The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1956-03-09

au?) In ancient
times, the learned a. ~
Greeks thought
that history was ..a
like a motion pic
ture shown over - -
and over again. DR.. Foreman
II man lived long enough he
could see history repeat itself.
they thought. The diagram which
to the Greek mind best represent
ed history would be circle. Fly.
moth or man, going around in cir
Giles will never get anywhere His
tory, the Greeks thought. is like
that. 1t moves but it never gets
anywhere.
History Gees Somewhere
The Bibles view Of history is
different one History is more like
straight line than circle
Straight" line is too simple II
you will read the book Of Judges
in the Old Testament you will find
line Of history that goes uphill
and down in dizzy succession But
crooked or straight, it is a line
going somewhere. On circle. you
pass a given point Now. after you
have passed that point, are you
getting farther away from it as
you move. or are you getting near
er? The answer is both. of course
Now if history is kind Of cir
Gle, then if you ask the question:
Are we getting farther away from
barbarism, is the world getting
better at all? The answer will
have to be: 1t doesn't make any
difference We are farther from
that period of barbarism through
which we last passed; but we are
getting closer to the next period
Of barbarism. History. bad and
good. will repeat itself
Now the Bible. and Jesus espe-
cfaffy. have different view. The
world is moving away from
past that will never happen again.
1t is moving. we are moving. to-
ward a future that has not yet
happened and will happen only
once. The course Of history is not
like toy airplane that buzzes
around and around, captive on a
wire; but like real plane that
scars swiftly to its distant port.
History Keeps Going
Human history will have an
end. SO far as this earth is con-
cerned. some day. OF course no
human beings final destiny would
be ended even if the whole human
race were destroyed by H-bombs.
But we are talking about history
on this green planetD But it is
mistake. as Jesus pointed out, to
jump to the conclusion that we
are living in history's last chap
ter. The end will not be at once. ="
he said. Many times men and
women have Deen sure they knew
the end of the world was at hand
but they have always been mis-
taken. There is a theological sem
nary which was built by contri-
buttons from the churches which
It serves. But there were some
churches back when the seminary
was built. that would not con-
tribute. The end of the world is
too close, they said, to be vast
ing money on brick buildings. 1t is
never wise to refuse to build for
tomorrow. for it is never wise to
assume there isn't going to be a
tomorrow History is going some
where; but it will not reach its
destination lin nothing fat"
The Zeal Of history
Where is history going The
Christian answer is: Toward the
reign of the Lord Jesus over all
mankind. Jesus taught his dsci-
Piles to look forward to one event
above all others: his coming
again. Now the Christian church
from earliest times has had vari-
Gus ideas about how and when
Christ's Coming will be, and what
it will mean in detail But surely
no Christian can accept seriously
the idea that history just goes
on and on. a line that has no d.
rection and no end. God and
evil are in conflict: must we be-
lieve that this war will never end?
On the contrary. Christians are
united in believing that what
Christ babe US hope for will come
true, and indeed many Christians
believe that it is beginning to come
true now: namely. that God in his
own time will bring our time to
an end. that soon or late as we
count it, but surely. the Son of
Man, in power and glory. will be
Lord of all.
tBase1 On outlines espyelghted by tn.
Division Of Christian Education NJ
NoNAl Council 81 the ChuFcbes 81 CNrf