the few thousand anointed ones have been joined by over two million others in witnessing to God’s kingdom, and these are truly a “great crowd” looking to Jehovah as their Universal Sovereign and to his Son as their Messianic King!​—Rev. 2:10; 3:10; 20:4; 7:9, 10.

Jehovah Vindicated

As the millenniums have passed on into history, Jehovah’s side of the issue raised in Eden has been convincingly proved. In all ages, Jehovah has had his faithful witnesses on earth, and they are here on earth in rapidly growing numbers today! At the close of this sixth millennium, they are thankful to God for all his marvelous provisions, including the gift of life itself and the glorious prospect of everlasting life in his new order. All of this has been made possible by the sacrifice of his integrity-keeping Son, the Messiah-King, Jesus Christ. They believe that Jehovah’s sovereignty is the right sovereignty. Their one desire is to follow his righteous ways. They are determined that Satan will never swerve them from the path of integrity. They rejoice to have a share in proving Satan to be a liar and they press on with unshakable faith in making known the modern “magnificent things of God.” What joy they have in knowing that Jehovah himself is about to act to uphold righteousness and to magnify His own sovereignty by removing Satan, his adherents and all his wicked works in the impending great “day of Jehovah’s anger”!​—Acts 2:11; Zeph. 2:2, 3.

6,000 Years of the Grand Outworking of Jehovah’s Purpose Toward Mankind

WHEN Adam openly rejected Jehovah’s rightful sovereignty, Jehovah dealt with mankind in a merciful, loving way. He did not put Adam to death immediately and start all over again by creating a replacement for him here on earth. Rather, God chose to allow Adam to continue living and to commence producing the human family. This family that stemmed from Adam was “subjected to futility” by God in that, through inheritance from Adam, it came under condemnation of death. Of itself, humankind could find no way of release from this unhappy condition. However, this subjection to futility was “on the basis of hope,” in that God, out of his incomparable undeserved kindness, purposed a way out for faithful ones among Adam’s descendants. In this manner they might be “set free from enslavement to corruption” and be delivered into a “glorious freedom” as restored children of God. This grand hope was expressed in a prophecy that Jehovah himself spoke back in Eden. Examine now the record, millennium by millennium, as to whether there has been any slowness on God’s part in carrying forward his purpose to bring release for humankind.​—Rom. 8:20, 21; Gen. 3:15; 2 Pet. 3:9.