You Ready to ‘Live on the Earth Forever’?
ALL of us want what Jesus promise in Matthew 5:5 to be fulfill. It say: “Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) The anointed will inherit the earth when they be ruling with Jesus as kings in heaven. (Rev. 5:10; 20:6) Plenty true Christians today get the hope to be perfect, live in peace, and be happy on the earth forever. For it to be possible, they will be having plenty work to do. Let talk about three of them: they will work to make the earth paradise, they will make sure that those who will be resurrected have what they need and they will teach them. Also, let talk about what we can do now-now to show that we want do these thing them in the new world.
YOU READY TO MAKE THE EARTH PARADISE?
When Jehovah told human being to “fill the earth and subdue it,” he wanted them to work and make the whole earth to be paradise. (Gen. 1:28) Those who will live forever will have to obey this same command. The earth will not be paradise from the beginning because—the garden of Eden not existing again. Right after Armageddon, we will be having plenty work to do so that we can be able to clean the earth. It will not be small work!
It can make us to think about the work the Israelite them were having to do when they came back from Babylon. Nobody live in their home town for 70 years. But Isaiah said that Jehovah was coming to bless them to make the place fine again. The prophecy said: “He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert plain like the garden of Jehovah.” (Isa. 51:3) And Jehovah help them to make the place beautiful again. That the same way Jehovah will bless those who will be living on the earth to make the earth beautiful again. You can even do some thing them now-now to show that you want do some of the work in paradise.
One way we can do it, that to do our best to keep the place we living neat and clean. You can do it even if your neighbors not doing it. You can also help to clean and take care of the Kingdom Hall and the Assembly Hall. If your condition allow you, you can also ask to help when disaster happen or to help with construction work. It will show that you want help your brothers and sisters who in need. Think about this question, ‘it will be good for me to learn something that I able to use when Jehovah bless me to live in paradise?’
YOU READY TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE RESURRECTED?
Right after Jesus resurrected Jairus daughter, he told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:42, 43) It was not really hard to take care of that 12 year old girl. But just think about how it will be when the thing that Jesus promise happen: “all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) Even though the Bible not tell us everything, but we know that people who will be resurrected will need clothes, food, and place to stay. How you can show now-now that you will be ready to help them? Here some question them you can think about.
Wetin you can do now-now to show that you ready to live in paradise?
When they make announcement that circuit visit coming, you can put your name down to feed the circuit overseer? When they reassign someone from Bethel to your congregation or when someone not serving as circuit overseer again, you can be willing to help them find place to live? If they having regional or special convention in your area, you can be willing to work before or after the convention or you can be there on time to welcome other people?
YOU READY TO TEACH THOSE WHO WILL BE RESURRECTED?
Because of the thing we read in Acts 24:15, we expecting plenty people to be resurrected. Most of them will be people who were not having the opportunity to know Jehovah before they die. But when they come back to life, they will be having that opportunity.a Faithful, experience servants of God will help in that teaching work. (Isa. 11:9) Charlotte, who na preach in Europe, South America, and Africa, really looking forward to it. She happy to say: “I really waiting for the time when I will teach the people who will be resurrected. When I read about someone who live way back, I can always be thinking: ‘If only this person knew about Jehovah, his life was coming be better.’ I can’t wait to tell people who will be resurrected about Jehovah and how their life will be better if they serve him.”
Even people who were faithful to Jehovah before Jesus came to earth will be having plenty things to learn. Think about how we will be happy to explain to Daniel how some of his prophecy them he never understood was fulfill. (Dan. 12:8) (Dan. 12:8) Or think how it will be when we helping Ruth and Naomi to learn how the Messiah came from their family line. We will enjoy teaching people all over the world and Satan will not disturb us again!
Wetin you can do now-now so that you will be ready to help teach people who will be resurrected? One way we can do it that to improve the way we can teach and to be regular in the preaching work. (Matt. 24:14) Even if old age or other problem them making it hard for you to preach the way you want do it, you can show that you want teach people who will be resurrected by doing your best in the preaching work.
It good to think about this important question: you really want live on the earth? You really happy to help make the earth paradise, or make sure that those who will be resurrected get what they need and to teach them? You can show that you ready by doing work that just like the one them you will do, when you living in paradise!
a See the article ‘Helping Plenty People to Be Righteous’ in the September 2022 Watchtower.