10. What will ‘soundness of mind’ tell us as to the prime factor for our gaining everlasting life in the New Order?

¹⁰ Being “sound in mind,” then, we will not count on some mighty event, even as great as the “great tribulation” ahead, to work some magical transformation in us that will assure our success in God’s new order. And we will realize that, in the final analysis, whether we gain everlasting life is not going to depend merely upon association with a certain people or organization. In the final analysis it is going to depend upon what we are as persons, what our personal qualities are.

11, 12. (a) Illustrate how serious spiritual weaknesses now, if uncorrected, could hinder progress to perfection on the part of survivors into God’s new order. (b) Who will bear the blame if one fails to live up to the contents of the “scrolls” opened then?

¹¹ So, in all seriousness and in full possession of our senses, we must be honest in our appraisal of ourselves, not minimizing or glossing over wrong habits or attitudes that betray serious spiritual weakness.

Tendencies toward selfish ambition, boastfulness, envy, gossiping, sheer laziness, or lack of submission to headship​—there are numerous things that could create problems for us if we do not learn how to get them under control. They could hinder or block our making progress to perfection during the thousand-year period in which Christ Jesus and his heavenly joint heirs will serve as priests for the healing of the earthly subjects of the Kingdom. (Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 5:10; 22:1, 2) If any of us should fail to qualify for life by failing to live in harmony with the contents of God’s “scrolls” then, we will have no one to blame​—not the present wicked world, nor Satan and his demons—​but only ourselves.