Chapter 20
What Choice Will You Make?
1, 2. (a) How is the “good news” affecting millions of people today? (b) How was this global ingathering foretold?
THE Paradise to come under God’s Kingdom is the kind of news mankind needs. And Jesus prophesied that telling people earth wide about “this good news of the kingdom” would be a feature of the period just ‘before the end comes.’ (Matthew 24:14) Today, millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing just that. They are sharing this good news with other millions who are responding by studying the Bible and associating with them.
2 This vast global educational work that is gathering people from all nations was foretold in the Bible. Isaiah’s prophecy said of these last days: ‘The worship of Jehovah will become firmly established, and to it people from all the nations must stream. And Jehovah will instruct them about his ways, and they will walk in his paths.’—Isaiah 2:2-4; see also Isaiah 60:22; Zechariah 8:20-23.
3. The Kingdom message results in what separation?
3 The declaring of the Kingdom worldwide is resulting in a clear separation of people. In illustrative language Jesus foretold for our day: “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Those who cooperate with the Creator’s purposes are identified as being like sheep. Those who remain independent are said to be like goats. As for their destinies, Jesus said that the “sheep” will reap “everlasting life,” but the “goats,” “everlasting cutting-off.”—Matthew 25:32-46.
Not ‘Exchanging the Truth for a Lie’
4. (a) If we want to keep living, what is vital? (b) According to the Bible, how must the theory of evolution be classified?
4 Bringing our lives into agreement with God’s purposes is vital to our future, since with him is “the source of life.” (Psalm 36:9) So we should not become ensnared by philosophies that are contrary to reality. Romans 1:25 speaks of “those who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created.” As we have seen, the theory of evolution is contrary to reality, yes, effectively a “lie.” Exchanging the facts about the God of Creation for such a “lie” is, as Romans 1:20 states, “inexcusable” in view of the evidence.
5, 6. (a) Where did the belief in evolution really originate? (b) Why has it become so widespread in our time? (c) How should we feel about this matter?
5 Do not be surprised that the theory of evolution has become so widespread in modern times despite the evidence against it. The real message of this belief is that there is no God, that he is unnecessary. From where would such a monumental lie originate? Jesus identified the source when he said: “The Devil . . . is a liar and the father of the lie.”—John 8:44.
6 We need to face the fact that the theory of evolution serves the purposes of Satan. He wants people to imitate his course, and that of Adam and Eve, in rebelling against God. This is especially so now, since the Devil has only “a short period of time” left. (Revelation 12:9-12) Thus, believing in evolution would mean promoting his interests and blinding oneself to the wonderful purposes of the Creator. How, then, should we feel about this? We feel indignant toward those who try to defraud us of money, or even of a few material possessions. We should feel even stronger indignation toward the doctrine of evolution and its originator, since the intent is to defraud us of eternal life.—1 Peter 5:8.
‘All Will Have to Know’
7. What does the Creator say he will do regarding his existence and his name?
7 Soon, everyone will know that there really is a Creator. He declares: “I shall certainly sanctify my great name, which was being profaned among the nations, . . . and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezekiel 36:23) Yes, everyone will have to know that “Jehovah is God. It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves.”—Psalm 100:3.
8. How will the nations be confronted by Jehovah shortly?
8 The nations will come to know that Jehovah is the God of Creation when he confronts them shortly. That will happen when he brings an end to the miserable human experiment of trying to be independent of God. At that time the following will take place: “Because of his indignation the earth will rock, and no nations will hold up under his denunciation.” “The gods that did not make the very heavens and the earth are the ones who will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”—Jeremiah 10:10, 11; see also Revelation 19:11-21.
9. (a) Why will there be no teaching of evolution in Paradise? (b) What awesome display of Jehovah’s ability will prove that he created humans?
9 Thus, in the Paradise to come, the nations, their educational systems and their media will no longer exist. So there will be no teaching of evolution then. Instead, as Isaiah 11:9 shows, “the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.” Every person will be educated to know the Creator intimately. They will marvel at how he has worked out his purposes in the past. They will see his future works in Paradise and be thrilled by them. And among those awesome works will be the resurrection. That will demonstrate conclusively that God did create humans. Why? Because his ability to re-create billions of dead persons surely will prove that he was able to create the first human pair.
Making a Choice
10. In view of the fact that Jehovah already has determined the future, what questions do we need to answer?
10 No, the future will not be determined by some chance evolutionary process. The future has already been determined by the Creator. It is his purposes that will be realized, not those of any human or Devil. (Isaiah 46:9-11) In view of this, the questions that each one of us must answer are: Where do I stand? Do I want to live forever in a righteous Paradise? If I do, am I meeting God’s requirements for survival?
11. Whose example should we follow if we want to live in Paradise?
11 If we want to live forever in Paradise, then the Bible shows that we must follow the example of those who respect the Creator, his purposes and his laws. It counsels: “Watch the blameless one and keep the upright one in sight, for the future of that man will be peaceful. But the transgressors themselves will certainly be annihilated together; the future of wicked people will indeed be cut off.”—Psalm 37:37, 38.
12. (a) Although humans do have freedom of choice, what will God not allow to continue? (b) What awaits those who use their free choice to serve God?
12 God gave us the freedom to choose whether we would serve him or not. And while he will not force humans to be obedient, neither will he allow wickedness, suffering and injustice to continue indefinitely. Nor will he allow anyone to keep on living who would upset the peace and happiness in his Paradise to come. That is why he now invites people to use their free choice to serve him. Those who do so will see this unsatisfactory world end, and then they will have the great joy of helping to transform the earth into a paradise.—Psalm 37:34.
13. If we want “the real life,” what should we do?
13 True, many people do not want to conform to Jehovah’s requirements. That is their responsibility, and great loss. (Ezekiel 33:9) But is it your desire to “get a firm hold on the real life” to come? (1 Timothy 6:19) If so, Jesus showed what to do when he said in prayer to God: “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.
14. What wise and urgent course should we take?
14 So the wise and urgent course to take, while there is yet time, is to learn the Creator’s will and sincerely try to do it. His inspired Word urges: “Before there comes upon you the day of Jehovah’s anger, seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”—Zephaniah 2:2, 3.
15. What glorious prospect awaits meek persons?
15 May you prove to be such a meek person, humbly submitting to God’s will. If you do, what then? “The world is passing away,” the Bible says, “but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) What a glorious prospect—living forever on a Paradise earth—if you make the right choice!
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Millions are gathering to the true worship of Jehovah
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Where did the idea of evolution really originate?
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Soon, all will know that there is a Creator
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The resurrection will prove that God did create humans
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The future has already been determined
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How will we use our freedom of choice?
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A glorious prospect is ahead for those who make the right choice