A World With All the Answers
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”—Proverbs 13:12, The Jerusalem Bible.
HOPE for answers to man’s problems has been deferred for six thousand years, and millions are sick at heart because of it. But soon desire fulfilled will be a tree of life. Current happenings make timely Jesus’ words: “Lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near.” (Luke 21:28) A world with all the answers is at hand.
We do not mean, however, the world of mankind as presently ordered and arranged. (Matthew 12:32, King James Version) Rather, the world with the answers is a new system of things, called in the Bible “new heavens and a new earth.” The apostle Peter pointed forward to our day for its coming. He spoke of the watery destruction of the wicked world of Noah’s day and of the fiery judgments that will wipe out this present world of ungodly people, and then he told what would follow: “But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise.” By this he meant God’s Messianic Kingdom in the heavens and its obedient subjects on earth. “And in these,” we are assured, “righteousness is to dwell.”—Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:5-13.
Now, it must be admitted that many of the people’s woes today are self-inflicted. It is within their power to eliminate most of these troubles, but it is obviously not within their will to do so. What current problem, for example, would not yield to the practice of Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself or to treat others as you want others to treat you? (Matthew 7:12; 22:39) Just think what men could do right now! No war, no famine, no violence, no crime, no pollution, no drugs, and many other woes ended as well.
Even so, other woes would remain. What about the inborn human tendency to sin? (Psalm 51:5) And old age? And death itself? What it comes down to is this: The job is beyond the power of men to accomplish. It will take “the power beyond what is normal” for people. It will take God’s power.—2 Corinthians 4:7.
It will take the ending of this present old “heavens” and “earth” and in its stead the promised “new heavens and a new earth.” Note the words the apostle John was inspired to write about this changeover: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away . . . And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”—Revelation 21:1, 4.
But many sincere people today find it hard to embrace this hope. It sounds too good to be true. Moreover, misled by unscientific theorizings and by faithless clergymen who set aside creation to embrace evolution, their belief in the Bible has been eroded. They should, however, remember two things: (1) Men cannot foretell the future, and (2) the Bible can and does. The Bible’s ability to do this is proof that it is from God, as Isaiah 46:9, 10 says: “There is no other God, nor anyone like me; the One telling from the beginning the finale, and from long ago the things that have not been done.”
Jesus gave a composite sign to identify the time of his presence and the end of this system of things: world wars, famines, pestilences, restless people, fear of what lies ahead, worldwide persecution of his witnesses, yet their preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom in all the earth and their sounding of the warning of the coming end of this ungodly world. (Matthew, chapter 24; Mark, chapter 13; Luke, chapter 21) That sign, foretold over 19 centuries ago, is now visible.
The apostle Paul foretold that “in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Certainly a perfect description of our days!
Peter prophesied that “in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’” (2 Peter 3:3, 4) The scoffers are now noisily sounding off, in fulfillment of this prophecy.
But contrary to their claim, things are not continuing as always. In the book of Revelation, John spoke of the time of the end when Christ would come and rule as associate King with the Sovereign Lord and King Jehovah God; when the nations would become wrathful; when the dead would be judged and the prophets and holy ones rewarded; and when God would “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:15-18) Never before has the earth been polluted so ruinously, or have scoffers ridiculed so blatantly, or the moral breakdown spread so flagrantly, and the composite sign given by Jesus been fulfilled so completely.
The conditions for which the world has no answers were foretold to come on this generation. Also foretold was the nations’ failure to have any answers for them, “not knowing the way out.” But the ‘new heavens and the new earth’ do know the way out and will bring it to pass, ending even satanic influence and death itself.—Luke 21:25; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14.
The Bible foretold the conditions that now afflict this generation, the conditions for which this world has no answers. It also foretold that these conditions would mark the last days of this present world. Even now, many prominent scholars and scientists are warning that this world could be approaching its end. The Bible also foretold the sign of an incoming righteous new system of things. These prophecies recorded thousands of years ago and now coming to pass confirm the divine inspiration of the Bible—and there is much more proof of this book’s reliability for those who have eyes willing to see it and ears willing to hear it.
The Bible is trustworthy, it is inspired, it is the book that tells about a world with all the answers.
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The scoffers are now noisily sounding off
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Much proof here for eyes willing to see it and ears willing to hear it
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Inspired Answers to People’s Problems
No war. “He is making wars to cease.” “Neither will they learn war anymore.”—Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 2:4.
No famine. “The earth itself will certainly give its produce.” “There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth.”—Psalm 67:6; 72:16.
No sickness. “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”—Isaiah 33:24.
No pollution. “Bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”—Revelation 11:18.
No crime. “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain.”—Isaiah 11:9.
No wicked. “As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth.”—Proverbs 2:22.
No old age. “Let his flesh become fresher than in youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.”—Job 33:25.
No death. “The gift God gives is everlasting life.” “Death will be no more.”—Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:4.
No Satan. “He seized . . . Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”—Revelation 20:2.
People changed. “Strip off the old personality . . . clothe yourselves with the new personality.”—Colossians 3:9, 10.
One religion. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”—Ephesians 4:5.
One government. “In the days of those kings 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.