Let your Kingdom come (1981)
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“Let Your Kingdom Come”
Source: jw.org
Contents
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
Contents
“Thy Kingdom Come”!
The King of Eternity
What the Kingdom Means for Our Earth
The Kingdom ‘Comes’—from Where?
The Kingdom—Why So Long in ‘Coming’?
Reaching Out for the Kingdom
Identifying Messiah, the King
‘The Kingdom Has Drawn Near’
Kingdom Heirs Keep Integrity
A Counterfeit Kingdom Arises
Kingdom Illustrations
The “Last Days” and the Kingdom
The Kingdom Horseman Rides
The King Reigns!
Loyal Advocates of the Kingdom
“A Great Crowd” Hails the King
The King Fights at Armageddon
The Kingdom Triumphant!
Appendix to Chapter 14
Offer of Literature
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
Title Page/Publishers’ Page
“Let Your Kingdom Come”
For centuries lovers of God and of righteousness have been praying, “Let your kingdom come.” World events in fulfillment of Bible prophecy prove that God’s kingdom is now at hand. It is hoped that this book will help you to reach out for a share in the grand blessings that the Kingdom will provide for mankind right here on our earth.
—The Publishers
Contents
Contents
PAGE CHAPTER
5 1 “Thy Kingdom Come”!
14 2 The King of Eternity
21 3 What the Kingdom Means for Our Earth
29 4 The Kingdom ‘Comes’—from Where?
37 5 The Kingdom—Why So Long in ‘Coming’?
46 6 Reaching Out for the Kingdom
56 7 Identifying Messiah, the King
68 8 ‘The Kingdom Has Drawn Near’
78 9 Kingdom Heirs Keep Integrity
87 10 A Counterfeit Kingdom Arises
96 11 Kingdom Illustrations
105 12 The “Last Days” and the Kingdom
117 13 The Kingdom Horseman Rides
127 14 The King Reigns!
141 15 Loyal Advocates of the Kingdom
151 16 “A Great Crowd” Hails the King
162 17 The King Fights at Armageddon
174 18 The Kingdom Triumphant!
186 Appendix
NOTE: Bible quotations in this book are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
In connection with dates, the abbreviation B.C.E. means “Before the Common Era, and C.E. means “Of the Common Era.”
“Thy Kingdom Come”!
Chapter 1
“Thy Kingdom Come”!
1. What would God’s kingdom mean to you, if soon it brought the conditions pictured here?
FEW WORDS of prayer have been repeated more often than the above. Perhaps you the reader have uttered that prayer. And surely we need God’s kingdom! How grand it would be to live under the conditions pictured on these pages! And that is the hope that God’s kingdom holds out for us: Peace and harmony in all the earth. The races of mankind united in bonds of genuine love. Everyone delighting to do productive work and enjoying the fruits of his labors. The air filled with the music of creation and with the song and laughter of happy humans. A healthy global society of mankind in which no one grows old or gets sick. The enjoyment of peace with the animals, the fragrance of flowers, the beauty of colorful landscapes and ever-changing seasons. Yes, all of this, and much more, is promised for our earth after God’s kingdom comes, as we shall see.
2, 3. What changes in recent years emphasize the need for God’s kingdom?
2 However, things are far different now. For we are passing through times that the Bible describes as “hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) You know how these critical times have touched your own life. Many who will read these pages have lost loved ones in the wars and other violence of this century. Yet the nations are engaged in the most feverish armaments race of all time. And they already have on hand far more than enough weapons to bring about the annihilation of all humankind.
3 Other problems, very close to home, also concern us. With the upsurge of muggings, murder and rape, many of us find it dangerous even to walk the streets. And do we not hear of more divorces, broken families and delinquency than formerly? In this age of permissive sex and drug addiction, many persons are apprehensive about sending their children to the public schools. If you live in some neighborhood or country where such problems have not yet surfaced, you should be thankful indeed!
4, 5. (a) What other problems touch our lives? (b) What world trends show that it is urgent for ‘God’s kingdom to come’?
4 How much does it cost to put food on your table these days? And how much does it cost to run your automobile? As food and fuel prices soar, the shaky world situation casts ominous shadows into the future. Where is our world headed? An item in U.S. News & World Report of August 4, 1980, underlined the seriousness of the crisis. It said: “Unless major new steps are taken, the world 20 years from now will be a filthy, unstable planet with billions of poor people scrambling for scarce, high-priced resources. That warning emerged on July 24 from a presidential commission completing a three-year study.” Among other things, this study revealed that by the year 2000 the world’s population will reach 6.3 billion, that—inflation aside—food prices will double, that deserts will expand and forests disappear, and that at least half the world’s oil will be depleted. That is, if the present system should survive that long!
5 What have individual nations, or even the United Nations, been able to do about this crisis? Very little, as yet. It all shows how urgently we need God’s kingdom!
WHAT IS THAT KINGDOM?
6. Why would we be due for disappointment if God’s kingdom were only in the hearts of people?
6 Is it simply a condition centered within the hearts of believers? In other words, when enough people are converted to Christianity, will God’s kingdom be here? Some persons have reasoned that way, pointing to Luke 17:21 in the King James Version, or Authorized Version, of the Bible (in English), which says: “The kingdom of God is within you.” But if their conclusion is correct, the kingdom of God is getting ever farther away. Why? Because the proportion of professed Christians to others in the world today is less than 25 percent, and is diminishing. Also, there are hundreds of millions of church members who seldom go inside a church.
7, 8. How does an examination of the Scriptures help us to arrive at the true meaning of Luke 17:21?
7 Think, too, about this: To whom was Jesus talking when he said, “The kingdom of God is within you”? It was to the hypocritical Pharisees that Jesus applied God’s words by the prophet Isaiah: “Their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:1, 8, AV; Isaiah 29:13) How could the Kingdom enter into those hard hearts? What, then, is the meaning of Jesus’ words? There is a clue in editions of the King James Version that have marginal readings. There the alternative reading given is: “The kingdom of God is among you.” And this is the way that many other translations of the Bible, such as the Catholic Jerusalem Bible and The New English Bible, also read.
