In the previous Q&A, we looked at the many changes that will occur at the return of Jesus Christ and finished up by showing that for Satan and his demons, their time of influencing and misleading mankind is almost up. Let us continue in this final Q&A of our series to see the incredible changes that will take place.
With the evil demonic world removed, it will be time for re-educating the world in true values. Will there be schools or colleges? In Mr Armstrong’s book, “The Wonderful World Tomorrow,” referenced previously, we read on page 53 the following:
“Actually, the Gospel and religious development is merely spiritual education. And it is significant that Elijah had organized and headed three schools or colleges (II Kings 2:3, 5; 4:38 — at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal) teaching God’s Truth in a world corrupted by false pagan education.”
When properly organised, with a Godly curriculum and teachers who understand the Law of God, schools or colleges for young adults could be wonderful places of true learning and it is possible that these could be the vehicles for true education during the Millennium. Of course, parents will be expected to fulfil the instructions in Deuteronomy 6:5-9, as applied to their children, which was originally given to the ancient nation of Israel but will be even more applicable during Christ’s millennial reign:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This will be a parent’s responsibility and, unlike today, young and growing children will be open to correct teaching. They will certainly be brought up in the knowledge of the LORD.
There will be right knowledge and education about health. Mr Armstrong, in his book previously referenced, makes these encouraging statements on pages 82-83:
“In God’s new world tomorrow, there will, indeed, probably be a place for doctors. But it will be teaching people to keep well, by avoiding the causes of disease. That will require an entirely new type of ‘medical’ education — only we shall then drop the term ‘medical.’ A very good doctor friend once said to me: ‘We physicians have been kept so busy treating sicknesses and diseases, that we haven’t had much time to do extensive study and research into the causes of these troubles.’
“In the world tomorrow there actually will be Utopia. There will be universal good health. How can such Utopian dreams come true? It’s simple! Remove the cause of disease!
“But how do that? Two ways:
“First, by right education. Cause people to know that God did not design the human physical body so that it must be getting sick all the time, catching continual diseases. Sickness and disease occur only when nature’s laws are broken [either by the sick person him- or herself or by conditions caused by men leading to a person getting sick]. It is not natural to be diseased — it is UNnatural. Educate people in the laws of good health. In proper diet. God designed certain foods for good health. Some things that grow are not designed for food. Some are poison. Educate people in sanitation, hygiene, required amounts of sleep, pure water, fresh air, sunshine, exercise.
“And when people, in spite of this education, do get sick or catch a disease, it can be healed — God’s way! Actually, Christ’s healing [includes] forgiveness of sin.
“The combined force of right education about true health, and… healing of all sickness [our addition: and insofar as it was caused by false individual conduct and] when it is repented of, will mean perfect, Utopian health!
“Notice how God describes it!
“But there the glorious Eternal will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Eternal is our Judge, the Eternal is our LAWgiver, the Eternal is our King; He will save us.
“… And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity”! (Isaiah 33:21-24.)
“Listen to this wonderful promise: ‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing…’ (Isaiah 35:3-6).
“God describes the rewards for obedience to His laws of mercy and love. Notice Isaiah 58:8, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily….”
Those who have become members of the God Family will be very active in bringing about understanding the Way of God. We read this in Isaiah 30:20-21: “And though the LORD gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”
There will be education about so many things.
Ultimately, there will be no more war – see Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”
There will be no more tyranny from ungodly rulers – see Psalm 72:1-4 which has the heading in the New King James Bible, “Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign,” and which continues to state: “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.”
People will be educated in all aspects of the right Way to live. Set forth below are just some of these areas:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).
“The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). People will organise their finances properly.
“…whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7) to ensure that outcomes are favourable by doing the right things.
The dietary laws are still and will continue to be in full force and effect (Leviticus 11). By avoiding the consumption of inappropriate “food” and by eating proper foods, health will be considerably improved.
Man will be taught not to cheat or short change others: Leviticus 19:36 says: “Have true scales, true weights and measures for all things,” and Proverbs 16:11 adds: “Honest weights and scales are the LORD’S; All the weights in the bag are His work.”
In becoming converted and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, people will experience the fruit of the Spirit which brings great rewards: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
The golden rule in Luke 6:31 will be implemented: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” (Also see Matthew 7:12.)
Man will also learn to consider others as a matter of routine: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3).
All of the above references have been readily available to mankind during the 6,000 years of man’s misrule on earth, but have rarely been used, and that will be rectified in God’s Kingdom. Using such Godly wisdom and instruction is true education and of the highest value.
Let us review a few verses that show how widespread true education will be:
Habakkuk 2:14 states: “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:9: reads: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”
It is interesting to note that the oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water. Less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is fresh water, and 2/3 percent is contained in glaciers and ice caps. The vast waters of the ocean cover all of its depths, find their way into all the caverns, flow into all the recesses on the shore – and thus shall the knowledge of the true God spread like deep, flowing waters, until the earth shall be covered with it. This has not happened before and it is obviously a prophecy for the future – a time to look forward to with eager anticipation.
Jeremiah 31:34 reveals: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Isaiah 29:18 adds: “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”
Proverbs 29:2 says: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”
There is so much on this subject in the Bible, but what has been included in this series will, we hope, give you a desire to study more about what God has in store for His people in the Kingdom of God.
All of the changes we have reviewed in education over the last 50 years or more will be celebrated by those who have a view that we must “move on” and eradicate all of the “norms” of previous years and that a new, freer society embracing such change is to be welcomed.
However, positive changes in education, and the Way of Life in general that will really last, will be introduced in the Kingdom of God when Jesus returns to this earth. There will be no more toleration of all the evil that has been a feature of man’s way of life, particularly of that in more recent times that is in obvious opposition to the Way of Life as set out in the Bible.
To recall, there will only be just two genders, male and female; proper families of husband and wife and any children they may have. There will be no more teaching of evolution; no more left-leaning godless members of the teaching profession. Liberal views on any aspect of teaching young people will be substituted by the correct way of bringing up the next generation with politeness and courtesy and with appropriate punishment if it is found necessary.
The teaching of the Ten Commandments will then be the order of the day. Right prayer to the true God will be required, and the world will be so much better when right values are reinstated as the norm.
In Matthew 7:24-27, we read about the importance of building on firm and sure foundations:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
“Like building a house, the right foundations must be in place. And the foundation of education then will be spiritual with the Ten Commandments being the direction for mankind to move forward with, and prosper, and for eternity!
In this regard, and to properly understand what God’s Law entails, please read our free booklet, “The Ten Commandments.”
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom).
