True Security—Now and Forever
THERE is no question that Jehovah God can provide security for his people. He is “the Almighty One.” (Psalm 68:14) His unique name means “He Causes to Become.” This identifies him as the only One in the universe able to overcome any obstacle in order to fulfill his promises and accomplish his will. God himself states: “So my word that goes forth from my mouth will prove to be. It will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it.”—Isaiah 55:11.
God provides security for those who trust in him. His Word guarantees this. “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower,” stated wise King Solomon under divine inspiration. “Into it the righteous runs and is given protection.” He further said: “He that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.”—Proverbs 18:10; 29:25.
Security for God’s Servants
Jehovah has always provided security for those who rely on him. For example, the prophet Jeremiah enjoyed God’s protection. When the armies of Babylon laid siege to apostate Jerusalem, people had to “eat bread by weight and in anxious care.” (Ezekiel 4:16) The situation became so critical that some women boiled and ate their own children. (Lamentations 2:20; 4:10) Even though Jeremiah was then held in custody because of his fearless preaching, Jehovah saw to it that “there was a giving of a round loaf of bread to him daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread was exhausted from the city.”—Jeremiah 37:21.
When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, Jeremiah was neither killed nor dragged off as a prisoner to Babylon. Instead, “the [Babylonian] chief of the bodyguard . . . gave him a food allowance and a present and let him go.”—Jeremiah 40:5.
Centuries later Jesus Christ assured God’s servants: “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 6:31-33.
Does this mean that Jehovah’s servants will enjoy divine protection from all present-day calamity? No, it does not. Faithful ones are not immune to harm. True Christians get sick, experience persecution, become victims of crime, die in accidents, and suffer in other ways.
Although Jehovah does not yet furnish total security from harm, reports show that he does use his power to provide for his servants and protect them. Christians are also shielded from many problems because they apply Bible principles in their lives. (Proverbs 22:3) Furthermore, they enjoy the security of a worldwide association of loving spiritual brothers and sisters, who help one another in times of need. (John 13:34, 35; Romans 8:28) For example, in response to the desperate plight of their brothers from war-torn Rwanda, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe quickly donated and sent them 65 tons of clothing and $1,600,000 worth of medicine, food, and other supplies.—Compare Acts 11:28, 29.
Though Jehovah permits trials to befall true Christians, they have the assurance that he will give them the strength, assistance, and wisdom to endure. Writing to fellow believers, the apostle Paul said: “No temptation [trial] has taken you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted [tried] beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation [trial] he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it.”—1 Corinthians 10:13; The Emphatic Diaglott.
What God Does for His People
Today, millions of people delight to do God’s will. They are not forced to serve God; they do so because they know and love him. In turn, because Jehovah loves his loyal servants, he purposes to transform the earth into a paradise where obedient mankind will enjoy peace, health, and security forever.—Luke 23:43.
God will do this by means of a heavenly government, having his appointed King, Jesus Christ, as its Ruler. (Daniel 7:13, 14) The Bible refers to this government as “God’s kingdom” and as “the kingdom of the heavens.” (1 Corinthians 15:50; Matthew 13:44) God’s Kingdom will replace all human governments. Instead of having many governments on earth, there will be only one government. It will rule in righteousness over the entire earth.—Psalm 72:7, 8; Daniel 2:44.
Jehovah extends to all the invitation to live under the Kingdom. One way he does this is through the wide distribution of the Bible, the book that explains what the Kingdom will do for humankind. The Bible is the world’s most widely circulated book, and it is now available, in whole or in part, in more than 2,000 languages.
Jehovah God lovingly helps people to understand what the Bible teaches about the Kingdom. He does so by instructing and sending forth people to explain the Scriptures to others. Over five million Witnesses of Jehovah are now proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom in more than 230 lands.
True Security for All?
Will everyone accept the invitation to become a subject of God’s Kingdom by conforming to his righteous standards? No, because many people have no interest in doing God’s will. They reject efforts to help them change their lives for the better. Indeed, they show themselves to be like those concerning whom Jesus said: “The heart of this people has grown unreceptive, and with their ears they have heard without response, and they have shut their eyes; that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back, and [God] heal them.”—Matthew 13:15.
How can there ever be true security on earth amid those who refuse to live in harmony with God’s righteous ways? There cannot be. Godless people threaten the security of those who want to serve Jehovah.
God does not force people to change, but neither will he tolerate wickedness indefinitely. Although Jehovah patiently continues to send his Witnesses to teach people about his ways and purposes, he will not continue to do so much longer. Jesus Christ foretold: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”—Matthew 24:14.
What will “the end” mean for those who reject God’s standards? It will mean their adverse judgment and destruction. The Bible speaks about the bringing of “vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.”—2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.
At Last—True Security Forever!
Following the destruction of those who reject Jehovah’s ways of peace, God’s Kingdom will usher in a glorious era of security for the benefit of the righteous ones on earth. (Psalm 37:10, 11) What a contrast that new world will be to the one we live in today!—2 Peter 3:13.
Famine and hunger will be no more. Everyone will have plenty to eat. The Bible says that ‘all the peoples will enjoy a banquet of well-oiled dishes.’ (Isaiah 25:6) There will be no shortage of food, for “there will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow.”—Psalm 72:16.
No longer will people dwell in shacks and shantytowns. Under God’s Kingdom, all will have fine homes, and they will eat food produced on their own land. The Bible promises: “They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.”—Isaiah 65:21.
Instead of widespread unemployment, there will be productive work, and people will see good results from it. God’s Word says: “The work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full. They will not toil for nothing.”—Isaiah 65:22, 23.
Under Kingdom rule, people will not suffer and die from disease. God’s Word assures us: “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”—Isaiah 33:24.
In the earthly Paradise soon to become a reality, suffering and pain, sorrow and death, will be done away with. Yes, even death! People will live forever in Paradise! The Bible tells us 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.
Under the rulership of Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace,” life on earth will at last be truly secure. Indeed, worldwide security will exist under the righteous, loving rule of one government—God’s Kingdom.—Isaiah 9:6, 7; Revelation 7:9, 17.
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“Human security indicates faith in tomorrow, . . . [faith in the] stability of the political and economic situation.”—A woman living in Asia
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“What makes you feel insecure above all is violence and delinquency.”—A man who lives in South America
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“I did not feel secure during the . . . invasion. If a country is at war, how are people supposed to feel secure?”—A primary school pupil in the Middle East
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“I shall feel secure when I know that I can walk the streets at night without being raped.”—A schoolgirl in Africa