The Coming Utopia ...Wonderful World Tomorrow

Bible Study Course Lesson 6

Today's World -- What Will Tomorrow Be Like?

Today's modern cities -- soon to be utterly destroyed -- are not to be compared with the fabulously beautiful, well- planned cities of the Millennium.

Tomorrow's cities will be filled with happy and productive people! Everyone will learn that true happiness and enjoyment of material blessings come only as a direct result of living and working together in harmony with God's laws.

That is what will really make the World Tomorrow a literal UTOPIA on earth!

THE COMING UTOPIA... WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW

WHY should universal peace and prosperity ever be impossible? Why can't we have a world bubbling over with JOY and HAPPINESS?

Ever since the dawn of civilization, mankind has longed to live in a plush world where all his desires would be fulfilled!

But in his heart, man knows such a utopia could NEVER EXIST ON THIS EARTH through his OWN EFFORTS!

"Utopia" on Earth?

"Utopia" brings to the minds of so-called "practical" people the same connotation as "fairy story" -- an UTTER IMPOSSIBILITY! They ridicule the idea that a utopia could ever occur HERE on earth!

"All you have to do is look at history to see it COULDN'T happen," they retort. "Through the ages MAN has tried to bring about a utopian paradise by every conceivable means -- yet WITHOUT success. He has attempted to live by every imaginable type of government -- oligarchy, autocracy and democracy. He has even tried living without any government at all -- absolute anarchy. All of them have FAILED MISERABLY! Therefore, a utopia is IMPOSSIBLE," they conclude logically.

People today are RIGHT in drawing this conclusion. Diseases, fears, worries, uncertainties, lack of necessities, poverty, hate, oppression and injustice are taken for GRANTED in this wretched world.

People today can view past history and KNOW that mankind has failed to accomplish this objective. But why should a utopia EVER BE IMPOSSIBLE?

Must our only hope be in the puny efforts of mere MEN to bring this condition about? If this be true, we ARE lost! The human race is DOOMED!

People today are SELF-centered! They fail to recognize there is any power OTHER THAN THEIR OWN that can bring about a "utopia"!

What GREAT POWER can, and WILL, do this? GOD ALMIGHTY! He has the power and the wisdom to make UTOPIA a REALITY!

This is the very message God sent His Son Jesus Christ to proclaim to the world. It is the gospel -- the GOOD NEWS that He would return with the POWER to make a UTOPIA of this earth!

Soon, man's desires will all come true! Christ, through the POWER and WISDOM OF GOD, will bring us UNIVERSAL PEACE and PROSPERITY at last!

God's World Government

You have heard great statesmen proclaim that in order to have world peace and prosperity, we must have world government. But the nations lack the WISDOM TO CREATE a workable world government, and lack the POWER TO ENFORCE its laws.

When Jesus Christ returns, He will be KING over the WHOLE EARTH. His law -- the LAW OF GOD -- will be the law of the world (Zech. 14:9; Micah 4:2). And His government will possess the POWER to ENFORCE His laws -- something the governments of our day cannot do.

God's government will prevent the strong from enslaving the weak. True justice will be received by all. The laws of God will be taught and practiced by those who administer the government. The high and the mighty who REBEL against Christ will be forever removed!

God has allotted mankind SIX THOUSAND YEARS to rule himself. During this time, God has kept hands off the affairs of this world. He has allowed man to pursue the course that "seemeth right" to him. God is NOW ALLOWING people the opportunity to establish their OWN FORMS OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT -- communism, democracy, fascism, socialism -- to the end that the nations learn their woeful shortcomings -- their BASIC HUMAN WEAKNESSES!

But this time is now ALMOST UP! The new ORDER -- THE WORLD TOMORROW -- is about to begin!

Do you realize what a privileged individual you are? God has made it possible for you to be able to peer into the future through His prophecies. You can KNOW NOW what will happen then.

This age we are living in is soon going to pass away and the new one will take its place. Christ will soon FORCE the world to cease from its labor of wars, sickness, heartache and death!

A NEW type of civilization is ahead -- a millennial UTOPIA. It will be a time of genuine rest -- a time of SPIRITUAL and PHYSICAL rejuvenation -- of boundless peace and prosperity!

