(A.W. Tozer probably wrote this article over 60 years ago)

THE GROWING MOVEMENT TOWARD WORLD UNION

By A. W. Tozer - 1897-1963
 

At first glance the picture of the whole family of mankind uniting in one great brotherhood looks good, very good indeed. That all men everywhere should some day clasp hands to form a worldwide circle of love and good will has been the dream of the centuries. Robert Burns wrote the ringing words

For a' that, and a' that,
It's coming yet, for a' that,
That man to man the world o'er
Shall brothers be for a' that.

The first half of the 20th century has seen some noble attempts to unite the peoples of the world in one common bond. The League of Nations was one such effort. Woodrow Wilson believed so fervently in the brotherhood of man that he sought to bring the United States into the League, and it is said, died brokenhearted when he failed in his purpose.The present United Nations organization has the same thing in mind-to achieve a vast superbody that will unite the divided peoples of the earth in ties of peace and mutual understanding.

Undoubtedly there is much to be said for the one-world idea. So much, in fact, that anyone who expresses a doubt of its ultimate soundness auto­matically invites the charge that he is a throwback to the days of feudalism, a narrow chauvinist, a religious bigot and a churlish misanthropist. And it is not hard to see why people flare up so violently against the objector. They are sick in heart and weary of world confusion. They have had enough of "wars and rumours of wars." They have seen "nation rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom" too long, and they are sick of the whole thing. They yearn for a long peace that will relieve them and their children and grandchildren from the horrors and sufferings that war brings.

 We confess we should like to go along with the modern movement toward world unity, and we might do it except for two considerations. One is that in their move toward unity, the nations are not being drawn together, they are being driven to­gether and that which drives them is fear. The 60 nations of the UN do not love each other, they fear each other, and they fear the rest of the world. And if every nation in the world were finally included in one huge superstate, the tie that
bound them would be the same-mutual distrust and hate. And human nature being what it is, and God being who He is, nothing that rests upon fear can be permanent.

It is only being realistic to state that the nations of the world are motivated by hate and fear. Even in the United Nations the members do not trust each other, much less love each other. They muddle along like gamblers, bluffing and concealing and taking every advantage of fear and self-interest among the members to gain desired ends.

While a few superior men dream of true brotherhood, the masses of mankind are filled with jealousy, envy, hate and greed. World leaders are too often motivated by lust for power or by the selfish desire to gain and hold high position. A few (those on our side!) are truly devoted to the welfare of mankind, but for the most part, kings, presidents, prime ministers and high dignitaries generally think little of the good of the people or the future of the world. Men are basically bad, and all the talk about universal brotherhood is simply eyewash. The orators are plain scared, or they are trying to sell us a bill of goods. And we won't buy.

The second reason for rejecting the doctrine of world brotherhood is that it is out of accord with the teaching of the Scriptures. Any unity that may be achieved among nations will be but a temporary thing, and will be exploited by the coming Anti­christ to secure his evil ends. Teachers of prophecy do not agree on all details, but the consensus among them is that the world is to see the rise of a superman who will unite mankind (or at least a large part of it) and set himself up as the divinely
appointed world ruler, and long-desired Fuehrer of the race. This will be the false christ who will rise and shine for a brief time before the second coming of the true Christ.


It is impossible within the confines of a few pages to quote the Scriptures bearing on this topic. But the Bible is there, and anyone interested may read for himself. It could be that the present wide move­ment toward world union is a harbinger of the new age. It would pay us to search the Scriptures. They are a sure word "whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"               


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Yours in Christ,
Paul N. F.