No. 2 2018 34567

34567No. 2 2018

What Does theFuture Hold?

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087)Issue 6 May/June 2018 is published byWatchtower Bible and Tract Society ofNew York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President;G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer;1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill,NY 12589-3299, and by Watch TowerBible and Tract Society of Canada,PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4.� 2018 Watch Tower Bible and TractSociety of Pennsylvania.Printed in Canada.

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THIS MAGAZINE, TheWatchtower,honors Jehovah God, the Ruler of theuniverse. It comforts people withthe good news that God’s heavenlyKingdom will soon end all wickednessand transform the earth into a paradise.It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, whodied so that we might gain everlastinglife and who is now ruling as King ofGod’s Kingdom. This magazine has beenpublished continuously since 1879 andis nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bibleas its authority.

TABLE OF CONTENTS��WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

3 Predicting the Future��

4 Astrology and Fortune-Telling—Windows to the Future?

��

6 Prophecies That Have Come True��

8 A Silent Witness to Accurate Prophecy��

10 Promises That Will Come True��

12 You Can Live Forever on Earth��

14 Your Future, Your Choice!��

16 “The Meek Will Possess the Earth”

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

Have you ever wondered what the future will be for youand your family? The Bible says:

“The righteous will possess the earth, and theywill live forever on it.”—Psalm 37:29.

This issue of The Watchtower will help you to understand God’swonderful purpose for mankind and the earth and what youmust do to benefit from that purpose.

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THE WATCHTOWER No. 2 2018 3

Have you ever wondered what the future will befor you and your family? Does it promise riches orruin, love or loneliness? Will you live a long life,or will your life be cut short? People have specu-lated about such questions for thousands of years.

Today experts study global trends and makeprojections about the future. While many of theirforecasts have come true, others have failed, somemiserably. For example, in 1912, Guglielmo Mar-coni, the inventor of a wireless telegraph, wasquoted as predicting: “The coming of the wirelesserawill make war impossible.”And an agent of theDecca Record Company, who rejected the Beatlesin 1962, believed that guitar-playing groups wereon the way out.

Many turn to the supernatural for clues aboutthe future. Some seek the advice of astrologers;horoscopes are a regular feature in many maga-zines and newspapers. Others consult fortune-tellers or psychics, who claim to “read” the future

by interpreting patterns in tarot cards, numbers,or the lines of one’s hand.

In their effort to discern the future, some in theancient world consulted oracles—priests or priest-esses who passed on information from the godthey claimed to represent. For instance, it is saidthat King Croesus of Lydia sent gifts of great val-ue to the oracle at Delphi, Greece, with a requestto learn what the outcome would be if he foughtagainst Cyrus of Persia.The oracle said that Croe-sus would destroy “a great empire” if he marchedagainst Cyrus. Confident of victory, Croesus sal-lied forth, but the great empire that was destroyedwas his own!

The ambiguous forecast of the oracle wasworthless; it would have appeared true no matterwhich side won the war. Croesus paid dearly formisinformation that brought him disaster. Havethosewho turn to today’s popularmethods of pre-dicting the future fared any better?

Predicting the Future

ASTROLOGY AND FORTUNE-TELLING—WINDOWS TO THE FUTURE?

ASTROLOGY

Astrology is a form of divinationthat holds that the stars, the moon,and the planets significantly influ-ence the lives of people on earth.Astrologers claim that the positionof these celestial bodies at the timeof one’s birth shapes his or her per-sonality and future.

Though the roots of astrology canbe traced to ancient Babylon, it re-mains popular. According to a 2012survey in the United States, onethird of those surveyed thought thatastrology was “sort of scientific,”and 10 percent said that it was “veryscientific.” Is it? No. Here is why.

˘ The planets and stars emit noforce that could affect humans theway astrologers say they do.

˘ Often the predictions are so gen-eral that they could apply toanyone.

˘ Astrological calculations today aremade according to the ancient be-lief that the planets revolve around

the earth. In fact, the planetsrevolve around the sun.

˘ Predictions made by different as-trologers for the same individual donot match.

˘ Astrology classifies people underone of 12 categories, or zodiacsigns, according to their date ofbirth. Because of changes in earth’sposition in space over the centuries,the dates associated with the signsof the zodiac no longer correspondto when the sun passes through theconstellations for which the signswere named.

