The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

Nor is the reason for this collapse far to seek--the time has at last come for the fulfillment
of our Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come," and before that Kingdom can control, the
present kingdoms and arrangements under Satan's dominion must be displaced. The
nations of Christendom have made boastful claims of being the most enlightened
concerning what constitutes Christian ideals and requirements, and they are therefore held
the more responsible and will have more to answer for, on account of their inconsistencies
and unholy practices, and will consequently suffer most in the judgment troubles. (Isa. 24.)
These judgments will also extend to those nations that have been in close commercial and
other relationships with Christendom; but the heathen tribes and peoples will most
naturally be the least affected and will suffer less, being less responsible than enlightened
Christendom. When the new order of things is introduced at Jerusalem, the heathen
nations, together with the others, will then hear the true Gospel and become recipients of
the great blessings of restitution that will then be due.--Isa. 66:19.
Such a condition of affairs as is portrayed in the collapse of civilization in the end of this
present evil world has occasionally in a limited, local sense, occurred in past history. The
French Revolution, particularly that aspect of it known as the Reign of Terror is an
illustration in a local sense, of the conditions that seem to be described as prevailing in the
whole civilized world when this present order is overthrown. All of these catastrophes in
the past have been followed by a reorganization, a reconstruction of human affairs. Satan,
the great adversary of God, is referred to by Christ and St. Paul as the "prince" (ruler), and
as the "god" of this world, or present order, and this being true, it is most reasonable to
suppose that at such times he has exerted a powerful influence in the work of
reconstruction and reorganizing governments. In so far as Satan has been able to
accomplish this work, he has had as his object the continuation of his control and the
furtherance of his empire upon the earth. This was true after the French Revolution, when
Papacy, his chief agent in ecclesiastical matters, was reinstated. It will therefore be seen
that before the earthly phase of the new, just, righteous government can be successfully
organized, Satan, whether operating personally, or through other invisible agencies under
his influence--the demons--must be placed completely under restraint; and this is the
principal thing evidently that is intended to be described in this vision of the binding of
Satan.
The recent World-war, the most cruel in human history, the effects of which according to
the world's statesmen, are even now threatening the overthrow of the present civilization,
has made it necessary for the great leaders of the world to come together and formulate
plans for a work of reconstruction, which would be better described from the Scriptural
standpoint as a work of propping up the old world or order of things. This work is that
which is occupying the time and attention of some of the world's greatest leaders and
statesmen at the present time. We may be very sure that so far as he is able the "god" of
this present order is exerting a moulding influence in this work of so-called reconstruction.
The reorganization of the affairs of Christendom, civil and ecclesiastical, in which the
attempt will be made to prop up the present order, is portrayed in the previous Revelation
visions. This portrayal, it will be recalled, is that of a great federation of the three parts of
Christendom. It would seem that this will be Satan's final effort to continue his waning