A World Problem
For centuries the problem of nations living together upon the earth was seen as a local one. It was sufficient for a nation to live at peace with its immediate neighbors (though this often did not happen). But the problem has been growing over the years and in the last 50 years or so has become acute. At last it has come to be realized that the problem of human society on earth is not a national, nor a regional, but a world problem.

The first serious effort to cope with it was the formation of the League of Nations, set up in the 1920s as a result of the shattering experience of the First World War (1914-18). Nations were to solve all disputes in future by peaceful discussion and not by war. The League actually adopted words taken from the Bible: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4). Hopes were high, but within 20 years those hopes were dashed by the rise of the armed dictatorships of Mussolini and Hitler in Italy and Germany in the 1930s. The horrors of the Second World War (1939-45) revived the sense of urgent need for some kind of world control, but the United Nations Organization was born more in pious hope than in buoyant optimism, and its career has shown that it is powerless to prevent armed conflict, if one of the major world powers is determined to pursue its own aims.

And yet a world power is clearly what is needed, to deal with all nations, to compel the rebellious to act for the common good; to deal with world-wide problems like hunger and pollution; and above all to check the growth in the power of the nations' weapons which pose an ever-increasing threat to human life on the earth. One authority for the whole planet -- that was the idea which led to the propaganda for "World Government" in the 1950s. But the point to remember is this: the realization that human problems need a world solution has only arisen in the last 50 years or so. And it is not regarded with much optimism. Bertrand Russell gave in the 1950s a series of radio talks on "World Government", in which he said that if mankind did not develop a system of world control, with effective powers, within 50 years, it would perish. He added, "I very much fear it will perish". Asked why, he replied, "Because of men's anarchic passions", that is their inability to control their own desires. The years since Russell's pronouncements have done nothing to offer humanity any hope.

And yet there is hope. For there is one source which has from the beginning seen human life on earth as creating a world problem demanding a world solution -- the Bible. The Bible says that mankind has been given power to control the affairs of the world, but only for a limited time. When the "time of the end" comes, the control of the world will be taken from men, for "the kingdom is the Lord's: he is the ruler over the nations" (Psalm 22:28). When the future King of the earth is established, "all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him" (Psalm 72:11). So "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9). The world problem, foreseen as such in the Bible from the beginning, will receive a world solution -- the only way of solving it. How did the Bible writers, sometimes writing over 2,500 years ago, know this, when only 100 years ago the most informed of men were quite wrong in their forecasts about the future of the earth? How can this be? Again the reader is asked to store this point in his mind, while we consider still another matter.

Wanted -- The Leader
Nothing of any lasting value is ever created by the mass of mankind. It is done because a leader or leaders arise who guide and urge on the rest to achieve their ends. One of the simplest historical examples is the case of slavery in the dominions of the British Empire in the 19th Century, when the British Parliament had debated the issue repeatedly and refused to take any step towards abolition -- there were too many vested interests in the sugar plantations of Jamaica. Parliament was finally persuaded as a result of the devoted efforts of Wilberforce and his friends over a period of 30 years or more. Without the leader in the cause, nothing would have been done.

So the world urgently needs an outstanding leader capable of delivering the nations -- all of them -- out of the present crisis. Where is he to be found? Will any of the present leaders of the nations be able to command worldwide support? Who is there? The President of the United States? The Prime Minister of Britain? One of the men who sit in the Kremlin? The Prime Minister of France? Just to consider these suggestions is to realize the total inadequacy of these politicians for the task. There is not a single leader in world politics capable of attracting the support of all the nations for the great task of reorganizing affairs on this earth. And without the right leader nothing will be done. Again, this is a matter which has only been realized in recent years, since the world-wide dimensions of the problem have become clear.

How remarkable then that in the Bible this problem has been foreseen. In the Bible the coming of the leader capable of leading all nations in peace and justice is clearly foretold. We can find it outlined in what Paul said to the Athenians in Acts 17. He began by telling them that they were ignorant of the only true God who "is Lord of heaven and earth", who had made "of one blood" all nations of the earth and had set "the bounds of their habitations". For centuries men had worshipped idols, but these "times of ignorance" were coming to an end.

God now "commanded all men everywhere to repent" -- Paul refers to the proclamation of the Gospel; and then he adds this:

"Because God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (vv. 30-31).

The general sense of this is clear: in the purpose of God there is "a day" to come when He will govern (as "judge" implies) the world -- again the word used is that term which means "the inhabited earth". This is a practical policy for the nations of the earth: they are to come under the control of a rule "in righteousness" -- how much they need it! And the one who is to accomplish this for God is none other than the One who was raised from the dead, Jesus Christ.

What a Leader!
But think for a moment what all this implies. For Jesus Christ, the divinely appointed ruler of the world, has been fully portrayed for us in the pages of the Bible. What a personality he is seen to be! In everything recorded of him there is devotion to truth and the rejection of deceit or lying of any kind. He is merciful in his dealings with his fellows, and compassionate towards the helpless and the hopeless. In all he says and does, there is a moral courage which does not waver before opposition or even violence, and a self-sacrificing devotion to the welfare of humanity which is carried even to his death on the cross. Throughout it all Jesus makes honor to God and obedience to His will the principle of his living. In short, the man known as Jesus of Nazareth, who was Jesus the Son of God, is the most outstanding character in the whole of human history.

What finer leader could be found to guide the human race out of conditions of evil into peace and right ways before God and men? Who could be more trusted than he to make the right decisions? But the full marvel of the Bible's forecast of the Leader to come can only be appreciated when we remember that he has been raised from the dead, is possessed of immortality, and will not be removed by death! The trouble with human rulers is that after a time they vanish from the scene, and have to be replaced; and who can tell whether the replacement will be better, or worse, than their predecessors? But in the case of Jesus that obstacle will not arise. He is alive for evermore and will need no successors. And further, he will be equipped with all the power needed to see that his righteous policy is not thwarted or threatened by evil men. As he said to his disciples after his resurrection and just before his ascension to heaven: "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18).

What a marvelous solution this will be for the ills of the nations! Not merely the coming of a Leader, but of one fully equipped to meet all the demands of modern world conditions: the right policy for all men, the power to enforce it against the evil-minded, a rule not terminated by death -- and a character of mercy, compassion and truth. These are the very qualities needed to solve the modern world crisis. And they have been foreseen in the Bible 2000 years and more ago!