8 So, then, Jesus was here speaking of himself, the King-designate, as being among them. He was actually there in their midst, as a real person. And this should bring home to us, too, that the Kingdom is a real kingdom, an actual government, even as its King is an actual person.
THE REALITY TODAY
9, 10. What is a real kingdom, and how can it benefit its subjects?
9 Today, few kingdoms remain on this earth. They are real governments, including Norway, the United Kingdom, Jordan and Nepal, to name some of them. In these there is a king (or a queen), together with associated rulers who serve as a parliament, diet or other governmental body. Under this comparatively small ruling group, the masses of the people go about their daily lives. They are the subjects of the kingdom.
10 Where the king and his corulers are deeply concerned about the people’s welfare, a kingdom can provide many benefits. It was that way in the ancient kingdom of Solomon, when the people “were many, like the grains of sand that are by the sea for multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.”—1 Kings 4:20; 10:1-9.a
11. In what ways is the kingdom of God similar to kingdoms on earth?
11 Does the fact that the kingdom of God rules from heaven make it any less real? Why, no! In the first place, it has a king who is very much alive and active. He is God’s own appointee, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the Bible says: “On him nations will rest their hope.” (Romans 15:12) Like governments on earth, the heavenly kingdom has a composite ruling body. The Bible shows this to be made up of a limited number of associate kings, who have proved their integrity to God as men and women upon this earth. To these, Jesus says: “Have no fear, little flock, because your Father has approved of giving you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32; Revelation 5:9, 10; 20:4) The kingdom has heavenly authority. From its vantage point in the heavens, the Kingdom government can project its commands—by means far more powerful than radio or laser beams—to any place on earth.
12, 13. God’s kingdom has what kind of (a) laws, (b) educational arrangement, (c) health program?
12 What about laws? Yes, God’s kingdom operates by laws—the very best of laws, made by God to benefit the people. You can read about them in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Mark 12:28-31) Does the Kingdom have an educational system? Certainly it does! Right now its educational program is reaching out to aid sincere persons of all nations and peoples and languages, to prepare them for life eternal under the Kingdom’s righteous administration. In whatever country of earth you may live, you personally can avail yourself of this course of instruction.—Matthew 24:14; Revelation 7:9, 10; Isaiah 54:13.
13 Does the Kingdom have a health program? It has the most practical of all health programs—that based on the ransom sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This program will rid humans of their ailments and physical weaknesses, so that they may attain to everlasting life in the fullness of good health. (Isaiah 25:8; John 10:10) While he was on earth, Jesus performed many miracles, illustrating that he would have the authority and power to cure the sick, restore sight to the blind, heal the lame, and even bring dead persons back to life. (Luke 7:20-23) While this Kingdom program lies yet in the future, those who are learning about it today are learning also to lead clean, moral lives and are being restored right now to radiant spiritual health. Their hope is a real one.—Isaiah 65:14; Romans 10:11.
14. While on earth, what did Jesus feature in his teaching?
14 When Jesus was a man on earth, he taught many things about the kingdom of God and, in fact, provided a preview of life under its rulership. (Luke 4:43; Matthew 12:22-28) He taught his disciples about God, so that they could draw close to God in the relationship of sons to a loving father. He provided them with sound guidance for coping successfully with the situations we encounter in life.—John 1:18; 14:6.
THE SOURCE OF TRUE HAPPINESS
15. Why were the people of Jesus’ day like us today in needing comfort?
15 The prayer for ‘God’s kingdom to come’ is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus gave on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. His listeners were his chosen disciples, along with crowds of other people. These had been “skinned and thrown about” by selfish men. (Matthew 9:36) What Jesus said brought comfort to his hearers, and his words can be just as comforting to us today.
16. Who are the ones that find true happiness, and how?
16 Jesus started his sermon by pointing to the source of true happiness. Was this to be found in material wealth, in entertainment, in seeking thrills and excitement? No, for Jesus placed the emphasis on spiritual things. He showed that persons who are “conscious of their spiritual need” and who are “hungering and thirsting for righteousness” would find lasting happiness in connection with God’s kingdom. (Matthew 5:3, 6; Luke 8:1, 4-15) Are you cultivating such spiritual interests?
17, 18. (a) What must we do to be approved by God? (b) How does Jesus’ assurance at Matthew 6:26-33 appeal to you?
17 In the course of his sermon, Jesus made it plain that, to be approved by God, we must learn to be imitators of our heavenly Father. We should reflect his qualities and conduct ourselves according to his standards. (Matthew 5:43-48; Ephesians 5:1, 2) To please him our worship cannot be some mere formalism that we go through once or twice a week. It must be a living, active worship, that is reflected in our daily lives and in our loving concern for fellow humans.
18 However, if we place spiritual values first in our lives, will this not lead to our suffering want in today’s greedy, self-seeking society? Not at all! If we ‘seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness,’ then all other necessary things of life will be added to us. Jesus explains this beautifully at Matthew 6:26-33, which you should read.
19, 20. (a) Why is it important to know how God views our worship? (b) How may we be helped to give God’s kingdom prominence in our lives? (c) Why will it be profitable to review “the Lord’s Prayer”?
19 How, then, are we to ‘seek first the kingdom’? Does it mean that if we ‘go to the church of our choice’ we will surely receive God’s blessing? Or do we need to seek out the kind of worship that God chooses for us? Note what Jesus said about this: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.” He made clear that some who claimed ‘to have prophesied in his name and to have done powerful works in his name’ would actually be “workers of lawlessness” from God’s standpoint. (Matthew 7:21-23; see also 7:13, 14.) How can we know for sure how God views our worship? Only by getting well acquainted with what is contained in his Word, the Bible.
20 An examination of the Bible will help us to give God’s kingdom the prominence it deserves in our lives, and in a way that fits our individual circumstances. It will assist us to take a fresh view of life, and to appreciate what the most important things are. So let us consider next that part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount known as “the Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:9-13) A review of this Model Prayer will help us to get a true perspective on what God requires of us if we are to find true happiness. And it will show us that the thrilling theme of the Bible is the sanctifying of God’s name by his kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ.
[Footnotes]
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures quoted in part or in full in this book are quoted from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, published by the producers of this book.
[Box on page 7]
DOES MANKIND NEED GOD’S KINGDOM?
