STUDY ARTICLE 19
SONG 22 The Kingdom Is in Place—Let It Come!
What We Know About the Way Jehovah Will Judge People in the Future?
“Jehovah . . . does not desire anyone to be destroyed.”—2 PET. 3:9.
WHAT THE MAIN POINT?
We can be sure that when Jehovah judging people in the future, he will be fair and judge them the right way.
1. Why we can say that the time we living in very interesting?
THE time we living in very interesting! Every day, we can see Bible prophecy coming true. For example, we see that “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” fighting each other over who will be the world power. (Dan. 11:40.) We see how the good news of God Kingdom na spread all over the world, and plenty people coming to serve Jehovah. (Isa. 60:22; Matt. 24:14) And we getting plenty spiritual food “at the proper time.”—Matt. 24:45-47.
2. What we can be sure about, but what we must remember?
2 Jehovah continue to help us get clear understanding about the important things that will happen in the future. (Prov. 4:18; Dan. 2:28) We can be sure that before the great tribulation start, we will know all we need to know so we can remain faithful and united during that difficult time. But, we must also remember that we not know everything about the future. In this article, we will first talk about why we na change the things we say before about some of the things that will happen in the future. Then we will review some of the things we know about the future and what our heavenly Father will do.
WHAT WE NOT KNOW
3. In the past, wetin we say will happen to people who not serving Jehovah when the great tribulation start, and why we say so?
3 In the past we say, soon the great tribulation start people will not be having the opportunity again to put faith in Jehovah and survive Armageddon. We say that because, we use to understand that the way things happen in Noah day, that the same way it will happen in the future. For example, we were thinking that just how Jehovah close the ark door before the Flood start, that how he will “shut the door” on Satan system before the great tribulation start. So nobody will be able to put faith in Jehovah again and survive.—Matt. 24:37-39.
4. Why we can’t say everything that happen during the Flood will happen in the future? Explain.
4 You think it will be good for us to say that, everything that happen during the Flood will also happen in the future? The answer that no. Why? Because the Bible not say anything like that.a That true, Jesus compare “the days of Noah” to the time of his presence. But he not say that everything that happen during the Flood will happen in the future like when Jehovah close the ark door. It not mean that we can’t learn anything from the story about Noah and the Flood.
5. (a) How Noah show faith before the Flood? (Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20) (b) Wetin make Noah preaching and our preaching to be the same?
5 When Noah hear the warning message from Jehovah, he show faith by building the ark. (Read Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20.) That the same way, people who hear the good news about God Kingdom must show faith by doing the things they learn. (Acts 3:17-20) Peter call Noah “a preacher of righteousness.” (2 Pet. 2:5) But, like what we talk about in the article before this one, we not know whether Noah was able to preach to everybody who was living on earth before the Flood. Today too, we doing our best to preach with zeal to everybody around the world. But no matter how we try our best, we will not be able to preach to everybody on earth before the end come. Why?
6-7. Why we say that we will not be able to preach to everybody on earth before the end come?
6 Think about what Jesus say about how far the preaching work will reach. He prophesy that the good news will be preach “in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.” (Matt. 24:14) That prophecy fulfilling now-now more than ever before. We preaching the good news in more than 1,000 languages. And because of the jw.org website, plenty people around the world can learn about the good news.
7 But Jesus also tell his disciples that they will not “complete the circuit of the cities,” or be able to preach to everybody, before he come to judge people. (Matt. 10:23; 25:31-33) The thing Jesus say will also happen in our time. Plenty people today living in areas where we not get the freedom to preach. Beside that one, every minute plenty children can be born. We can do our best to preach the good news to people from “every nation and tribe and tongue.” (Rev. 14:6) But to talk the true, we will not be able to preach the good news to each person on the earth before the end come.
8. What question maybe we will ask about how Jehovah will judge people in the future? (Also see the pictures.)
8 From what we just talk about, maybe we will ask: What about those who will not get the chance to hear the good news before the great tribulation start? How Jehovah and his Son, who he na appoint to be judge, will judge them? (John 5:19, 22, 27; Acts 17:31) The theme scripture for this article say that Jehovah “does not desire anyone to be destroyed.” But, he want “all to attain to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4) Even though we know this thing them, but Jehovah not tell us yet how he will judge people who was not having the chance to learn about him. And we know that Jehovah not force to tell us anything about what he na do or what he will do.
How Jehovah will judge some people who maybe will not get the opportunity to hear the good news before the great tribulation start? (See paragraph 8)c
9. Wetin Jehovah na tell us in the Bible?
9 In the Bible, Jehovah na tell us some of the things he will do. For example, the Bible tell us that Jehovah will bring the “unrighteous” people back to life, and he will give them the opportunity to learn about the good news and change their ways. (Acts 24:15; Luke 23:42, 43) But this one make us to think about other important questions.