The zodiac signs are said to giveclues to a person’s character. Inreality, people who have the samebirthday do not have the sametraits; one’s birth date reveals noth-ing about his or her personality.Instead of seeing people as theyreally are, astrologers judge a per-son’s behavior and character by aset of assumptions. Is this not aform of prejudice?

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From ancient times, people haveconsulted fortune-tellers. Somepractitioners looked for meaning insuch things as the entrails of ani-mals and humans or the way arooster pecks at its grain. Othersmade projections based on patternsin tea leaves or coffee grounds.Today they use tarot cards, crystalballs, dice, and other means to“read” a person’s future. Is fortune-telling a reliable way to discern thefuture? No, it is not. Let us reasonon the matter.

Consider the issue of consistency.The predictions of differing fortune-telling methods often contradict oneanother. Even when the same meth-od is used, forecasts vary. Forexample, if a person asks twofortune-tellers the same questionabout the future based on the“reading” of the same cards, logical-ly the answers should be the same.But often they are not.

Fortune-tellers’ methods or motiveshave come under suspicion. Criticssay that the cards or crystal ballsare mere props and that thefortune-teller reads the person’sreactions rather than the props. Forexample, a skilled fortune-teller willask general questions and carefullywatch for verbal and nonverbalclues that could reveal somethingabout the client. The fortune-tellerwill then take credit for knowingfacts and situations that the clienthas just unknowingly given away.Having won the client’s trust, somefortune-tellers have been able toobtain large sums of money fromtheir customers.

WHAT THE BIBLE TELLS USThe practice of astrology andfortune-telling implies that our fu-ture is predetermined. But is it? TheBible tells us that we have the abilityto choose what we believe or want

to do and that our choices affectour future.—Joshua 24:15.

Worshippers of God have an addedreason to reject astrology andfortune-telling—God condemns allforms of divination. In the Bible wefind these words: “There should notbe found in you anyone . . . who em-ploys divination, anyone practicingmagic, anyone who looks for omens,a sorcerer, anyone binding otherswith a spell, anyone who consults aspirit medium or a fortune-teller, oranyone who inquires of the dead.For whoever does these things isdetestable to Jehovah.”�—Deu-teronomy 18:10-12.

� The name of “the Most High over all theearth.”—Psalm 83:18.

FORTUNE-TELLING

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6 THE WATCHTOWER No. 2 2018

Earlier we referred to the legend about Croesus’being misled by the oracle of Delphi, which result-ed in his defeat by the king of Persia. The Bible,on the other hand, contains a remarkable prophe-cy involving the king of Persia that was fulfilled inminute detail.

About 200 years in advance—long before theking was born—the Hebrew prophet Isaiah men-tioned Cyrus by name and described how hewould conquer the mighty city of Babylon.

Isaiah 44:24, 27, 28: “This is what Jehovah says,. . . ‘the One saying to the deep waters, “Be evapo-rated, and I will dry up all your rivers”; the One say-ing of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd, and he will com-pletely carry out all my will”; the One saying ofJerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” and of the temple,“Your foundation will be laid.”’ ”

According to the Greek historian Herodotus,the army of Cyrus diverted the waters of the Eu-phrates River, which flowed through the city ofBabylon. Cyrus’ strategy enabled his troops to en-ter the city along the riverbed. After taking thecity, Cyrus freed the Jews who had been captivein Babylon and allowed them to return and rebuild

Jerusalem, which had been destroyed 70 yearsearlier.

Isaiah 45:1: “This is what Jehovah says to hisanointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I havetaken hold of to subdue nations before him, to dis-arm kings, to open before him the double doors, sothat the gates will not be shut.”

The Persians entered the city through the mas-sive two-leaved doors in the city wall, which hadcarelessly been left open. Had the Babyloniansbeen aware of what Cyrus was planning, theycould have shut all the gates that opened onto theriver. But as it was, the city was defenseless.

This remarkable prophecy is but one of dozensfound in the Bible that unerringly came true.�Un-like the predictions of men, often attributed totheir false gods, Bible prophecies originate withthe One who proclaimed: “From the beginning Iforetell the outcome, and from long ago the thingsthat have not yet been done.”—Isaiah 46:10.

Only the trueGod,whose name is Jehovah, canmake such a claim. That name evidently means� See the article “A Silent Witness to Accurate Prophecy.”

Prophecies ThatHave Come True


“He Causes to Become.” It points to his ability toknow and shape future events in harmony with hiswill. It assures us that he is certain to bring aboutall that he has promised.

PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED TODAYWould you like to know what Bible prophecies

have to say about our day? Some 2,000 years ago,the Bible foretold that “critical times hard to dealwith” would come “in the last days.” Last days ofwhat? Not of the earth or humankind, but of thestrife, oppression, and suffering that have plaguedmankind for millenniums. Let us examine just afewofthe prophecies that earmark “the last days.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5: “In the last days . . . , men will belovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, un-thankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, notopen to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betray-ers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers ofpleasures rather than lovers of God, having an ap-pearance of godliness but proving false to itspower.”

Would you not agree that such behavior is in-creasingly evident in people today? Have you per-ceived that we are surrounded by people whoadore themselves, love money, and are driven bypride? Have you not observed that people aremore demanding and less willing to agree withothers? Surely you notice that there is widespreaddisobedience to parents and that people in gener-al love pleasures more than they love God. Andthings are getting worse by the day.

Matthew 24:6, 7: “You are going to hear of warsand reports of wars. . . . Nation will rise against na-tion and kingdom against kingdom.”

Some estimates place the total number ofdeaths in wars and armed conflicts since 1914 atwell over 100 million, a figure that surpasses theentire population of many nations. Imagine thetears, grief, and suffering represented by that co-

lossal statistic. Have the nations taken note andput an end to war?

Matthew 24:7: “There will be food shortages.”

TheWorld Food Programme stated: “In a worldwhere we produce enough food to feed everyone,815 million people—one in nine—still go to bed onan empty stomach each night. Even more—one inthree—suffer from some form of malnutrition.” Itis estimated that each year some three millionchildren die from hunger.

Luke 21:11: “There will be great earthquakes.”

Each year, some 50,000 earthquakes are largeenough to be felt by humans. About 100 bringsubstantial damage to buildings, and one verygreat earthquake occurs about every year. Ac-cording to one estimate, between 1975 and 2000,earthquakes claimed the lives of 471,000 people.

Matthew 24:14: “This good news of the Kingdomwill be preached in all the inhabited earth for a wit-ness to all the nations, and then the endwill come.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses, numbering more thaneight million, have been preaching and bearingwitness to the good news of God’s Kingdomthroughout the earth in some 240 lands. Theyproclaim the good news in sprawling cities and re-mote villages, in jungles and on mountains. Theprophecy foretells that when this work is complet-ed to God’s satisfaction, “the end will come.”What will that mean? It will mean the end of hu-man rule and the dawn of rule by God’s Kingdom.What promises will come true under God’s King-dom? Read on to find out.

The Arch of Titus has two largereliefs depicting a well-known his-torical event. Less well-known,though, is the fascinating link be-tween the arch and the Bible—theArch of Titus bears silent witness tothe remarkable accuracy of Bibleprophecy.

A CITYCONDEMNEDEarly in the first century C.E., theRoman Empire stretched from Brit-ain and Gaul (now France) to Egypt,and the region enjoyed unprece-dented stability and prosperity. Butone remote area was a source ofconstant frustration for Rome—therestless province of Judea.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Romestates: “Few territories underRome’s control were marked bysuch intense dislike, on both sides,as Judaea. The Jews resented for-eign masters who cared nothing fortheir traditions, and the Romansfound Jewish stubbornness causefor severe intolerance.” Many Jews

hoped that a political messiahwould expel the hated Romans andrestore a golden era to Israel. Butin 33 C.E., Jesus Christ declaredthat Jerusalem faced a comingcatastrophe.

Jesus said: “The days will comeupon you when your enemies willbuild around you a fortification ofpointed stakes and will encircle youand besiege you from every side.They will dash you and your childrenwithin you to the ground, and theywill not leave a stone upon a stonein you.”—Luke 19:43, 44.

Jesus’ words evidently puzzled hisdisciples. Two days later, on viewingJerusalem’s temple, one of them ex-claimed: “Teacher, see! whatwonderful stones and buildings!” In-deed, some temple stones werereportedly over 35 feet (11 m) long,15 feet (5 m) wide, and 10 feet(3 m) high! Yet, Jesus replied: “Asfor these things that you now see,the days will come when not a stonewill be left upon a stone and not be

thrown down.”—Mark 13:1; Luke21:6.