“If a one-megaton nuclear device were exploded over New York City, it would probably kill 2.25 million people immediately, seriously injure an additional 3.6 million, . . . a group of physicians and nuclear physicists agreed yesterday. . . . Their belief is that the world will experience such a war before the century is over and that it would make the continued existence of humans impossible.”—New York “Times,” September 27, 1980
[Box on page 11]
THE REALITY OF GOD’S KINGDOM
KING: Jesus, with authority to rule for 1,000 years.
HEAVENLY CORULERS: Chosen by God from faithful humans.
ITS REALM: Our earth with global paradise to be restored.
LOYAL SUBJECTS: Billions, to include resurrected dead.
LAWS: Based on God’s righteousness, kingly law of love.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: Aiding persons of all races to enjoy a happy life now, and preparing them for everlasting life in the earthly paradise.
[Full-page picture on page 4]
The King of Eternity
Chapter 2
The King of Eternity
1. Why should we have confidence in God as a real Father?
JESUS opened “the Lord’s Prayer” by addressing God as “our Father.” No, not just the Father of Jesus Christ, but eventually the Father of all mankind who obediently worship this loving “Hearer of prayer.” (Psalm 65:2) As “King of eternity” he displays a genuine and lasting concern for his creatures, even as a fine human father does for his children. (1 Timothy 1:17) We should have confidence in “our Father” as a real Person who cares for us. Whatever our language, skin color or station in life, we should feel free to approach him, for “God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.”—Acts 10:34, 35.
2, 3. How has our Father shown himself to be both Life-Giver and Grand Provider? (Genesis 1:1, 2, 31)
2 “Our Father in the heavens” is the Creator, the One who gave life to humankind. (Matthew 6:9; Psalm 36:9) But he is much more than our Life-Giver; he is also our Grand Provider. We would expect a responsible human father to provide home and sustenance for his children, even at the cost of much time and effort. Our heavenly Father has done this, and more, in a most generous way.
3 Consider how lovingly this “King of eternity” prepared the earth to be our home. He located it just right in the expanse of the heavens, and by his almighty power he brought forth on earth everything necessary for happy human habitation. Then he created man and woman, placing them in this delightful home—a grand gift, indeed, “to the sons of men”!—Psalm 115:16; 19:1, 2.
4. (a) What kindly foresight did our Father show in preparing our home? (b) What assures us that he wants us to be happy?
4 What a lovely home our heavenly Father provided for his children here on earth! He arranged it so that cool, restful nights could follow bright days of activity. He ordered the procession of the seasons for our benefit and pleasure. (Genesis 8:22) He supplied an abundance of that essential commodity water, and distributed it over the earth so that we might tap it wherever it was needed. He has spread a refreshing carpet of greenery—millions of square miles of it—throughout our global home. He has decorated it with exquisitely colored flowers. He has landscaped it beautifully amid a backdrop of delightful forests, lakes and mountains. In earth’s “cellar” he has stored abundant supplies of coal, oil and other energy resources. He keeps replenishing earth’s “larder” to overflowing with grains, fruits, vegetables and other tasty delicacies. What a wise, considerate Provider is our heavenly Father! The Bible calls him “the happy God.” Obviously, he wants us to be happy, too.—1 Timothy 1:11; Isaiah 25:6-8.
OUR FATHER’S “NAME”
5. What should be our heart’s desire in praying the opening words of Jesus’ model prayer?
5 Our loving heavenly Father has “a good name,” a fine reputation as a Grand Provider. He has also a personal name, just as does any human father. If we have a worthy fleshly father, we should hate to see his name and reputation reproached. We should want to see his name respected. Even more so, it should be our desire to see our heavenly Father’s name honored. Therefore, from the fullness of our hearts, we should be able to pray the words that Jesus places first in the Model Prayer: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.”—Matthew 6:9; Proverbs 22:1, footnote.
6. With regard to God’s name, what would you like to see?
6 Indeed, it should always be our fervent prayer that the name of the grand Creator of heaven and earth be exalted, raised on high above all other names, and shown to be the most precious, meaningful, lovable name in the universe. Far more important than our own salvation is this sanctification of God’s holy name. His name and reputation must be hallowed—vindicated against all the reproach that infamous creatures have heaped upon it.
7. What does the Bible show to be God’s personal name?
7 What is our heavenly Father’s personal name? It is revealed in a context that shows that the Owner of that grand name has enemies. In describing these, Psalm 83, verses 17 and 18, in the King James Version of the Bible, reads: “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”—See also Psalm 100:3.
8. What have God’s enemies tried to do with his name, and with what result?
8 So, God’s name is JEHOVAH. But many persons who profess to worship God have been very disrespectful of that name. Some have even purged his name from their translations of the Bible, substituting therefor the titles “LORD” and “GOD” in all capital letters. This practice not only hides God’s illustrious name, but also confuses the Lord Jehovah with the Lord Jesus Christ and with other “lords” and “gods” referred to in the Bible. (Psalm 110:1; Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 8:5, 6) How can persons pray honestly for the Father’s name to be hallowed, or sanctified, when they seek to bury that name?
9. (a) What form does God’s name take in Hebrew, and in other tongues? (b) The Bible shows God to be how many persons?
9 The peerless name of God is represented in Hebrew, the first language used in Bible writing, by the characters יהוה, which some pronounce Yahʹweh. The generally accepted form of the name in English is “Jehovah,” and the name is similarly represented in other tongues. By using the name “Jehovah” we are able to indicate clearly who is meant. He is “one Jehovah.” He is not Jesus Christ, for Jesus is God’s loyal Son, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”—Colossians 1:15; Mark 12:29; Deuteronomy 6:4.
10. What does God’s name mean, and how has he demonstrated this?
10 The name “Jehovah” has powerful meaning. It signifies: “He Causes to Become (or, Prove to Be).” This is with regard to Himself, not with respect to His creating things. Thus, he declared “Jehovah” to be his own “memorial” name when he was about to become the miraculous Deliverer of his people Israel from Pharaoh of Egypt. (Exodus 3:13-15) Later, when the prophet Jeremiah acknowledged the Sovereign Lord Jehovah to be the Maker of heaven and earth ‘by his great power and his outstretched arm,’ and as “great in counsel and abundant in acts,” Jehovah assured his prophet that, in His own due time, He would perform a seemingly impossible act by becoming the Restorer of His people from captivity to the Babylonian Empire. And he did!—Jeremiah 32:17-19, 27, 44; 2 Chronicles 36:15-23.