A "Way" of Life

WHY will there be great PROSPERITY in the wonderful World Tomorrow -- the soon-coming Millennium?

God has a "WAY" of LIFE which, if FOLLOWED, would make living happy and joyous for all!

If people TODAY followed this way, they would KNOW HOW to meet all the family problems that confront them daily. They would learn to solve all of life's problems as GOD intends them to be solved -- and EVERYONE would be HAPPY with the results of the RIGHT SOLUTION to every problem.

GOD HAS PROMISED to create just such a world of happiness, joy and prosperity. We can have a FORETASTE of this wonderful World Tomorrow -- TODAY! BUT NOT UNTIL WE BEGIN TO LET GOD RULE IN ALL OUR ACTIONS ALL TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF THE DAY -- HERE AND NOW!

Christ brought the message about THIS WAY. The way of KEEPING the commandments and precepts revealed in your Bible! He said, "I am come that they {you and I} might have life, and that they might have it more ABUNDANTLY" (John 10:10). He preached that people could have full and abundant lives if they let God's precepts RULE in all their activities.

But how did the world accept His message? Was it interested?

Paul reports, "There arose no small stir about THAT WAY" (Acts 19:23). He also said that various people "spake EVIL of that way" (Acts 19:9).

This has been the attitude of the world to this day! It has NOT VOLUNTARILY accepted Christ's message, which, if followed, would have produced a UTOPIA on this earth! Instead, what do we find today? Look at the awesome world crisis that now confronts us. Human annihilation appears imminent!

But soon God, through Christ as Supreme King, will intervene and MAKE people KEEP GOD'S WAY! Just imagine -- COMPULSORY JOY!!

The WAY of God -- the way revealed in YOUR Bible -- will then guide them CONTINUALLY. They will pay God His TITHES. God says when this is done He will "open ... the windows of heaven, and pour ... out a BLESSING, that there shall NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT" (Mal. 3:10).

Also, for keeping His DAYS, God assures them they will "ride upon the high places of the earth" (Isa. 58:13-14). They will live in ABSOLUTE LUXURY! The Bible is FULL of such promises for OBEDIENCE. Read Leviticus 26:1-13 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14, which reveal some of the tremendous blessings God has promised for obedience.

As people begin to obey God, the world will begin to be FULL of things that are now considered great LUXURIES! They will SEE the DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE between God's happy, prosperous way and the wretched unhappiness of their former ways. They will then be called to REPENT of THEIR old way of life, and ALLOW THEMSELVES to BE COMPLETELY RE-EDUCATED TO GOD'S WAY.

At last the world will experience a UTOPIAN PARADISE far beyond man's wildest dreams!

Prophecy tells us about the world to come -- the utopia of the wonderful World Tomorrow which God will establish. COMPARE it with this world in which we now live. God wants you to do this. Then YOU make the decision WHO CAN RULE BEST -- GOD OR MAN?

Final Instructions

We are about ready for the actual lesson. But first, read these instructions.

This lesson is intended to direct you to the BIBLE -- to help you STUDY the Bible. Here is the method of study.

Is your Bible in front of you? If not, GET your Bible -- or Bibles, if you have more than one translation -- BEFORE YOU DO ANOTHER THING! Have a good dictionary, a concordance if you own one, and your note paper all placed in front of you on a desk or table.

Remember -- you must OPEN your Bible to EVERY PASSAGE. Never say to yourself, "Oh, I think I know what this verse is referring to" -- and then pass over it. You need to "KEEP YOUR NOSE IN THE BIBLE," so to speak.

You must READ and REREAD and THINK OUT each passage. Then MEDITATE on this new knowledge in your leisure time during the following twenty-four hours, and in your time of prayer -- BEFORE YOU FORGET IT! Do all you can to make God's Word a PART OF YOU! Don't forget, this is a Bible STUDY Course -- not just a study of these words we send you.

Here is the method of making effective notes: write down neatly on your paper the lesson NUMBER. Next write down the TITLE of the lesson and underscore it. As you come to each question section, write down its HEADING. Then, underneath, NUMBER EACH QUESTION and WRITE DOWN THE BIBLE ANSWER to each, together with any pertinent ideas that come to your mind.

