Continue to Wait for the City Wey Go Remain

1. Wetin Jesus talk say go happen to Jerusalem?

SOME days before Jesus die, Jesus tell im followers wetin go happen for future. Wetin e talk first happen when them destroy Jerusalem and the temple. E tell them say one day, “army [go] surround Jerusalem.” (Luke 21:20) Jesus tell im disciples say when this one happen, make them run comot quick-quick from Jerusalem. True-true, Rome soldiers later surround Jerusalem as Jesus talk.—Luke 21:​21, 22.

2. Which advice apostle Paul give the Christians for Jerusalem and Judea?

² Some few years before Rome soldiers destroy Jerusalem, apostle Paul write one important letter to the Christians for Judea and Jerusalem. Na that letter we de call the book of Hebrews today. For that letter, Paul give the Christians better advice wey go help them fit prepare for wetin go happen for front. And wetin be that thing wey go happen? Them go destroy Jerusalem. The Christians fit survive only if them ready to leave their house and business. Paul talk about Jerusalem say: ‘We no get city wey go continue to dey for here.’ Then e still talk say: “Instead, we de use all our heart wait for the one wey de come.”—Heb. 13:14.

3. Wetin be the “city wey get correct foundation,” and why we de use all our heart wait for-am?

³ When the Christians decide to leave Jerusalem and Judea, many people fit don laugh them and talk say them no get sense. But na this decision wey them make save their life. Na so e still be today. Many people de laugh us and talk say we no get sense because we no de put money as number one thing for our life, and we no believe say people go fit solve the problems wey we de face for this world. But wetin make us no de do like this? Na because we know say God Kingdom go soon destroy this Satan world. So we de use all our heart wait for God Kingdom because we know say na the “city wey get correct foundation.”a (Heb. 11:10; Matt. 6:33) For each of the small topic for this article, we go talk about: (1) how apostle Paul advice help the Christians for the apostles time to continue to wait for “the [city] wey de come,” (2) how apostle Paul help them prepare for wetin go soon happen, and (3) how im advice fit help us today.

TRUST JEHOVAH BECAUSE E NO GO EVER LEAVE YOU

4. Wetin make Jerusalem be important city for Christians for the apostles time?

⁴ Jerusalem na important city for Christians for the apostles time. Why? Because na there them start the first Christian congregation for 33 C.E., and the brothers wey be governing body that time, de stay for there too. Another thing be say, many of the Christians get house and other property for Jerusalem. Even with all this one, Jesus still warn im disciples say them go need to run comot from Jerusalem and Judea.—Matt. 24:16.

5. How Paul help the Christians prepare for wetin go soon happen to Jerusalem?

⁵ To help the Christians prepare for wetin go soon happen to Jerusalem, apostle Paul help them understand how Jehovah de feel about Jerusalem. Paul remind them say Jehovah no de accept the worship wey people de do for the temple again, the sacrifice, and the work wey priests de do for there. (Heb. 8:13) Many people for Jerusalem don reject Jesus wey be the Messiah. People no need to go Jerusalem again to worship Jehovah, and them go soon destroy Jerusalem and the temple.—Luke 13:​34, 35.

6. Why the Christians need the advice wey apostle Paul give them for Hebrews 13:5, 6?

⁶ When Paul write to the Christians, Jerusalem na fine city wey many people de happy to stay for there, and people like to visit the place. One person wey write about Jerusalem talk say that time, na Jerusalem be “the city wey people know pass for that part of the world.” Three times every year, Jew people de come from different-different place to do festival for Jerusalem and them de spend plenty money for there. E fit be say na im make apostle Paul tell them say: “Make the way una de live una life show say una no like money too much and make una dey okay with the things wey una get now.” Then e quote one verse wey talk say: “I no go ever leave you, and I no go ever abandon you.” (Read Hebrews 13:5, 6; Deut. 31:6; Ps. 118:6) The Christians for Jerusalem and Judea go really need this advice. Why? Because small time after them receive this letter, them go need to leave their house, the business wey them de do, and any other property wey them get, run comot from the city. And them go need to start new life for another place and this one no go easy.

7. Why e dey important make we learn to trust Jehovah now with all our heart?

⁷ Wetin we fit learn from this one? E no go too tey, time for “serious trouble” wey go end this Satan world go come. (Matt. 24:21) Just like the Christians for Jerusalem, we need to hold Jehovah tight now and ready for that time. (Luke 21:​34-36) For that time, we fit need to leave our house and all other property wey we get and trust say Jehovah no go ever leave us. But even now, we still get the chance to show say we really trust Jehovah before that time of serious trouble. Ask yourself say, ‘The decisions wey I de make and the plans wey I get for future de show say I really trust say na Jehovah go care for me, and no be money and property?’ (1 Tim. 6:17) The example of the Christians for the apostles time fit help us continue to hold Jehovah tight for the time of “serious trouble.” But the truth be say, this “serious trouble” go hard pass any other thing wey don happen before. So how we go know wetin we need to do when the time of serious trouble start?

MAKE UNA DE OBEY PEOPLE WEY DE GUIDE UNA

8. Wetin Jesus tell im disciples say make them do?

⁸ After the Christians receive Paul letter, e no too tey Rome soldiers surround Jerusalem. This one show say the time for them to run comot from the city don reach, because them go soon destroy Jerusalem. (Matt. 24:3; Luke 21:​20, 24) But where them go run go? The only thing wey Jesus talk be say: “Make people wey dey Judea start to run go the mountains.” (Luke 21:21) But plenty mountains dey for that area, so which one them go run go?

