‘It comes when your time is up’

You might reply: ‘Many people feel the way you do. Did you know that many of the ancient Greeks held that same view? They believed that there were three goddesses that determined the length of life that each human would have. But the Bible presents a very different view of life.’ Then perhaps add: (1) ‘(Read Ecclesiastes 9:11.) Illustration: A piece of concrete may break off from a building and fall on a pedestrian. Did God cause it? If so, is it fair to charge the building owner with negligence? . . . As the Bible says, for the pedestrian, it was an unplanned and unforeseen occurrence that he was right there when the concrete fell.’ (2) ‘The Bible tells us that if we avoid bad conduct we safeguard our life. (Prov. 16:17) If you are a parent, I am sure that you apply that principle with your children. You warn them against things that could result in loss of life. Jehovah is doing the same thing for all mankind today.’ (3) ‘Jehovah knows what the future holds. By means of the Bible he tells us how we can enjoy a life much longer than that of people who ignore what he says. (John 17:3; Prov. 12:28)’ (See also the main heading “Fate.”)

Do dreams in our time have special meaning?

What have researchers learned about dreams?

“Everyone dreams,” says The World Book Encyclopedia (1984, Vol. 5, p. 279). “Most adults dream for about 100 minutes during eight hours of sleep.” So dreams are a normal human experience.