Be sure to WRITE OUT the scripture which answers each question. This will help you greatly in REVIEWING and REMEMBERING what you have learned.

This lesson, like all others, is extremely important to you. Have you PRAYED to God for understanding?

If not, go to a private place, kneel down, and ask God for SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING and wisdom. Ask Him to HELP you grasp and apply in your own life the knowledge this lesson will reveal to you in the Bible.

And now for the lesson itself!

LESSON 6

Spirit of God Will Direct

1. As was previously shown, when Christ returns He will come in the clouds of heaven and His angels will gather His elect from all parts of the earth. They will meet Him in the air and all will soon thereafter descend upon the Mount of Olives. What will HAPPEN to this mount when Christ's feet touch it? Zech. 14:4.

2. Will the deep ravine thus formed become the channel of a MIGHTY RIVER which will ARISE IN JERUSALEM? Will half of this mighty river flow EASTWARD in the channel formed by this split, and will the other half flow WESTWARD? Verse 8. Will the river flowing eastward empty into the Dead Sea? And that flowing westward empty into the Mediterranean Sea? Look at the map of Palestine in the back of your Bible -- refresh your memory on this coming center of world government.

3. Is the EASTERN CHANNEL in which "living waters" -- fresh waters -- flow into the Dead Sea the SAME RIVER described in Ezek. 47:1-9? Note especially verses 8 and 9.

COMMENT: Notice that the river described in Ezekiel causes everything with which it comes in contact to LIVE and be HEALED! This is the SAME river!

4. Does Ezek. 47:8 show that when the fresh or "healing" water from this LIFE-GIVING STREAM begins to flow into the DEAD Sea, the DEAD Sea will also become a body of water having LIFE in it? Will it be "healed"? Verse 8. Will it contain LIVING fish? Verse 9. Will it give LIFE to the barren places through which it flows? Verse 12.

COMMENT: The Dead Sea, which is 1286 feet below the Mediterranean Sea level, is the lowest spot on earth! The water of this sea is now so salty that no plant or marine life can possibly exist in it.

Look at any Bible map of Palestine and notice that the Jordan River constantly empties into the northern extremity of the Dead Sea. Even though it has no outlet, the water level of the Dead Sea remains fairly constant. This is because extremely hot temperatures cause the waters to EVAPORATE at about the same rate at which the Jordan supplies the Dead Sea with muddy water.

But when this NEW river -- the river of "LIVING waters" -- begins to empty into the Dead Sea not far from the mouth of the Jordan River, the waters of the Dead Sea will rise until they OVERFLOW SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE DESERT. The overflow will probably carry into the Gulf of Aqaba. It will then be in this overflow area that NEW LIFE WILL SPRING UP when the waters will have become FRESH. And all places into which it flows in Palestine will receive NEW life!

5. Notice the SIGNIFICANCE of this river which will flow from Jerusalem. This river has a DUAL MEANING!

Christ will sit upon David's throne AT JERUSALEM, the WORLD'S CAPITAL -- the same place from which the RIVER OF LIFE arises (Ezek. 47:1). Will His RULE which shall ALSO "go forth from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3), have a "HEALING" EFFECT like the actual river? Will His rule HEAL the strife-torn nations of the world? Isa. 2:3-4 and Malachi 4:2.

Will the SPIRIT of God direct Christ to GUIDE the nations in the Millennium into His own way of life -- the WAY of LIFE which will produce the utopia they have always desired? Is the Holy Spirit compared to "living water"? John 4:10 and 7:37-39. Then will the World Tomorrow -- the millennial world -- "have life, and that ... MORE ABUNDANTLY"? John 10:10.

COMMENT: Here then we see that when Christ returns, He will give all nations a PHYSICAL representation (water) of the effect of the SPIRIT or mind OF CHRIST. Like the water of the actual river, His SPIRITUAL decisions and laws will FLOW OUT FROM JERUSALEM, and like the actual river, these will heal and give life, for they will PREVENT wars and strife which wound human bodies and cause death. His laws and decisions will produce happier, healthier and THOROUGHLY ABUNDANT LIVES! (John 10:10)

Palestine a Garden of Eden

God reveals what conditions will be like in Palestine where Israel, God's model nation, will dwell. Living by GOD'S WAY, as administered by Christ the King, will produce a UTOPIAN PARADISE there!

