confident in God's promise: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).