11. How may God’s name be linked today with his kingdom?
11 Today, also, Jehovah is the great God who “causes to become.” He is able personally to become whatever is required, to fill any needed role, in order to perform wonderful things by means of his kingdom, in sanctifying his name and for the benefit of his people. Whatever he purposes to do is done, with success.—Isaiah 48:17; 55:11.
GOD’S NAME SANCTIFIED?
12. How has mankind regarded God?
12 Has mankind shown appreciation, respect and love for this illustrious God, who is so upright and who has provided so wonderfully for his creatures on earth? Look around this globe, and you will see the answer. How woefully God has been misrepresented by the religions of so-called Christian nations! Many of these nations have seen him as a partisan God, and have prayed for him to help them in warring against their fellowmen. Others have regarded him as a fiendish God, who consigns “departed souls” to agonizing flames of eternal torment. Still others have degraded him by likening him to lifeless images of wood or stone. Many have willfully violated his righteous laws, saying that God no longer sees or cares.—Contrast Acts 10:34, 35; Jeremiah 7:31; Isaiah 42:8 and; 1 Peter 5:7.
13. What would be the final result if misguided persons were permitted to pursue their unloving ways?
13 However, if misguided persons do not love God and sanctify his name, how are they going to love their fellowmen? (1 John 4:20, 21; 5:3) And unless love is restored among the family of mankind, the world must at last become a jungle of disunity, violence and anarchy. In some places, it is that way already. With the spread of nuclear armaments among the nations, someday trigger-happy persons could annihilate the entire human race. But that is something our loving Father will never permit!—Psalm 104:5; 119:90; Isaiah 45:18.
HOW GOD SANCTIFIES HIS NAME
14, 15. Who takes the lead in sanctifying God’s name, and how?
14 Who is it that takes the lead in sanctifying God’s name? Why, it is Jehovah himself! This he does by acting in vindication of his righteous standards. He will execute judgment on all who defy his holy will, including those who oppress their fellowmen and those who teach falsehoods about God. (Psalm 140:12, 13; Jeremiah 25:29-31) Jehovah cannot deny himself. He is the true God, who deserves the exclusive worship of all his creatures. He is the Universal Sovereign, to whom all creatures owe obedience.—Romans 3:4; Exodus 34:14; Psalm 86:9.
15 In sanctifying his name, the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will rid this earth of all humans who act ruinously, contrary to his will. This is because he hates wickedness and loves righteousness. (Psalm 11:5-7) As he himself says: “I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezekiel 38:23) Clearly, then, if we want to enjoy Jehovah’s approval, we too must sanctify his name, treating it as holy and deserving of full respect, and live in harmony with his will.
16. What part does our conduct play in sanctifying God’s name?
16 The conduct of all who worship Jehovah either honors the name of God or dishonors it. May all of us conduct ourselves in a way that causes others to speak well of the grand God that we serve and that brings joy to Jehovah’s own heart. (1 Peter 2:12; Proverbs 27:11) As obedient children, we should want to show thankfulness to our Father for all his gifts, including our delightful home—the earth—which will be restored to even greater glory under the Kingdom rule of his Son.—Isaiah 6:3; 29:22, 23.
17. With what attitude should we approach the “King of eternity” in prayer?
17 How desirable it is that we come into an approved relationship with this “King of eternity”! However, we cannot do this on our own merit, for all of us were conceived by sinful parents and brought forth imperfect. But we can pray to God as did King David: “Conceal your face from my sins, and wipe out even all my errors. Create in me even a pure heart, O God, and put within me a new spirit, a steadfast one.” (Psalm 51:5-10) As we learn what “our Father in the heavens” requires of us, we can pray for a share in the eternal blessings that his kingdom will bring. Yes, confidently we can pray for God’s kingdom to come. And what will that kingdom mean for mankind here on earth? Let us see.
What the Kingdom Means for Our Earth
Chapter 3
What the Kingdom Means for Our Earth
1, 2. How does the coming of the Kingdom show that God cares for earth and its people?
JESUS’ model prayer continues with these words: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) God is deeply concerned with our earth, and with all who live and who have lived here. That is why the Kingdom comes, to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth,” to provide for the resurrection of the dead, to remove the enemy death and to make our globe a happy, peaceful home for mankind’s habitation.—Revelation 11:15, 18; 21:1, 3, 4.
2 How eagerly, then, we should pray those words, “Let your kingdom come”! This is God’s kingdom in the hands of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. By means of it the will of Jehovah, who is himself the “King of eternity,” shall indeed be carried out on this earth. Consider what that will mean for the people of all nations:
THE “PRINCE OF PEACE” RULES
3, 4. (a) Despite taking what prophetic words to itself has the U.N. failed, and why? (b) What agency alone can provide lasting peace, and by what means?
3 Looking forward to Christ’s Kingdom rule, God’s prophet describes him as the “Prince of Peace,” and adds, “To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end.” The same prophet assures us: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Though these last words are inscribed on the plaza wall across the street from the United Nations, it is not that strife-torn international body that fulfills the prophecy. For the U.N. has failed dismally as an organ for establishing peace and security among nations.—Isaiah 2:4, AV; Isa 9:6, 7, NW.
4 True and lasting peace requires that there be justice for everyone, a real practice of righteousness. Only the kingdom of the “Prince of Peace” can guarantee this; it will be ‘firmly established and sustained by means of righteousness.’ Yes, that kingdom is God’s agency for providing “upon earth peace among men of goodwill.”—Isaiah 9:7; 32:17; Luke 2:14.
5. In establishing real peace, what astonishing things does the Kingdom accomplish?
5 How will the Kingdom do this? It will be, outstandingly, through the ‘coming’ of God’s kingdom by his “Prince of Peace” against the warring nations of the world. Psalm 46:8, 9 invites us: “Behold the activities of Jehovah, how he has set astonishing events on the earth. He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the [war] wagons he burns in the fire.” The Kingdom will outlaw all weapons of violence. Moreover, it will not permit wicked thugs and rapists to stalk the streets, for under God’s kingdom “the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:9-11.