10. What other questions we get?
10 You think all those who will die during the great tribulation, will be destroy forever with no hope to come back to life? The Bible make it clear that all those who go against Jehovah, and those who Jehovah and his army will destroy during Armageddon will not be resurrected. (2 Thess. 1:6-10) But what about other people, for example, who will die during that time because of sickness, old age, accident or somebody kill them? (Eccl. 9:11; Zech. 14:13) You think some of them will be among the “unrighteous” who will come back to life in the new world? We not know.
WHAT WE KNOW
11. Jesus will also judge people base on what?
11 We know about plenty things that will happen in the future. For example, we know that people will also be judge base on how they treat Jesus brothers. (Matt. 25:40) Those who will show their support for the anointed and for Jesus will be judge as sheep. We also know that some of Jesus brothers will still be on earth when the great tribulation start and they will go to heaven right before Armageddon start. So long some of Jesus brothers still on earth, it possible that people with good heart will get the opportunity to support them and the work they doing. (Matt. 25:31, 32; Rev. 12:17) Why this thing them important?
12-13. After they destroy “Babylon the Great” maybe, wetin some people will do? (Also see the pictures.)
12 Even after the great tribulation start, it possible that some people who will see the destruction of “Babylon the Great” will remember that Jehovah Witnesses been talking about it for plenty years. You think some people who will see this thing them will change their heart and join Jehovah people?—Rev. 17:5; Ezek. 33:33.
13 If this one happen, then it will be just like the same thing that happen in Egypt during Moses time. Remember that “a vast mixed company” join the Israelites when they were leaving from Egypt. (Ex. 12:38) Maybe Some of this people started putting faith in Jehovah when they saw how the Ten Plagues that Moses talk about, came true. If something like this happen after they destroy Babylon the Great, you think we must feel that it not fair for Jehovah to allow people to come join us right before Armageddon start? No! We want be just like our heavenly Father, “a God merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love and truth.”b—Ex. 34:6.
Some people who will see the destruction of “Babylon the Great” will remember that Jehovah Witnesses been talking about it for plenty years (See paragraphs 12-13)d
14-15. You think for somebody to live forever depend on when he die or where he live? Explain. (Psalm 33:4, 5)
14 Sometime, we can hear somebody say, “It will be better if my relative die before the great tribulation start so they can get hope to come back to life.” We sure that the person get good reasons for saying it. But for somebody to live forever, it not depend on when he die. Jehovah that the perfect Judge. His decisions always fair and right. (Read Psalm 33:4, 5.) We can be sure that “the Judge of all the earth” will do the right thing.—Gen. 18:25.
15 We can also say that for somebody to live forever, it not depend on where he living. Plenty people live in areas where they were not having the opportunity to learn about the good news. We must never think that Jehovah will just judge them as “goats.” (Matt. 25:46) The righteous Judge for all the earth care for this people them even more then we care for them. We not know how Jehovah will make things happen during the great tribulation. Maybe some of this people will get the opportunity to learn about Jehovah, put faith in him, and take his side when he make everybody to know his name.—Ezek. 38:16.
After the great tribulation start, . . . you think some people who will see this thing them happening will change their heart?
16. Wetin we na learn about Jehovah? (Also see the picture.)
16 From our Bible study, we na learn that Jehovah really value human life. He gave his Son to die so all of us can get the opportunity to live forever. (John 3:16) All of us na see how Jehovah really care and love us. (Isa. 49:15) He know each of us by our name. In fact, he know each of us good-good that even if we die, he able to bring us back to life the same way we were looking. He can do it because he can remember everything about us! (Matt. 10:29-31) For sure, we get good reason to trust that our loving heavenly Father will be fair, righteous, and merciful in the way he will judge each person.—Jas. 2:13.
We get good reason to trust that Jehovah will be fair, righteous, and merciful in the way he will judge each person (See paragraph 16)
17. What we will talk about in the next article?
17 Now that we get this clear understanding we need to preach with zeal more than ever before. Why we say so? And what will move us to continue preaching the good news with zeal and not give up? We will talk more about the answers to this question them in the next article.
SONG 76 How Does It Make You Feel?
a For more information on why they made this change, see the article “This Is the Way You Approved” in the March 15, 2015 Watchtower, pp. 7-11.
b After they destroy Babylon the Great, all Jehovah people will face test during the attack of Gog of Magog. Anybody who will join God people after they destroy Babylon the Great will also face test.
c WETIN THE PICTURES SAYING? : The three pictures showing why some people will not hear the good news we preaching all around the world: (1) The woman living where it not safe to preach the good news because of the religion that there, (2) the man and his wife living where the law not allow us to preach and it dangerous to preach there, and (3) the man living far place and it not easy to go there.
d WETIN THE PICTURE SAYING?: The young woman who inactive remember what she learn about the destruction of “Babylon the Great.” She change her heart and come back to Jehovah and her Christian parents. If thing them like this happen, we want be just like our heavenly Father who merciful and can feel sorry for people. And we must be happy when somebody come back to Jehovah.