Jesus further told them: “When yousee Jerusalem surrounded by en-camped armies, then know that thedesolating of her has drawn near.Then let those in Judea beginfleeing to the mountains, let thosein the midst of her leave, and letthose in the countryside not enterinto her.” (Luke 21:20, 21) Did Jesus’words come true?

DEATH OFA CITYThirty-three years passed, and Ju-dea still chafed under the Romanyoke. But in 66 C.E. when the Ro-man procurator of Judea, GessiusFlorus, seized funds from the sacredtemple treasury, the enraged Jewshad had enough. Soon, Jewishfighters swarmed into Jerusalem,slaughtered the local Roman garri-son, and declared theirindependence from Rome.

About three months later, over30,000 Roman troops, led by

A SILENT WITNESS TOACCURATE PROPHECYIN CENTRAL ROME, ITALY, STANDS A TRIUMPHALARCH THAT ATTRACTS VISITORS FROM ALLOVER THE WORLD. THE ARCH HONORS ONE OFROME’S FAVORITE EMPERORS—TITUS.

33 C.E.Jesus Christdeclared thatJerusalemfaced a comingcatastrophe

Cestius Gallus, advanced on Jerusa-lem to crush the rebellion. TheRomans quickly penetrated the cityand undermined the outer wall ofthe temple area. Then, for no appar-ent reason, they retreated. TheJewish rebels rejoiced and promptlygave chase. With the warring partiesaway, the Christians, heeding Jesus’warning, fled from Jerusalem to themountains beyond the Jordan River.—Matthew 24:15, 16.

The following year, Rome renewedits campaign against Judea, headedby General Vespasian and his sonTitus. However, soon after Emper-or Nero died in 68 C.E., Vespasianreturned to Rome to assume thethrone, leaving the Judean cam-paign to his son Titus with an armyof some 60,000.

In June 70 C.E., Titus ordered hissoldiers to strip the Judean country-side of trees, which were used inbuilding a 4.5-mile-long (7 km) wallof pointed stakes around Jerusalem.By September, the Romans had

plundered and burned the city andits temple and had torn them apartstone by stone, just as Jesus hadearlier foretold. (Luke 19:43, 44) Ac-cording to a conservative estimate,“between a quarter and a half mil-lion people perished in Jerusalemand the rest of the country.”

AN IMPERIALTRIUMPHIn 71 C.E., Titus returned to Italy toa rapturous reception from the citi-zens of Rome. The whole city turnedout to celebrate one of the greatesttriumphal processions ever stagedin the capital.

The crowds marveled as untoldwealth paraded through Rome’sstreets. They feasted their eyes oncaptured ships, massive floats de-picting battle scenes from the war,and items plundered from Jerusa-lem’s temple.

Titus succeeded his father Vespa-sian as emperor in 79 C.E. But justtwo years later, Titus died unexpect-edly. Domitian, his brother, took the

throne and promptly erected a tri-umphal arch in Titus’ honor.

THE ARCH TODAYToday the Arch of Titus is much ad-mired by the hundreds of thousandsof people each year who visit theRoman Forum. Some view the archas a majestic work of art, others asa tribute to imperial Roman power,and yet others as an epitaph to fall-en Jerusalem and its temple.

Careful readers of the Bible, how-ever, view the Arch of Titus ashaving even greater significance. Itis a silent witness that confirms thereliability and accuracy of Bibleprophecies and establishes thatthey are inspired by God.—2 Peter1:19-21.

66 C.E.Roman troopsled by CestiusGallus advancedon Jerusalemto crush theJewish rebellion

70 C.E.The Romans,under Titus,plunderedand burnedJerusalem andits temple

71 C.E.Titus returnedto Rome toa rapturousreception

81 C.E.Titus died, andshortly thereafterthe arch waserected in hishonor

The Arch of Titus in Rome today

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The good news of God’s Kingdom is beingpreached in all the earth, just as Jesus prophesied.(Matthew 24:14) The Bible book of Daniel tells usthat this Kingdom is a government by God. Chap-ter 2 of that book contains a prophecy that tracesthe progression of certain dominant human gov-ernments, or kingdoms, from ancient Babylondown to our day. Foretelling what lies ahead,verse 44 says this:

“The God of heaven will set up a kingdom thatwill never be destroyed. And this kingdomwill notbe passed on to any other people. It will crush andput an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone willstand forever.”

This and other Bible prophecies foretell thatGod’s Kingdom will replace all human rule andbring stability and order to people on earth.Whatwill life be like under the Kingdom? Here are somemarvelous promises that will soon come true.

