Seems as if the Venezuelan government has taken a cue from the Nazi's

https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelans-marked-with-numbers-for-food-2014-3

 

Let me share with you something that you may not be aware of.

It was Russell's belief that Socialism would be the second phase of the trouble. I am afraid that a lot of my Bible Student brethren have missed this--they have missed this peaceful revolution, this Socialism that Russell spoke of so frequently. Some places he said, "War, revolution and anarchy." Other places he said, "War, Socialism and anarchy." In other words, Socialism is synonymous with the earthquake or revolution. Maybe we think of revolution as only being violent-but that is not necessarily true.

That is not the basic thought in the word "revolution". Revolution simply means "to turn over" (Change?). A wheel revolves. That does not mean that the spokes fall out. You turn anything over, what was on top is now on the bottom--that's a revolution. And it does not necessarily imply violence either. There have also been a number of violent revolutions in this period.

I'd like to share some excerpts. There are many others, but these few will suffice. This is taken from the The Battle of Armageddon, volume 4 of Studies in the Scriptures, page 486. Mind you this was first published in 1897.

"We have reason to believe that Socialism will make great progress during the next few years. But frequently it will not be wisely or moderately advanced: success will intoxicate some of its advocates, and failure render others desperate, and as a result impatience will lead to calamity…Rulers, capitalists and clergymen, with few exceptions, will seize upon the first extremes of Socialism to assault it and brand it with infamy, and temporarily throttle it, encouraging themselves with specious arguments which self-interest and fear will suggest."
​

I want to call attention to the fact that he doesn't say that people are opposing these changes entirely from self-interest, though that is a big part of it. It is also a fear--a fear of our whole way of life being destroyed, particularly religion if the world goes Communist. So there is a basis for genuine fear, and Russell always recognized these different elements and motives. He goes on to say ...

"As intimated the movement will be crushed under the combined power of Church, State and Capital and later lead to the great explosion of anarchy, in which, as indicated in the Scriptures, all present institutions will be wrecked;-- 'a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.'" ​

Notice Socialism will fail or be crushed, and reform being thwarted along that line, the result will be "the great explosion of anarchy." You see there will be a period of time between the revolution and the anarchy and it is during anarchy that all present institutions will be wrecked. Socialists don't want to destroy the system. They want to reform it-- modify it.

This is another reference, the 1910 Foreword to this same volume, page xvi:

"The masses will seek relief through the ballot and the peaceful readjustment of earth's affairs for the elimination of evil (corruption in government), for the placing of monopolies and utilities and the supplies of nature in the hands of the people for the public good. The crisis will be reached when the hitherto upholders of the law (government officials, elected representatives) shall become violators of the law and resisters of the will of the majority as expressed by the ballot. Fear for the future will goad the well-meaning masses to desperation, and anarchy will result when Socialism fails."​

Who are the "hitherto upholders of the law"? At the time this was written the laws were mainly to protect property rights and the upper classes, what we call the "have" classes. They were strong for the law to protect their interests. Now laws have been changed. We have laws protecting human rights more now. There is more emphasis on that than on property rights. We see the change in emphasis during the riots. They often forget about the damage to property-- just don't kill anybody. So we have laws now that have benefited the masses, the “have nots”.

Russell says the crisis will be reached when the hitherto upholders of the law (the privileged classes, those in control, government officials appointed to uphold the law, the will of the people) shall become the violators of the law (corrupt), seeking to set aside these laws, liberal laws, civil rights, and things of that nature, getting around it in one way or another. That's when we reach the danger point.

In another place he calls it "sitting on the safety valve." (Foreword to the Fourth Volume, page xv) If you do that without turning off the heat, you know what's going to happen. Like a pressure cooker, they are not turning off the heat, but they are beginning to sit on the safety valve.

Notice, "anarchy will result when Socialism fails." That is the sequence of events. Socialism will be tried (in various countries) to a large extent. It will fail--it will be sabotaged and frustrated, and the result will be violent revolution, destruction, anarchy. See that in Venezuela, and other countries.

We have another reference, Reprints 4144, Col 2 par.11. I believe this gives us the best outline of how the time of trouble will develop of anything that I have come across. Getting down to the pertinent part we read:

"Then Socialism will appear to the masses the only peaceable way (notice the words "only peaceable way" is in italics so Russell is stressing the fact that (in his opinion) this will be a peaceful movement) for obtaining social and financial equality (the redistribution of the wealth?); then Socialism will spread like wildfire. But Socialism will fail; because money (capitalism) and brains will cooperate against it out of selfishness and fear. Then, maddened by their failure, Socialists will en masse turn anarchists (as is evidenced around the globe), and the direct results will ensue: 'A time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.'"​

Socialism is not the remedy:

"Our reason for keeping track of the progress of Socialism now is, that we expect that it, or something akin to it, is about to deceive the world into looking for a Millennium of its own, and lead them unconsciously to, and then over the brink into the anarchy and 'time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.'"​

We cannot wonder that this 'will O' the wisp' should attract and ensnare many of 'the groaning creation'…We sympathize...but after seeing the divine plan... (Paraphrase) we deem it dangerous to become engulfed in Socialism." R3141 par. 5

In 1915 Russell envisioned that they were experiencing the first of the four manifestations in which the Lord was to reveal himself to mankind, “the mighty winds rending the very rocks”, viz. "The present step is the war of the nations. The next step will be Socialism--an attempted Socialism--among the people. Then the third step, anarchy will gradually come on." R 5632:2

So the gist of it appears to be this, some of the peaceful elements of society, law abiding elements will attempt through the power of the ballet to instigate a social revolution even as begins to be evident all around us today, however this revolution will be confounded by those elements of society aligned against it, particularly capitalism, this will infuriate some of the baser elements of this socialist movement to violence turning a once peaceful revolution into a violent revolution.

It pays thus for all the Lord’s consecrated to keep abreast of these things (NOT to become involved in them, but nevertheless to be aware of them) so as not to be overtaken nor surprised at the turn of events now occurring around them.

Remember although we are in the world we are not of the world, thus we are cautioned not to become entangled in the affairs of men.

RR