1. Will Israel be FEARFUL of wars and destruction any more? Ezek. 28:25-26. Will the Israelites then be fearful of the future as this world is today? Verse 26.

2. Will God see that the laws of nature function for the BENEFIT of this nation? Isa. 44:3 and Deut. 28:12. Will this be a TREMENDOUS blessing?

3. Will the devastated cities be REBUILT? Jer. 33:10-11 and Amos 9:14. Will there be HAPPINESS? Jer. 33:11. Notice that these scriptures show there will be CITIES in the new world order soon to be established. Does this indicate that cities, as such, are wrong? If they were wrong, would Christ have them built?

COMMENT: Today we have great SMOKE-blackened and SMOG-laden cities which are crowded and gloomy. In the cities of TOMORROW, these conditions WILL NOT EXIST. Cities in the Millennium will be decentralized. They will be small enough to promote healthy, happy family life, yet large enough for a proper BALANCE between industry and those things which promote joyous living (Zech. 8:5).

4. Tremendous destruction will be wrought by the seventh vial of wrath -- the great earthquake and hail (Rev. 16:17-18, 21), which Christ will inflict to bring the world to its senses.

Much RECONSTRUCTION Will have to be done. This work will have to be FINANCED. Other nations will not have the economic means to carry this out -- they will have to borrow. But Israel, after being led out of captivity by Christ when He returns, will have this means.

How will Israel acquire the financial means? Remember that those who will conquer and spoil Israel are the fascist ten-nation union (Rev. 17:12). Will the fascists have accumulated much wealth? Rev. 18:9-13. Will Israel take BACK great treasure from their captors when Christ liberates them? Zech. 14:14. What will Israel DO with much of this wealth? Deut. 15:6. This will be a business of LENDING on a vast scale. Does Deut. 28:12 also verify this?

COMMENT: The Dead Sea, lying in Central Palestine, will be another vast source of wealth. It is extremely rich in minerals and will be a great industrial asset.

Yes, BUSINESS will be carried on in the Millennium, BUT PEOPLE WILL BE TAUGHT TO CARRY IT ON DECENTLY AND HONESTLY!

5. Will the earth be RE-POPULATED after the terrific destruction of human life which lies just ahead of us? Ezek. 36:11. What about the HOUSING situation? How will shelter be provided for the expanding population? Isa. 41:19; 60:13.

The forests of Lebanon are situated in the northern part of Palestine. The scriptures frequently refer to the beauty and splendor of the "cedars of Lebanon." Will the NUMBER OF TREES in the forest increase markedly in the Millennium? Isa. 29:17.

COMMENT: Lumber is scarce today due to MAN'S EXPLOITATION. But God will not allow the forests to be destroyed for lack of proper supervision in the Millennium. The GREAT AMOUNT of lumber available then will make it far easier for all to have FABULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL HOMES!

6. Palestine is now a relatively barren region. Prophecies indicate, however, that it will see the most dramatic change of any land. It is the land center of the earth and is destined to become its capital. It will be the SEAT of Christ's world government.

Has the Garden of Eden always been considered the MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE that has ever existed in this world? Will God transform Palestine into a place RESEMBLING Eden? Isa. 51:3. Will great joy be there?

COMMENT: ZION is a hill in the environs of the city of Jerusalem. It is the mount on which the old city of David was built. Geographically speaking, Mount Zion is often used in the Bible to stand for JERUSALEM or for the land of Palestine.

God plainly shows us, through His prophecies, that Palestine WILL BECOME A VERITABLE "GARDEN OF EDEN"!

World to Share Prosperity

Notice how the rest of the earth will SHARE in the great PROSPERITY with which God will bless Palestine.

1. We have seen that Christ will establish His capital in Jerusalem, Palestine, in Israel. From His capital city, He will RULE ALL NATIONS of the world. Christ will actually rule over a COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS. Then will all nations have the same ruler -- Christ? Isa. 2:2.

