What Comfort for the Victims?

FOR those confronted with the sudden loss of their loved ones in alcohol-related accidents, there is “no time . . . for saying ‘Goodbye,’ . . . or ‘I love you,’” states Janice Lord, author of Survivor Grief Following a Drunk-Driving Crash.

As we have seen, survivors have much to deal with: shock, horror, anger, and despair. The death of loved ones in such a manner creates a sense of permanent loss. The survivors may feel that the hurt they have suffered can never really be undone.

Realizing the pain that such loss causes, many authorities work for laws or conditions that might reduce the shockingly high number of casualties each year. For instance, one official pointed to character weaknesses in those guilty of drinking and driving and suggested setting up reporting centers for them where, through education and job and drug counseling, they ‘could be reinforced and strengthened’ to overcome their weaknesses.

What Is Really Needed?

However desirable this may be, no human or human agency can erase the hurt inflicted on the victims, nor can humans bring back the dead. What is needed to undo all the damage is far more than what humans can provide. What is really needed is an entirely different arrangement in the world, one that would not be based on today’s selfish and destructive ‘thrills at any cost’ concepts that take so many lives.

Is there any sound basis in hoping for that kind of a better world where such tragedies would be a thing of the past? Yes, there is. In fact, there is a sure hope of a new world here on earth where these tragedies will cease, a world in which even accident victims will be brought back to life. What indescribable joy when these are reunited with their loved ones! It will be a new world where, in time, the sad memories of past tragedies will forever be erased.

That hope of a new world is found in God’s inspired Word, the Bible, which states: “[God] will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces.” (Isaiah 25:8) This will include bringing back dead ones from the grave. As the apostle Paul wrote: “I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Jesus and the apostles demonstrated this by resurrecting dead ones.​—Luke 7:11-16; 8:40-42, 49-56; John 11:1, 14, 38-45; Acts 9:36-42; 20:7-12.

Life on earth in a new world, including life for dead ones raised from the grave, will be beautifully crowned with human perfection. God’s healing power will make the minds and bodies of all living then completely sound: “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’” “At that time the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped. At that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.”​—Isaiah 33:24; 35:5, 6; see also Matthew 15:30, 31.

The Bible describes the future condition of humankind on earth by stating that God “will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) The Provider of the marvelous benefits and happifying conditions to come declares: “The former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart. But exult, you people, and be joyful forever in what I am creating.”​—Isaiah 65:17, 18.

By whose authority will all of this take place? By the authority and power of the grand Giver of hope, the Creator of the universe, Jehovah God. He guarantees in his Word that such a new system in which “righteousness is to dwell” will shortly replace this present selfish and violent system of things, a system already deep into its “last days.”​—2 Peter 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13; Proverbs 2:21, 22.

Comfort From God’s Word

Jehovah’s Witnesses, like other people, are not immune to the tragedies of our times, nor do they, in this dangerous world, anticipate divine protection from death, accidental or otherwise. They know that this is not God’s will for the present. Ecclesiastes 9:11 states: “Time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.” Yet, the Witnesses have long directed attention to God’s Word, as his promises provide lasting comfort for all who embrace them.

One of Jehovah’s Witnesses was deeply affected when a drunk driver killed her brother-in-law and left his wife (her sister) mentally crippled from a severe head injury, so that she needed continual care. They too were Jehovah’s Witnesses. She relates:

“For the better part of a year, I was frequently in tears, and I was angry. I was angry at the young man who had caused this tragedy, angry at his parents for not keeping closer supervision of him. At times that anger was even directed toward God and the angels for not preventing this from happening. Such a waste of two fine people who were serving him!

“True, I knew that God wasn’t directly responsible and did not wish for such things to happen. But I had felt that he directed our every step and protected us from such harm. Now I realized that I had to get a more balanced view of this, and I began a search for the answers.

“It took a while before I could begin to shut out the hurt and so could reason on the matter. I had felt like Asaph, who stated in Psalm 73 that it seemed as if the wicked were the favored ones. But in that same psalm, God’s Word goes on to show that it is not so, that God does not favor the wicked, and that in his due time, they will come to ruin.

“I came to realize that my thinking, not God’s, was at fault. I was misapplying scriptures. God does not guarantee freedom from accidents, sickness, or death at this time but promises such blessings for the future, for his new world. Once I understood what God’s Word was really saying about God’s protecting us now in a spiritual way, not physically, then my anger gradually subsided. I could also now focus on the real source of calamities, Satan the Devil, who was a manslayer and a liar from the time he rebelled against God. The Bible makes clear that it is Satan who is the god of this world that is so filled with suffering.​—John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4.

“Once I more fully appreciated the truth of why there is suffering, why God permits it, and how he will eliminate it, it became clear that God is not our adversary, but he is our salvation!

“Also, it was of great comfort to know that by means of his holy spirit, Jehovah sustains those who serve him. The Bible assures us that the holy spirit will supply ‘the power beyond what is normal.’ By this means he gives us the strength to bear the unbearable. And he also comforts us with the hope of seeing our loved ones in the resurrection. Thus we can triumph over adversity.”​—2 Corinthians 4:7.

A Fine Future

Tragedies of various types have happened to many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, down through the years. This confirms the truth of God’s Word that time and unforeseen occurrence befall all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) But the experiences of God’s servants also confirm the truth of God’s Word that Jehovah comforts and sustains his people in their time of need and also guarantees a fine future in his new world, where such calamities will be a thing of the past.

It is indeed comforting to know that in God’s righteous new world, there will be genuine love for one’s fellow humans and respect for the precious gift of life. These fine qualities will replace the selfishness and the exploitation of human weaknesses for profit that now saturate this world. Gone too will be this present world’s anxieties, pressures, and fears that push many into feeling the need for the excessive use of alcohol or the taking of other drugs.

Even now, Jehovah’s Witnesses make up a worldwide brotherhood that is bound together by the unifying force of love. (John 13:34, 35) Those who are part of this brotherhood provide a strong support system for helping individuals who have suffered loss. They are happy to assist any who desire to be comforted as they have been.​—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.

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The Bible promises that there is going to be a resurrection of the dead