A PROPHETIC ILLUSTRATION
6. What glorious fulfillment did Bible prophecy have in the sixth century B.C.E.?
6 Many prophecies of the Bible have reference to the captivity of Israel of old. After serving Babylon for 70 years, a faithful remnant of Israelites returned to their own land in 537 B.C.E. All those years, the land had lain in desolation, a wilderness. But now, with Jehovah’s blessing on his people, there was a remarkable transformation. Prophecy written hundreds of years in advance came to glorious fulfillment:
“The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. Without fail it will blossom, and it will really be joyful with joyousness and with glad crying out. The glory of Lebanon itself must be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and of Sharon. There will be those who will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.”—Isaiah 35:1, 2; see also Isaiah 65:18-25; Micah 4:4.
7. What, then, can we expect for our earth when God’s kingdom ‘comes’?
7 As history testifies, these prophecies had a marvelous fulfillment toward God’s restored people during the century following their release from Babylon. And when God’s kingdom ‘comes’ for the blessing of all of God’s children here on earth, will it do any less in restoring paradisaic conditions to our globe? The answer is a resounding No! The Kingdom will indeed see that God’s original mandate to mankind to ‘subdue the earth,’ making all of it into an Edenic paradise, will be carried out to completion.—Genesis 1:28; 2:8-14; Isaiah 45:18.
A GLOBAL PARADISE
8. Under the Kingdom, what will happen to food and fuel supplies, and because of the application of what law?
8 When God’s kingdom ‘comes,’ food shortages and inflation will disappear, for “there will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow.” Our loving Father will again “cause food to go forth from the earth, and wine that makes the heart of mortal man rejoice, to make the face shine with oil, and bread that sustains the very heart of mortal man.” (Psalm 72:16; 104:14, 15) There will be no problems of food distribution among nations, no rationing, no lining up for fuel supplies. Greedy profiteers will be gone. All mankind will obey the kingly law, “You must love your neighbor as yourself,” sharing with one another according to the need.—James 2:8.
9. What assurance do we have that nothing will then harm mankind?
9 Moreover, we can expect that the Kingdom will control natural upheavals, such as earthquakes and hurricanes. Jesus indicated how this could be done when he stilled “a great violent windstorm.” Thus, his disciples took note that “even the wind and the sea obey him.” (Mark 4:37-41) In all the earthly realm of God’s kingdom, there will be nothing that hurts, harms or brings to ruin.—Compare Isaiah 11:6-9.
10. What did Jesus’ many miracles indicate with regard to the Kingdom?
10 No longer will large hospitals be needed to house the physically and mentally sick. Heart disease, cancer and other crippling illnesses will be eradicated, for the Master Physician, Jesus Christ, will apply the value of his ransom sacrifice “for the curing of the nations.” Jesus’ many miracles of healing and raising the dead, performed while he was on earth, are only a small indication of what he will accomplish by his powerful Kingdom rule. Even mankind’s inherited dying condition will be removed, for we are assured that “death will be no more.”—Revelation 21:4; 22:1, 2; Matthew 11:2-5; Mark 10:45; Romans 5:18, 19.
11. During Jesus’ Kingdom rule, what joy will cap it all?
11 And joy of joys!—cemeteries will no longer mar the landscape, for even these will have been emptied. A “firstfruits” of the resurrection, 144,000 loyal disciples of Jesus, are to be united with him in the heavens as his associates in his kingdom. There will also be fulfilled Jesus’ marvelous promise that the rest of the dead “in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out . . . to a resurrection.” These will have the delightful opportunity to be brought to human perfection as subjects of the Kingdom here on earth.—John 5:28, 29; Revelation 14:1-5; 20:4-6, 11, 12.
12. (a) Why should you want to live eternally in paradise? (b) According to John 17:3, what must we do in order to be there?
12 Do you wish to be one of those who will live to see this earth cleansed of all wickedness and transformed into a paradise of pleasure? Do you wish to be here to welcome back the resurrected dead? Would you like to live forever on an earth made glorious—where no one grows weak with age or ever tires of the delights that come with each day of life? You may, if you follow God’s requirements for gaining life. Jesus put it simply, when he said in prayer to his Father: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) What a privilege it will be to live eternally in paradise, when “the earth will be filled with the knowing of the glory of Jehovah as the waters themselves cover over the sea”!—Habakkuk 2:14.
“OUR BREAD FOR THIS DAY”
13. Why may we confidently pray for “our bread for this day”?
13 However, we today are deeply concerned with present needs. For many of us, making a living and providing for our families have become a real challenge. So we need not only to pray for the Father to sanctify his great name and cause his will to be done on earth through the coming of his kingdom; we need also to pray to God for our daily necessities, for “our bread for this day.” This we can do with full confidence that, if we endeavor to live according to God’s righteous principles and keep the interests of his kingdom first in our lives, God will do his part as the Great Provider. It is just as Jesus goes on to tell us: “Never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”—Matthew 6:11, 31-33.
“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS”
14, 15. (a) In praying the words of Matthew 6:12, how should we be ready to act? (b) In this, what marvelous examples may we imitate?
14 In building an intimate relationship with our Father, we need humbly to recognize our indebtedness to him, and to acknowledge our trespasses against God and our fellowmen. Appropriate it is, then, to pray to God: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”—Matthew 6:12.
15 As a marvelous kindness, completely undeserved on our part, God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world, so that he might “give his soul a ransom in exchange for many” of us humans. This provides a basis for forgiving our sins. (Matthew 20:28) How great is God’s mercy thus displayed to sinful mankind! What compelling reason we have, then, for overlooking the weaknesses of our fellowmen! We should be ready to go even farther than that: to forgive even serious sins against us. In this way we can display toward others that quality of intense love that Jesus said would be an identifying mark of true Christians.—John 13:35; Colossians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:22.
“DELIVER US FROM THE WICKED ONE”
16, 17. (a) How are we to understand the words, “Do not bring us into temptation”? (b) How may we act in harmony with the prayer ‘to be delivered from the wicked one’?