2. Will the WHOLE WORLD THEN WALK IN GOD'S WAYS? Micah 4:2. Does this show that they will ALL be ruled by the SAME LAWS -- GOD'S LAWS? Since the Gentiles will obey Christ in the Millennium, will they be HIS subjects? Will they BELONG to Him? Rom. 6:16.

3. The Bible says, "If ye be CHRIST'S, then are ye Abraham's seed [you are ISRAELITES!] and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29). What was the promise made to Abraham's seed, the nation of Israel, for OBEDIENCE? Were they to be BLESSED MATERIALLY? Leviticus 26:1-13 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Isn't it plain that in the Millennium the OTHER NATIONS of the earth will SHARE in the promises made to Israel, IF THEY WILL OBEY CHRIST?

COMMENT: God has made Israel and its descendants a promise that He will set them "on high ABOVE ALL NATIONS of the earth," if they will obey Christ (Deut. 28:1). Therefore, those of Israel who are obedient will occupy the land of Palestine and receive a RELATIVELY GREATER SHARE of the blessings than other nations. But, aside from this, ALL NATIONS CAN SHARE in the promises IF they will OBEY Christ! This world will become a literal UTOPIA for the obedient!

Ancient Israel was never able to claim all the promises of Deut. 28:1-14 and Lev. 26:1-13 over long periods of time because the people were not constant in their obedience to God. In the Millennium, with Christ ruling rigidly -- "with a rod of iron" -- their descendants will be obedient, and therefore they will receive ALL of these promised blessings!

Rapid Transportation

1. HOW will highways be BUILT in the World Tomorrow? Isaiah 40:3-4. Will these SUPERhighways be LEVEL, and will they go in a DIRECT LINE from one point to another, thus enabling high speeds to be safely achieved on them? Does this indicate MUCH TRAVELING will be done?

2. Notice verse 4 of Isaiah 40. Does it indicate a general LANDSCAPING of the earth's surface will be done? Would this indicate the use of much HEAVY MACHINERY and the opportunity to EMPLOY GREAT NUMBERS of people?

COMMENT: Unemployment is a great problem today. It will cease to exist in the World Tomorrow!

3. There is going to be a very unusual HIGHWAY in Palestine. Its fame will spread worldwide! Will it lead to the capital city, Jerusalem? Isa. 35:8, 10.

COMMENT: ZION is a general name for the city of Jerusalem. This will be an ACTUAL ROAD leading to the capital city of the world!

4. Will this actual highway be KNOWN AMONG THE NATIONS AS REPRESENTATIVE OF ANOTHER WAY -- GOD'S WAY OF LIFE? What is this way called? Verse 8. Will the UNCLEAN -- those who cling to sin (II Cor. 6:16-18) -- pass over it? Verse 8. Will any ferocious animals pass over it? Verse 9. Who will use it? Same verse.

Liberty!

1. Will there be MANY languages in the Millennium? Zephaniah 3:9. What do the words "with ONE consent" signify? Could all the people of the earth be of ONE opinion about a subject if they could not even understand what was said because it was spoken to them in a foreign language? Note also the words "PURE language."

COMMENT: At the tower of Babel God separated the various nations by giving them different languages (Gen. 11:9). Why? Because they were rebellious against His WAY of life. People wanted to live by their depraved lusts. The different languages of nations became a natural BARRIER against the spread of human depravity. If God had not done this, they would soon have destroyed themselves (verse 6).

In the Millennium there will be no danger of self-destruction. God will then give ALL PEOPLE ONE LANGUAGE. This will be valuable in the exchange of proper ideas, and will help in establishing peace and harmony. This plainly shows the world will be LIBERATED from the language barrier in the Millennium!

2. We have seen there will be much WORK to be done in the Millennium. But HOW HARD will this work be, COMPARED to the labor we are forced to do now when we are DISOBEDIENT to God's way and are NOT RECEIVING THE BLESSINGS God gives for obedience? Isa. 11:10. Note the word "rest."

