GOD’S PROVIDENTIAL OVERSIGHT
Scriptures are cited from the King James (Authorized) Version, unless stated otherwise.
Question: Does God have a providential oversight in the affairs of the world at the present time?
Answer: The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”
(Psalm 145: 9). In a wide sense, God’s providential care attaches to every creature.
God’s special providences have been exercised toward His consecrated people during the faith
Ages – from Abel’s day until the present time. This was especially true during the Gospel Age in
respect to the calling and election of the Church, the body of Christ. Although God is not
presently dealing with the world as His sons and granting them His favor, He is exercising a
general providential oversight toward them. God has devised, and has already partially executed,
a plan for the world’s redemption and restitution during the coming Millennial Age, which has
been set aside for that purpose. God sent His only begotten Son to die for them (John 3: 16, 17).
Jesus tasted “death for every man”; He “gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time”; for God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.” (Hebrews 2: 9) (1 Timothy 2: 4, 6). God has also been developing His consecrated
people, preparing them to act as His agents for the uplift of the world during our Lord’s
Mediatorial Reign.
In the meantime, God is giving the world such experiences as will in due time bring them to
realize their own helplessness, and to desire and seek God’s favor. All the bitterness of sin and
evil that men have experienced have been painful, but will eventually prove to be useful lessons
to mankind. To this end God has been overruling the affairs of men for the past sixty-one
hundred years. That is, while He has been permitting men to rule themselves according to their
own ideas, He has been, unknown to them, so overruling as to make even their blind and evil
course bring to pass His purpose. For example, the world’s present course is bringing about a
great time of trouble, which will ultimately overthrow all human governments. But man’s
extremity will be God’s opportunity, for their experience with sin and its consequences will
prepare them for the righteous reign of the Prince of Peace. When man experiences God’s
Kingdom blessings, he will understand and profit by contrasting those experiences of good with
the present evil.
Psalm 76: 10 reads, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou
restrain.” In God’s far-seeing wisdom, He has permitted, and has used the wrath of men, devils
and even the Adversary himself, as His agents, who have unintentionally been working out His
plans. And that which would work no good, serve no purpose, or teach no lesson, but which
would be subversive to the Divine arrangements, He interferes with, and restrains.