Promises ThatWill Come True

NO MORE WARPsalm 46:9: “[God] is bringing anend to wars throughout the earth.He breaks the bow and shatters thespear; he burns the military wagonswith fire.”

Imagine what the world would be like if all themoney and expertise that is now being spent tocreate weapons were channeled into areas thatwould benefit people rather than kill them! Thatpromise will become a reality under God’s King-dom.

NO MORE SICKNESSIsaiah 33:24: “No resident will say:‘I am sick.’ ”

Think about a world in which no one will sufferfrom heart disease, cancer, malaria, or any otherailment. Gone will be the need for hospitals andmedications. Perfect health—that is the future forearth’s inhabitants.

NO MORE FOOD SHORTAGEPsalm 72:16: “There will be an abun-dance of grain on the earth; on thetop of the mountains it will over-flow.”

The earth will produce enough food for everyone,and all will have access to it. Hunger and malnu-trition will be no more.

NO MORE PAIN, SORROW,AND DEATHRevelation 21:4: “[God] will wipeout every tear from their eyes, anddeath will be no more, neither willmourning nor outcry nor pain beanymore. The former things havepassed away.”


That will mean life without end in perfection on aparadise earth! That is what our loving Creator,Jehovah God, has promised.

“IT WILL HAVE SURE SUCCESS”Does all of this sound too good to be true?

Though most people would readily agree that lifeas promised and described in the Bible is truly de-sirable, for various reasons many find the idea ofliving forever difficult to comprehend. That is notsurprising, for no fellow human has ever experi-enced life like that to tell us about it.

Humankind has been enslaved by sin and deathand has labored under the burden of pain, suffer-ing, and adversity for so long that many peoplehave come to accept this way of life as normal ornatural. But that is far from what our Creator, Je-hovah God, purposed for mankind.

To help us appreciate the certainty of all that hehas promised,God said emphatically regarding hisword: “It will not return to mewithout results, butit will certainly accomplishwhatever is my delight,and it will have sure success in what I send it todo.”—Isaiah 55:11.

Jehovah is described in the Bible as the God“who cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) Since he has prom-ised all these wonderful things for the future, itwould be prudent on our part to consider: Is itreally possible for humans to live forever in thepromised earthly Paradise? What must we do tobenefit from God’s promise? In the following pag-es of this publication, you will find helpful infor-mation that answers those questions.


WHATAN AMAZING PROSPECT! Our Creator haspromised to give us everlasting life, right here onearth.Many, however, find that difficult to believe.‘Everyone has to die sometime,’ they say. ‘It ispart of a natural cycle of life and death.’ Othersfeel that living forever is possible, but not here onearth. They say that everlasting life is attainedonly after you die and go to heaven. What do youthink?

Before you decide, why not consider the Bible’sanswer to these three questions: What does theway man was made show as to how long he wasmeant to live? What was God’s original purposefor the earth and for mankind? How did deathcome upon the human family?

MAN’S UNIQUE NATUREOf all the forms of life that God has created on

earth, humans are truly unique. How so? The Bi-ble indicates that humans alone were created inGod’s “image” and “likeness.” (Genesis 1:26, 27)What does that mean? It means that humankindwas given characteristics and qualities that mir-rored God’s own, such as love and a sense of jus-tice.

In addition, humans were endowed with think-ing and reasoning abilities, coupled with moraland spiritual capacities.That is why we can appre-ciate the grandeur of the universe and the won-ders of nature, as well as art, music, and poetry.Above all, mankind has the unique capacity toworship the Creator. Such attributes put an im-measurable gulf between humans and all other liv-ing creatures on earth.

Thus, consider: Would God have given humanssuch remarkable qualities, along with a seeminglylimitless potential to develop and enhance them,if he meant for us to live only a few short years?The truth is that God gave humans these uniquequalities and abilities so that we could enjoy liferight here on earth forever.

GOD’S ORIGINAL PURPOSESome say, however, that God never meant for

humans to live on earth forever. They maintainthat the earth was designed to be a temporaryhome, a testing ground to see which members ofthe human family deserve to go to heaven and liveeternally with God. But if that were true, would itnot, in effect, makeGod responsible for all the evil

You Can LiveForever on Earth

and badness that fill the earth? That would be indirect contradiction to the very nature of God.About him, the Bible says: “For all hisways are jus-tice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust;righteous and upright is he.”—Deuteronomy 32:4.