COMMENT: Much is said in the Bible about how nature, influenced by God, will cooperate to make life EASY for people in the Millennium when they are UNDER GOD'S RULE. Compare the EASY LIFE of GOD'S WAY with the HARD LIFE of man's way when he rules himself. God calls MAN'S WAY the BABYLONIAN system. Read of the rigor and TOIL and BONDAGE of living by this system in Rev. 18:2, 10, 13-14, 23-24. NOTE ESPECIALLY verses 13 and 24.

GOD'S WAY OF LIFE is the WAY OF LIBERTY -- the EASY WAY -- BUT MAN IS NOT REALLY CONVINCED THAT IT IS! God is now, through man's own Babylonish system, letting man CONVINCE HIMSELF! Just look at what this world's FOREBODING FUTURE holds in store!

3. Will there be old men and women, as well as people of other ages in the Millennium? Joel 2:28.

4. Will all people be at PEACE? Micah 4:4. How does I Kings 4:25 explain the expression "under HIS fig tree"? Did every man mentioned there actually sit "under his fig tree ALL the days of Solomon, or is this SYMBOLIC of PEACE?

COMMENT: Here is an example of letting the BIBLE INTERPRET ITSELF! All will rest under the shade of THEIR OWN trees and grape arbors and none will ROB them of it by WARS or OTHER means.

5. Much is said today against PRIVATE ownership. Communists and Socialists are especially against it. Does GOD think it is improper? Micah 4:4. Notice the word "his."

COMMENT: People will OWN their property in the Millennium. They will be LIBERATED from systems which deprive them of the righteous rewards of their own toil!

PHOTO: Many of this world's governments today discourage and prohibit private ownership. In the Utopia of tomorrow, God will make private ownership possible for everyone!

6. Today, the DOCTORS of this world have great difficulty in trying to prevent or cure lameness. Blindness, deafness, and dumbness are among their most baffling cases. But what will Christ do with such cases? Will it be SIMPLE for Him to CURE them? Isa. 35:5. If it weren't, God would not make such broad, sweeping statements. All this is a part of "The GOOD NEWS of the wonderful WORLD TOMORROW"!

Bounteous Crops!

1. Rain is one of God's choicest blessings (Ezek. 34:26). Will God see that RAIN is given for the seed? Isa. 30:23. Will there even be springs and streams of water on every high hill? Verse 25. Mountain streams will help to make beautiful resort areas in the utopia of tomorrow.

2. What will happen as a result of the ABUNDANCE of rain? Isa. 35:7. (The Moffatt Translation properly translates the word "dragons" as "hyenas and jackals." The word dragon may mean a land or sea serpent, or a hideous creature such as a hyena or jackal.) What else will happen? Verse 1.

3. Today, the greater portion of the earth is unproductive -- only a SMALL AREA of the land surface is actually tillable. There are many deserts and wildernesses. After studying Isa. 35:7 and Isa. 32:15, can you say that this will be true during the coming UTOPIA?

COMMENT: The AGRICULTURAL WEALTH of a nation is generally the greatest asset it can possess. But the farmers and others employed in agriculture have had to gamble with the weather and rainfall throughout the centuries. The most JOYFUL NEWS they could hear is that all their work would always be SUCCESSFUL. Since FOOD and WATER are the most vital necessities of life, all people will certainly be interested in this GOOD NEWS!

PHOTO: View of rocky terrain in Palestine which has been reclaimed for agriculture by the Jews and is now yielding fruit. A minute foretaste of the vast reclamation of today's untillable land in the soon-coming Utopia.

4. What will happen to the family fruit orchards and gardens? Amos 9:14. TODAY, are farmers in Eastern Europe and Asia robbed of their crops by communist masters? In the United States is the DROUGHT and searing heat robbing families of the produce of their gardens? In Palestine will all have great success with their vineyards? Jer. 31:5. What will the people DRINK? Amos 9:14.

5. Will people GIVE THANKS to the LORD for the abundance of the crops He will bestow upon them? Jer. 31:12.

6. Today, much is heard of the scarcity of meat in the world and of the price at which it sells. Meat is necessary for a well-balanced diet. Will there be a scarcity of this vital product then? What does God say of the AMOUNT of livestock there will be in the Millennium? Isa. 30:23-24. Does this also indicate there will be PLENTY OF MILK for building strong, healthy bodies?