16 Finally, Jesus instructs us to pray to God: “Do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.” (Matthew 6:13) Let us not think that God places temptations in our path, causing us to fall. Rather, it is that wicked rebel against God, Satan, who wants to turn us away from God.
17 However, the Father equips us to “stand firm against the machinations of the Devil,” yes, to wrestle successfully with him and the wicked spirit forces that he controls. So that we may not be ‘brought into temptation,’ God provides us a complete suit of spiritual armor, which we may put on. The apostle Paul describes it at Ephesians 6:10-18. As we stand firm in using this God-given equipment, carrying on prayer, the Father will see to it that we are ‘not brought into temptation,’ but are ‘delivered from the wicked one.’—1 Peter 5:6-9.
18. In summary, what is the content of the Model Prayer?
18 May Jehovah’s illustrious name be sanctified soon through the ‘coming of his kingdom.’ May his will be done on earth by the clearing out of all badness and by making this a global paradise to his praise. As long as the present evil system lasts, may our loving heavenly Father provide us the necessities of life, help us to maintain fine relations with others and deliver us from Satan’s clutches. These are the things for which Jesus taught us to pray. His model prayer contains it all.
[Box on page 25]
WHAT GOD’S KINGDOM WILL DO
● Uphold Jehovah’s sovereignty, end Satan’s rule.
● Rid earth of false religion and oppressive rulers.
● Bring in Christ’s reign as “Prince of Peace.”
● Cause all earth to blossom as a glorious paradise.
● Remove all shortages of housing, food and fuel.
● Establish society on basis of neighbor love.
● Control earth’s natural forces, prevent disasters.
● Eliminate stresses, worries, aches, pains, old age.
● Destroy the enemy death, sickness and all sorrow.
● Raise the dead billions, to live forever on earth.
The Kingdom ‘Comes’—from Where?
Chapter 4
The Kingdom ‘Comes’—from Where?
1. On the basis of 1 Timothy 1:17 and Revelation 15:3, what important questions are raised?
SINCE the Bible describes Jehovah as the “King of eternity,” why does a kingdom have to “come” to sanctify his name? (1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 15:3) And from where does it come?
2. What conditions in government have brought reproach on God’s name, and in what way?
2 In the first place, it is obvious that some sweeping change must take place in order to restore righteousness, peace and happiness to this earth. Not only have individual governments in many ways failed to care for the welfare of their citizens, but the nations are in turmoil among themselves. Hatreds, rivalries and nationalistic prejudices divide people and races. These conditions grossly misrepresent the purpose of the Creator and have caused much reproach to be heaped upon his name.—Romans 2:24; Ezekiel 9:9.
3. (a) How does God’s kingdom “come” into this picture? (b) What is so special about the Kingdom?
3 To correct this situation, a very special government is needed. And that is what Jehovah provides. From where does it come? From Jehovah himself, who dwells in the heavens. It is a dependent kingdom that expresses Jehovah’s own universal sovereignty. It derives its authority from the kingship that Jehovah has exercised from the beginning, long before our heavens and earth were created. Since it is born from God’s heavenly organization, this very special divine government inherits the marvelous characteristics of Jehovah’s agelong sovereignty.—Revelation 12:1, 2, 5.
JEHOVAH’S UNIVERSAL SOVEREIGNTY
4. What expression at Revelation 4:11 aptly describes Jehovah’s sovereignty?
4 Because he “created all things” God is the rightful Sovereign over all existing creation. Even those whom God exalts to kingship in the heavens must “fall down before the One seated upon the throne and worship the One that lives forever and ever.” These humbly acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of the “King of eternity”—as shown by this further description of them:
“And they cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.’” (Revelation 4:10, 11; Ephesians 3:9)
Is that the way you view God’s sovereignty? It should be.
5. In comparison with human governments, how is Jehovah’s kingship all-embracing?
5 Among humans a kingdom governs according to law. This is necessary for maintaining order. Usually, governments include judges who try cases at law, parliaments to make the statutes of the law, and a king or a president who administers the law. In the universe that he created, Jehovah God fills all three of such offices, as the prophet Isaiah indicates, saying: “Jehovah is our Judge, Jehovah is our Statute-giver, Jehovah is our King.” (Isaiah 33:22) And to this King David adds the words: “Jehovah himself has firmly established his throne in the very heavens; and over everything his own kingship has held domination.” (Psalm 103:19) Let us examine some aspects of that kingship.
GOD’S UNIVERSAL LAWS
6. What demonstrates the superiority of God’s laws?
6 Governments of men seek to regulate the actions of their human subjects, but they cannot control the forces of nature that so profoundly affect their lives. Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign, can, and he does. Men of science have often marveled at the exactness of the laws by which the physical universe keeps running. These are laws of God. It is because such laws apply without variation that men have been able to land on the moon, communicate through satellites, forecast eclipses and bring forth thousands of intricate inventions. God’s laws also control the sun and the rain, and he can regulate these for the blessing of those who obey him.—Psalm 89:8, 11-13; Job 38:33, 34; Zechariah 14:17.
7. (a) How do Jehovah’s laws testify to his godship? (b) Like Job, how should we regard God’s ways?
7 With reference to the stupendous array of heavenly bodies, God’s prophet says: “Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom he calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, he also being vigorous in power, not one of them is missing. Have you not come to know or have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the extremities of the earth, is a God to time indefinite.” (Isaiah 40:26, 28) Through billions of years Jehovah has controlled his vast universe by so-called “natural” laws. Humans have tried to unlock the secrets of these laws, but there is so much they have yet to learn! They have advanced little farther than that faithful man of 3,500 years ago, who declared: “Look! These are the fringes of his ways, and what a whisper of a matter has been heard of him! But of his mighty thunder who can show an understanding?”—Job 26:14.
8. What other qualities of God blend in, showing him to be a Grand Provider?
8 However, in creating our earth, Jehovah did much more than establish it on the basis of his physical laws. His fathomless wisdom and immeasurable love were blended in with his power and his laws, in making marvelous preparation for earth’s future inhabitants. What kindly foresight, what masterful skill, is to be observed in God’s creative works here on earth! (1 John 4:8; Psalm 104:24; 145:3-5, 13) As we noted in an earlier chapter, Jehovah is indeed the Grand Provider!