The Bible clearly reveals God’s original purposefor the earth in these words: “As for the heavens,they belong to Jehovah, but the earth he has giv-en to the sons of men.” (Psalm 115:16) Yes, Godcreated the earth to be a beautiful, permanenthome formankind, and he filled it with everythingwe need to enjoy meaningful, endless life.—Gene-sis 2:8, 9.

The Bible is also clear regarding God’s purposefor mankind. He commissioned the first humancouple to “fill the earth and subdue it, and have insubjection . . . every living creature that is movingon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) What a privilege forthem to care for and expand their Paradise homeearth wide! Indeed, the prospect that awaitedAdam and Eve and their eventual offspring waseverlasting life on earth, not a reward in heaven.

WHY DOWE DIE?Why, then, do we die? The Bible shows that one

of God’s spirit creatures, later identified as therebel Satan the Devil, tried to sabotage God’s ar-rangements in Eden. How?

Satan induced our first parents, Adam and Eve,to join him in rebellion against God. When Sa-tan claimed that God was withholding somethinggood from them—the right to determine for them-selves what is right and what is wrong—they wentalong with Satan and turned their backs on God.The result? In time, they died, just as God hadwarned. They lost the prospect of living forever inParadise on earth.—Genesis 2:17; 3:1-6; 5:5.

Adam and Eve’s rebellion has affected allhumans down to this day. God’s Word says:“Through one man [Adam] sin entered into theworld and death through sin, and so death spreadto all men.” (Romans 5:12) We die because we in-herited sin and death from our original parents,

not because of some predetermined, unfathom-able ‘plan’ of God.

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER ON EARTHThe rebellion in Eden did not thwart God’s orig-

inal purpose for mankind and the earth. God’sperfect love and sense of justice moved him toprovide a way to free us from the bondage of in-herited sin and death. The apostle Paul explained:“The wages sin pays is death, but the gift Godgives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 6:23) Lovingly, God “gave his only-begotten Son [Jesus Christ], so that everyone ex-ercising faith in him might not be destroyed buthave everlasting life.” (John 3:16) By offeringhimself willingly as a ransom sacrifice, Jesus re-deemed all that was lost through Adam.�

Soon, God’s promise of an earthly paradise willbecome a reality. This wonderful future can beyours if you take to heart Jesus’ admonition: “Goin through the narrow gate, because broad is thegate and spacious is the road leading off into de-struction, and many are going in through it;whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the roadleading off into life, and few are finding it.” (Mat-thew 7:13, 14) Yes, your future is in your ownhands. What will you do?� For more information on what the ransom can do for you, see chapter 5of the book What Can the Bible Teach Us? published by Jehovah’s Wit-nesses and available online at www.jw.org.

“As for the heavens, theybelong to Jehovah,but the earth he has givento the sons of men.”—Psalm 115:16



DOYOU HAVE ANY REAL CHOICE IN WHAT YOURFUTURE WILL BE? Some people believe that fateor predestination, not personal choice, controlstheir life. When they fail to reach certain goals,they simply shrug it off as inevitable. “It was nev-er meant to be!” they say.

Others become disillusioned when they see noway out of this oppressive and unjust world inwhich we live. They may have tried to make theirlives better—only to see things like war, crime,natural disasters, and sickness wreck their planstime and again. ‘Why bother?’ they ask them-selves.

It is true that circumstances in life can serious-ly affect your plans. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) However,when it comes to your ultimate destiny, you dohave a very real choice. In fact, the Bible showsthat your future depends on your choice. Consid-er what it says.

Moses, the leader of the ancient nation of Isra-el, told the people as they were about to enter thePromised Land: “I have put life and death beforeyou, the blessing and the curse; and you mustchoose life so that you may live, you and your de-scendants, by loving Jehovah your God, by listen-ing to his voice, and by sticking to him.”—Deu-teronomy 30:15, 19, 20.

Yes! God delivered the Israelites from slavery inEgypt and put before them the prospect of a freeand happy life in the Promised Land. But all thatwould not come upon them automatically.To gain

those blessings, they had to “choose life.” How?‘By loving God, by listening to his voice, and bysticking to him.’

Today, a similar choice is before you, and howyou choose will determine what your future willbe. By choosing to love God, to listen to his voice,and to stick to him, you will in effect be choosinglife—life everlasting on a paradise earth. But whatis involved in each of those steps?