7. Will there be a great abundance of FISH to eat for those who live in Palestine -- and for the rest of the world? Ezek. 47:9-10.

8. When Adam DISOBEYED God, He said: "CURSED IS THE GROUND for thy sake ... THORNS also AND THISTLES shall it bring forth to thee" (Gen. 3:17-18). To this day the curse has existed in varying degrees.

What is the BASIC REASON behind the fact that there will be SO MUCH AGRICULTURAL PROSPERITY in the Millennium? What will happen when men OBEY the WAY of God -- will God REMOVE this curse? Isa. 55:13.

9. Often, after men have succeeded in gaining their just reward for sweat and toil, others ROB them of it. This will NOT be true in the soon-coming Millennium, will it? Isa. 62:8-9.

10. Will there actually be a SUPERABUNDANCE of foods? Amos 9:13.

11. With all this superabundance of foods and the good things of life, there is the question of HOW they will be used. We have seen that there will be many vineyards and much wine (Amos 9:14). What will Christ's attitude be in regard to LIQUOR? Will He teach MODERATION, or will He teach total abstinence? We can obtain an idea of what His attitude toward it will be by noticing His attitude when He was here BEFORE. What was it? John 2:1-11 and Mat. 11:19.

12. Will a FAMINE occur even though there have been years and years of prosperity in the Millennium? Does God say "NO FAMINE"? Ezek. 36:29-30. But what will happen to any nation that DISOBEYS? Zech. 14:17-18.

13. Will farm animals range over LUSH PASTURES? Isa. 30:23-24. Will this make the meat more flavorful?

COMMENT: Some assume that Isa. 11:9 means that man will not kill and eat meat animals during the Millennium. By comparing it with verse 8, it is plainly shown that serpents or wild animals WILL NOT DESTROY EACH OTHER OR HURT little children in the Millennium. It is NOT referring to man's diet at all!

New Natures!!

1. Will God MIRACULOUSLY CHANGE the natures of creatures in the Millennium? What does He say He will do with the NATURES of farm animals? Will they be afraid? Isa. 11:6-7. And with the NATURES of the fowls and creeping things? Hosea 2:18. And with the NATURES of the POISONOUS CREATURES? Isa. 11:8. And with the NATURES of the FEROCIOUS ANIMALS? Isa. 11:6-7. Will they be PEACEFUL? Ezek. 34:25.

2. The heart of man symbolizes his NATURE. What does God say of the heart of man AS IT IS TODAY? Jer. 17:9. Are men's DESIRES NOW LIKE THE LIONS? Are they BOTH quick to shed blood? Romans 3:9-18. NOTE ESPECIALLY VERSE 15.

3. What does God say He will do with the NATURE OF MAN in the Millennium? Ezek. 36:26-27.

COMMENT: As God is going to CHANGE the very inborn instinctive desire of the lion from the wish to destroy life for food to the desire to EAT STRAW, and is going to PACIFY the natures of ALL OTHER CREATURES, truly marvelous and MIRACULOUS THINGS are in store WHEN GOD CHANGES MAN'S NATURE IN THE DAYS JUST AHEAD! This change occurs in the MIND. It is brought about by REPENTANCE!

When God changes man's ATTITUDE so he will DESIRE from his innermost being to follow the right way -- GOD'S WAY -- then man will indeed have REAL JOY and HAPPINESS. God is going to miraculously place His VERY OWN LOVING NATURE WITHIN MAN when the people of the millennial world REPENT of following their old ways.

People will LOVE their fellow man and DO EVERYTHING within their power to make the other person HAPPY. They will love instead of hate because it will come NATURALLY THROUGH GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT PLACED IN THEM!

THAT is what will MAKE the millennial world an ACTUAL UTOPIA!! REMEMBER THIS. It is one of the MOST IMPORTANT POINTS IN YOUR BIBLE! There will be more on this subject when you receive the lessons on the Old and New Covenants, and the Holy Spirit! These will vitally apply to YOU -- PERSONALLY! They will explain how YOU can have an INWARD "utopia" begin right NOW!