9. What are some of the things for which we should thank God?
9 We should be thankful to God for all of his marvelous provisions. Also, we should thank him for the way he designed and made us humans, with our physical and mental abilities and our senses whereby we may find delight in his creations. Yes, we should be ready to acknowledge to God, as did the psalmist: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was woven in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your [design] book all its parts were down in writing, as regards the days when they were formed and there was not yet one among them.”—Psalm 139:14-16.
10. What shows Jehovah to be fully capable of righting matters on earth?
10 The Sovereign Lord Jehovah, who created the universe and all things in it, establishing the systems of things out of his love and wisdom, and according to his righteous laws, is also the one of whom the Bible says: “Righteousness and judgment are the established place of your throne; loving-kindness and trueness themselves come in before your face.” (Psalm 89:14) Surely Jehovah is in position to bring forth a Kingdom government that will set matters right in the earth. (Psalm 40:4, 5) But how does he do this?
REVEALING A SECRET
11. (a) Why, today, should we be happy that true knowledge is available? (b) How may we identify “Michael,” and what does his name signify?
11 In the Bible we find many prophecies that refer to God’s setting up a kingdom that will sanctify his name and cause his will to be done on earth. One of these is the prophecy of Daniel, which points to “the time of the end” when “true knowledge will become abundant.” We can be happy that such knowledge is available to us today. For Daniel tells us:
“There will certainly occur a time of distress such as has not been made to occur since there came to be a nation until that time. And during that time your people will escape.”
As Daniel states, this will be at the time when the great prince Michael stands up on behalf of God’s people. The Bible identifies Michael as Jesus Christ, who wars against God’s enemies in order to sanctify Jehovah’s name. Appropriately, then, the name “Michael” means “Who Is Like God?” for it is Michael who proves that no one can successfully challenge Jehovah’s sovereignty.—Daniel 12:1, 4; Revelation 12:7-10.
12. What is the dream picture at Daniel 2:31-33, and why should it interest us today?
12 The prophecy of Daniel tells also of a dream had by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, a dream about a succession of kingdoms. The king promptly forgot what the dream was about, though it continued to agitate him greatly. Finally, the “Revealer of secrets,” Jehovah God, used Daniel to make known to the king not only the dream but also its interpretation. (Daniel 2:29) Since the fulfillment of this prophetic dream continues right down to and beyond our day, we should be deeply interested in its meaning. The dream was about an “immense image” of human form—dreadful in appearance. You may read about it at Daniel 2:31-33. What does that image picture?
13. What do the various sections of the image picture?
13 Daniel made known to Nebuchadnezzar that its head of gold stood for the “king” of Babylon, and that the lower parts of its body represented other kingdoms that would arise after Babylon. Today, we can recognize these as the mighty empires of Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, with the “legs” extending down into the dual Anglo-American World Power of modern times. But what of the feet, made “partly of molded clay of a potter and partly of iron”? In recent years, socialistic popular movements have greatly weakened ironlike authority in the Anglo-American World Power, even as the feet of the immense image were made fragile due to the iron “not mixing with molded clay.” Thus, this dreadful image represents successive human “kings,” or world powers that terminate when God’s kingdom destroys them.—Daniel 2:36-44.
14, 15. What does the “stone” do to the image, and how can we identify that “stone”?
14 For, look! A “stone” is miraculously cut out from a mountain, “not by hands.” No human physical agency is responsible for this operation. Rather, Jehovah himself brings it forth, according to his holy will. Hurtling toward the mighty image, the stone strikes it at the feet. It crushes the entire structure of human rulership, so that the remains are scattered as chaff before the wind. The stone itself then becomes a large mountain that fills the whole earth.—Daniel 2:34, 35.
15 What could this “stone” be? The prophecy removes all doubt when it states:
“In the days of those kings [the Anglo-American World Power and the surviving remnants of the world powers that have preceded it] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”—Daniel 2:44.
16. In praying, “Let your kingdom come,” what things are we petitioning?
16 What does this mean for us today? It means that when we pray for God’s kingdom to “come,” we are in fact petitioning that the heavenly kingdom use its destructive power in crushing all man-made governments, which have failed so miserably to bring in peace and prosperity. Happily, that “stone,” on completing its mission of destruction, will itself grow into a governmental mountain that fills the whole earth. It will bring peace such as mankind has not known since the days of King Solomon, “the abundance of peace until the moon is no more”—which means forever!—Psalm 72:7.
17. (a) Why should the relationship of the “stone” to the original “mountain” give us confidence? (b) What further action does the Kingdom take? (c) As stated at Psalm 85:8-12, what confidence should we have?
17 However, what of the “mountain” out of which this Kingdom “stone” is cut? (Daniel 2:45) The “stone” must be dependent on, and be made of the same stuff as the mountain, and indeed it is. This Kingdom rulership is cut out from the all-embracing, overall sovereignty of the King of eternity—Jehovah God. Just as the universal sovereignty of Jehovah reflects all of his fine qualities, so the kingdom that is cut out of that sovereignty must exalt Jehovah God and his grand purposes. It sanctifies his name by crushing his enemies, showing that he is not a party to their wicked deeds. Then this kingdom by Christ Jesus fills the earth with law and order, and with love and joy, transforming it into the righteous, peaceful place that God purposed from the beginning. Truly, we should be praying for ‘the Kingdom to come’!—Psalm 85:8-12.
The Kingdom—Why So Long in ‘Coming’?
Chapter 5
The Kingdom—Why So Long in ‘Coming’?
1. In view of Romans 8:22, what questions arise?
THE apostle Paul writes: “We know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together.” (Romans 8:22) Why is this so? Why has God permitted the wars, the crime, the sickness and the misery of the past 6,000 years of recorded history? What went wrong, that humankind, created to live according to divine law, should now be plagued with lawlessness? Why has not our heavenly Father corrected this situation? If the Kingdom is the solution, why has it been so long in ‘coming’? Can we really hope that God will reverse these terrible conditions?