CHOOSE TO LOVE GODLove is God’s primary attribute. “God is love,”

wrote the apostle John under inspiration. (1 John4:8) For this reason, when asked what is the great-est of all commandments, Jesus said: “You mustlove Jehovah yourGod with your whole heart andwith your whole soul and with your whole mind.”(Matthew 22:37) A real relationship with JehovahGod must be based, not on fear or blind obedi-ence, but on love.Why, though, should we chooseto love him?

Jehovah’s love for mankind is like that of lovingparents for their children. Though imperfect, lov-ing parents instruct, encourage, support, and dis-cipline their children because they want them tobe happy and to flourish. What do parents desirein return? They want their children to love themand to take to heart what they as parents have im-parted to them for their good. Is it not reasonablethat our perfect heavenly Father expects us toshow loving appreciation for all that he has donefor us?

Your Future,Your Choice!


LISTEN TO HIS VOICEIn the original language of the Bible, the word

“listen” often carries the sense of “obey.” Is thisnot what we mean when we say to a child, “Listento your parents”? Thus, to listen to God’s voiceimplies learning and obeying what he says. Sincewe cannot literally hear God’s voice, we listen tohim by reading and applying what is in his Word,the Bible.—1 John 5:3.

To show the importance of listening to God’svoice, on one occasion Jesus said: “Man mustlive, not on bread alone, but on every word thatcomes from Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matthew 4:4) Asimportant as physical food is to us, taking inknowledge of God is, in fact, even more so. Why?Wise King Solomon explained: “Wisdom is a pro-tection just as money is a protection, but the ad-vantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preservesthe life of its owner.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12) Knowl-edge and wisdom from God can protect us todayand help us to make the wise choice that leads toeverlasting life in the future.

STICKING TO HIMRecall Jesus’ illustration that we considered in

the preceding article, in which he said: “Narrow isthe gate and cramped the road leading off intolife, and few are finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14)Traveling on such a road, we would surely benefitfrom having and staying close to an expert guideif we wanted to reach the destination—life ever-lasting. Thus, there is good reason for us to stay

close to God. (Psalm 16:8) How, though, do we dothat?

Every day, there are many things that we mustdo and many more that we would like to do. Suchthings can keep us so occupied or distracted thatwe have little or no time to consider what Godwants us to do. That is why the Bible reminds us:“Keep strict watch that how you walk is not as un-wise but as wise persons, making the best use ofyour time, because the days are wicked.” (Ephe-sians 5:15, 16) We stay close to God bymaking ourrelationship with him the most important thing inour life.—Matthew 6:33.

THE CHOICE IS YOURSThough there is nothing you can do to change

your past, you can choose to secure a fine futurefor yourself and your loved ones. The Bible re-veals that our heavenly Father, Jehovah God,deeply loves us and that he lets us know what hewould like to see us do. Note the words of theprophet Micah:

“He has told you, O man, what is good. And what isJehovah requiring of you? Only to exercise justice,to cherish loyalty, and to walk in modesty with yourGod!”—Micah 6:8.

Will you accept Jehovah’s invitation to walkwith him and gain the eternal blessings he has instore for those who do? The choice is yours!

“I have put life and deathbefore you, the blessingand the curse; and youmust choose life.”—Deuteronomy 30:19

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What Can the

BibleTeach Us?

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For more information about God’s purposefor mankind and the earth, see chapter 3of this book, published by Jehovah’s Wit-nesses. Also available at www.jw.org

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ˇ How should we react to those whooppress us?—Verses 1, 2.

ˇ What will become of wicked people?—Verse 10.

ˇ What is the future for those who dowhat is right?—Verses 11, 29.

ˇ What should we do now?—Verse 34.

The inspired words of Psalm 37 clearly point toa bright future for those who “hope in Jehovahand follow his way.” Jehovah’s Witnesses wouldbe happy to assist you to study the Bible andto learn how you can secure that future foryourself and your loved ones.

“THE MEEK WILLPOSSESS THE EARTH”

Most of us have seen justice perverted and good,innocent people oppressed by evil ones. Will thetime ever come when injustice and wickednesswill be no more?

Psalm 37 in the Bible offers the answer, alongwith guidance for us now. Note what it says on thefollowing important questions.

http://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=en&prefer=lan&pub=bhs


http://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1011209&srcid=pdf

http://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1011208&srcid=pdf


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