God's Way BEST After All

God will soon FORCE the people of this world to cease from following THEIR wretched, unhappy way of living. They will be compelled to step aside and watch His way -- the way THIS age calls "heresy" -- in ACTION ON THIS EARTH!

The two mighty streams of water, which will flow east and west from Jerusalem and give abundant life to all things they reach, will call the attention of all nations to the influence of Christ's rule as He administers NOT MAN'S, but GOD'S precepts for a full and abundant life.

What will happen? What else could possibly happen than that the UTOPIAN PARADISE which mankind has always longed for will finally begin to materialize. And man will at long last begin to WAKE UP! He will begin to see through the VEIL of his prejudices which have prevented him from following the methods -- the LAWS OF GOD, if you please -- which would bring him ALL of his TRUE DESIRES!

God has known from the beginning that man would finally become CONVINCED his ways were wrong when he has the RESULTS OF THE TWO WAYS -- man's way and God's way -- laid side by side for comparison. Hear what God says -- HE PLANNED IT THIS WAY! "The Lord of hosts [shall] make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined [in the MILLENNIUM]. And He will destroy in this mountain the FACE OF THE COVERING cast over all people, and the VEIL that is SPREAD OVER ALL NATIONS" (Isa. 25:6-7).

Do you grasp the significance of all this? God said long ago that a time would come when He would cause the people of this earth to live UNBELIEVABLY WELL; and that in doing this they would wake up to a great truth -- the truth that GOD'S WAYS ARE BEST AFTER ALL! This time is about here. This is the "GOOD NEWS" of the WORLD TOMORROW!

What will people begin to do when this TRUTH begins to dawn on them? Great numbers will fervently REPENT of following their old unhappy ways. They will fervently seek to be RE-EDUCATED to GOD'S WAY as revealed by the commandments and precepts in THE BIBLE! Then God will begin to MIRACULOUSLY CHANGE their basically EVIL natures by placing His HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN them.

The old ways of THIS world will be outmoded! The people will have found a BETTER WAY and they will be firmly convinced that the more they can LEARN of God's better way, the HAPPIER their existence will be! And in the meantime, they will marvel at the rich rewards they receive for their relatively easy labors.

Will they seek in vain for teachers? No! This is the time when God says Christ will come with "ten thousands of saints" for the very purpose of TEACHING them His ways (Jude 14, 15). Of this time God says, "Thy teachers [shall not] be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 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" (Isa. 30:20-21).

Re-education AWAY FROM THIS WORLD'S ERRORS will be conducted on a vast scale! The results? "The earth shall be FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD [GOD'S KNOWLEDGE] as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9). GOD PROMISES THIS!

And what about corrections when people err? They will be swift and certain, but will become milder and milder as people learn and obey more of the ways which really make them happy.

The MANY -- not the few -- will go up to Jerusalem by the ACTUAL ROAD named "The Way of Holiness," which Christ will have built as a PHYSICAL REMINDER of God's WAY. They will say, "He will teach us of His ways" (Micah 4:2). They will also, IN PRAYER, seek God by His SPIRITUAL "Way of Holiness."

As with all the creatures about him, man's own nature will begin to change. The change in the NATURES of animals will be a constant REMINDER to him of the change that is taking place WITHIN HIMSELF! He, like the lion, will become peaceful. There will be no question in his mind about WHICH WAY to follow. He will KNOW! Man's innermost desire will be to come ever closer and closer to God in MENTAL attitude -- CLOSER TO THE ONE WHO CAN MAKE ALL HIS DESIRES FOR A UTOPIAN PARADISE COME TRUE!

MEN WILL AT LAST LEARN THAT GOD IS THE BEST FRIEND THEY EVER HAD!

THEN God will really set His hand to SAVE THE WORLD. The harvest of human souls will become RIPE for gathering into the Spiritual Kingdom of God. Human experience in living both the evil and the good way of life to the full will convince the mortal human beings still alive at Jesus' return that God's way is BEST for mankind. The vast majority will choose the good way of life -- God's WAY -- and will begin to OBEY God, preparing themselves to be transformed into immortal Spirit-beings in the Kingdom of God!

No wonder this present age is ONLY "A day of salvation"! (Isa. 49:8.)