2. Under God’s sovereignty, what should earth have become?
2 Under the supreme rulership, or sovereignty, of “the King of eternity,” ideal conditions should have prevailed on earth since the time of creation in Eden. As the first man and woman brought forth children, and the human family multiplied into thousands of millions of family units, the entire earth should have become a paradise of beauty, filled with the joyful laughter and neighborly love of peaceful races of mankind.—Compare Ecclesiastes 2:24.
3. (a) In what likeness was man created? (b) What were the first human couple commissioned to do? (c) What question must we now ask?
3 That is what the loving Creator purposed for this earth when he created man after his own moral likeness and formed woman from the man. For the Bible account of creation tells us:
“Male and female he created them. Further, God blessed them and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.’ . . . After that God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Genesis 1:26-31)
Why, then, does God’s creation on earth not look “very good” today?
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY CHALLENGED
4. (a) What law of God excels, and why? (b) Who wanted to make different laws, and how did he go about this?
4 Creation had as its basis God’s laws. And outstanding among these is the law of love. God himself “is love.” (1 John 4:8) But now someone appeared who wanted to make different laws for mankind. That “someone” was an invisible angelic ‘son of God,’ no doubt one of those who ‘shouted in applause’ when Jehovah created the earth and everything upon it. (Job 38:7) This angel turned himself into a satan, an adversary of God. He wanted to become independent, sought worship for himself and sowed a spirit of rebellion. (Ephesians 2:1, 2; compare Luke 4:5-7.) He schemed to use our first human parents for his own selfish ends. How did he go about this?
5, 6. (a) What simple command did God lay on Adam? (b) What approach did Satan make, and why is he properly called “the Devil”?
5 In the paradisaic garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were the recipients of Jehovah’s benevolent rule. God provided everything necessary to sustain them spiritually and physically. For their own continuing welfare, he required also that they obey him as their Sovereign Lord. To this end he had given Adam a simple commandment, that he must not eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” This applied also to Eve, after her creation. It was not that God was depriving them of anything, for the other trees in the garden provided a delightful variety of nourishing fruits. However, if they were to disobey God in eating of this one fruit, they would “positively die.” Slyly, through a serpent, the rebel Satan made his approach first to Eve, saying: “You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating [the fruit of the tree] your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.”—Genesis 2:17; 3:1-5.
6 That made God appear to be a liar. But it was Satan who really was the liar. Rightly, that “father of the lie” came also to be called the Devil, meaning “Slanderer.” (John 8:44) Here was a direct challenge to Jehovah’s sovereignty, his Kingship over his creatures. It implied that God was withholding knowledge to which they were entitled, that God’s rulership was not to be trusted, that they would do better to go their own independent way, setting their own standards of “good and bad.”
7. In what respects did the human pair fail under test?
7 How did the woman respond to this slanderous speech? She failed to guard her heart, permitting wrong desire to take root there. This desire then became fertile, so that she was deceived into willfully committing sin by disobeying God. In this she also flouted the headship of her husband, whom she should have consulted. And how did the man react? “Adam was not deceived,” but chose to throw in his lot with Eve, willfully joining her in her course of rebellion. What a sad day that was for our first parents, and for the entire race of mankind!—Genesis 3:6, 7; 1 Timothy 2:14; compare James 1:14, 15.
8. (a) What just sentence did God pass on Adam and Eve? (b) Did they have souls that would go to heaven or to a hell of torment at death? (c) What king came to rule over us, and why?
8 Adam and Eve had shown gross disregard for God’s sovereignty. So now, in harmony with his law, God announced the sentence of death, telling Adam:
“For dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)
God did not here mean that only Adam’s body would die, while some inner “soul” or “spirit” escaped from the body to keep on living in a heaven or a hell. No, for Adam himself was a “soul.” As the creation account says, at Genesis 2:7: “Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.” In due course, both Adam and Eve died—as souls. And because the entire human race is the offspring of the sin-tainted Adam, all of us have inherited sin and death. “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) Yes, as human souls, we all die. Death has come to rule as king over us. —Romans 5:12, 14; 6:12; Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20; 9:5, 10; Psalm 6:5; 115:17.
THE ISSUE OF MAN’S INTEGRITY
9. What other issue was raised in Eden?
9 However, it was not only God’s sovereignty that was called into question by the rebellion in Eden. Another issue was raised. Since the very first humans that God had placed on earth had become unfaithful under test, was there something wrong with God’s creation? Could it truly be said that all his works were “perfect”?
10. (a) Was God’s creation defective, and why do you so answer? (b) How may humans show themselves to be ‘in God’s likeness’?
10 God might have destroyed Adam and Eve immediately and created another human pair. But would not that have been an admission that his first creation was defective? It was not defective. It was only that our first parents had elected to use their moral capacity of free choice in the wrong way. If they had been robots that had to do right under all circumstances, then they would have been lacking in a moral sense. They would not have been ‘in God’s likeness.’ Jehovah always does things perfectly, in the right way, because he is love. He wants his intelligent creatures likewise to be motivated by love in doing what is right.—Genesis 1:26, 27; 1 John 5:3.
11. What light does Deuteronomy 32:4, 5 throw on the situation back there?
11 It is written of Jehovah: “The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” His creation, humankind, can also be faithful, righteous and upright. So he permitted Adam and Eve to bring forth children. Even though these inherited sinful traits from their parents, yet there would be those among them who would prove their unswerving love for their Creator and prove their integrity to him, even in their fleshly imperfection and in the face of bitter trials and persecutions that might come their way. But others of mankind would ‘act ruinously’ and show themselves not to be God’s children. That would be their own choice, the defect being chargeable to them and not to God.—Deuteronomy 32:4, 5.
12, 13. (a) How did Satan taunt God with regard to Job? (b) What reply did Job provide, and with what result to him?
12 That Satan the Devil pressed this issue of man’s integrity before God is shown in the Bible book of Job. The man Job, who lived some 2,500 years after Adam’s deflection, was “blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad.” Satan taunted God that Job’s uprightness was not genuine, that he served God only for what he could get out of it. So God permitted Satan to put Job to the test. Job suffered severe property losses; his 10 children were killed in a disaster; he himself was later afflicted with a loathsome disease, and finally his own wife mocked him, saying: “Are you yet holding fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” Next, Job had to contend with the sarcastic reproaches of three false comforters.—Job 1:6–2:13.
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