9. Why e no easy for Christians for Jerusalem to know which mountain them go run go? (Still check the map.)

⁹ Make we see some of the mountains wey dey around them. For example, we get mountains for Samaria, for Galilee, Mount Hermon, and mountains for Lebanon. Plenty other mountains still dey for the other side of River Jordan. So which one them go run go? (Check the map.) Some of the mountains get cities wey be like safe place for people to stay. For example, Gamla city dey ontop one high mountain wey go hard for enemies to fit go there. Some Jew people think say this city na safe place for them to live. But Rome soldiers attack the city and kill many people wey de live for there.b

10-11. (a) How Jehovah fit don guide the Christians for Jerusalem? (Hebrews 13:7, 17) (b) How Christians gain as them obey the people wey de guide them? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁰ E be like say Jehovah use the brothers wey e de use guide im people that time, to direct the Christians. One man wey de write books wey im name na Eusebius write about wetin happen that time. E write say: “God direct some of the brothers for Jerusalem to tell the Christians make them run go stay for Pella, wey be one city for Perea.” The city of Pella na better place for them to run go. Why we talk like that? Pella no far from Jerusalem, so e no go hard them to fit reach there. Another thing be say, plenty of the people wey de live for Pella no be Jews, so them no de fight against Rome people to get freedom.—Check the map.

¹¹ Christians wey follow apostle Paul advice to “obey people wey de guide” them, run go Pella. (Read Hebrews 13:7, 17.) Because them obey, them survive. Jehovah no leave them because them continue to wait for God Kingdom, wey be the “city wey get correct foundation.”—Heb. 11:10.

12-13. How Jehovah don direct im people when things really hard?

¹² Wetin we fit learn from this one? Jehovah de use the people wey e de use guide us, to give us the direction wey we need. We get many example from Bible of how Jehovah don use faithful men to guide im people when things really hard. (Deut. 31:23; Ps. 77:20) And for this our time, we don see how Jehovah de use the brothers wey e de use guide us to care for im people.

¹³ For example, when coronavirus start, we receive direction from Jehovah through ‘the people wey e de use guide us.’ This brothers wey de guide us give the elders instructions about how we go de do meetings and other things wey go help us continue to hold Jehovah tight. Small time after coronavirus start, we use Internet, TV, and radio do convention for more than 500 languages. This kind thing never happen before. Jehovah no stop to give us the direction wey we need. Because of this one, we continue to dey together as one with all our brothers and sisters for the whole world. We dey sure say no matter the problem wey go happen for future, Jehovah go continue to help the people wey e de use guide us, to fit make better decisions. To prepare for the time of serious trouble, and to fit do the correct things that time, we need to trust Jehovah and de obey the people wey e de use guide us. But which other better-better character we need to fit ready for the time of serious trouble?

MAKE UNA DE LOVE EACH OTHER LIKE BROTHERS AND DE WELCOME PEOPLE

14. As e dey for Hebrews 13:​1-3, which better-better character the Christians need to de show each other as the time wey them go destroy Jerusalem de near more-more?

¹⁴ When the time for serious trouble start, we go need to show love to our brothers and sisters pass the way we de do now. That time, we go need to follow the example of the Christians for Jerusalem and Judea. Them de show love to each other. (Heb. 10:​32-34) But as the time wey them go destroy Jerusalem de near more-more, the Christians need to show say them “love each other like brothers” pass the way them de do before.c Them still need to de welcome and care for each other more. (Read Hebrews 13:​1-3.) Na so e still be for us today. As the end of this Satan world de near more-more, we too go need to show love to our brothers and sisters pass the way we de do now.

15. Why the Christians need to love each other like brothers, and de welcome and care for each other after them run comot from Jerusalem?

¹⁵ Rome soldiers first surround Jerusalem, but later, them comot. This one make-am easy for the Christians to fit run comot. But as them de run, na only small things them fit carry. (Matt. 24:​17, 18) Them need to help each other as them de travel go the mountain. And when them reach Pella, them still need to help each other to fit start new life. Many of the brothers and sisters need food, cloth, and place to stay. This one give the Christians chance to fit show love and care for each other as them de support each other, and de share wetin them get with one another.—Titus 3:14.

16. How we fit show say we love our brothers and sisters wey need help? (Still check the picture.)

¹⁶ Wetin we fit learn from this one? Because we love our brothers and sisters, we de always ready to help them. For example, we de happy to help our brothers and sisters wey run comot from their area because of war or any other bad thing like flood. We de help them with wetin them need to survive and help them fit continue to hold Jehovah tight. One sister wey run comot from Ukraine because of war talk say: “We don see how Jehovah use our brothers and sisters guide us and care for us. Them treat us well for Ukraine, and still welcome us well for Hungary, and Germany.” When we de welcome our brothers and sisters and care for them, we de work with Jehovah.—Prov. 19:17; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4.

17. Why e dey important now for us to de show love to our brothers and sisters and ready to welcome and care for them?

¹⁷ For the time of serious trouble, we go need to help each other pass as we de do now. (Hab. 3:​16-18) Jehovah de train us now to show love to our brothers and sisters and ready to welcome and care for them, because we go need this better-better character for the time of serious trouble wey de come.

WETIN GO HAPPEN FOR FUTURE

18. How we fit copy the example of the Christians wey run comot from Jerusalem?

¹⁸ Christians wey obey and run go mountain survive when them destroy Jerusalem. Even though say them leave everything wey them get run comot, Jehovah care for them, e no ever leave them. Wetin we fit learn from this one? The truth be say, we no know everything wey go happen for future. But Jesus tell us say make we ready to obey. (Luke 12:40) Another thing wey go help us na to think deep about the letter wey apostle Paul write to the Hebrew Christians and follow im advice. And Jehovah don promise us say e no go ever leave us or abandon us. (Heb. 13:5, 6) So make we continue to wait for God Kingdom wey be the city wey go remain, and for there, we go enjoy wonderful blessings forever.—Matt. 25:34.