There Is Much More to Life!
1. Why do so many find so little enjoyment in life? (Ecclesiastes 1:14, 15; 2:17, 18)
PROSPERITY, peace, a good life! How desirable these things are! But how do you spend your days? Men who support their families often work at jobs that they do not enjoy, and not a few constantly face the threat of unemployment. For many housewives, there are long days of drudgery, with little relief day after day and no great satisfaction. Great numbers of young people grow up with a similar life-prospect. Even for the few who feel that life has treated them more kindly, the future is clouded with uncertainty.
2. How does the future look for mankind? (Isaiah 60:2)
2 Really, is that all there is to life? Look where you will in the world, the system seems to be ailing badly. It has its energy crises and runaway inflation, food shortages and pollution of the environment, revolutions, cold and hot wars, stockpiling of nuclear weapons, racial problems and surging discontent among the masses of mankind. No part of the earth is free from problems that pose a threat to human life and survival!
3. Why should we care about the future? (Revelation 3:10)
3 Some people seem to have the attitude, ‘Who cares, so long as it does not touch me?’ But how shortsighted! The inescapable conclusion is that very soon these problems will touch the lives of everyone.
4, 5. (a) What attitude do the majority of mankind seem to take, and why? (b) Why might the Bible have the solution? (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11)
4 Human leaders have proposed possible solutions—on an international scale, in the fields of economics, science and politics. But have not all of these proved to be empty and unsatisfying? Most of the proposed schemes for relief never even ‘get off the ground.’ None of the world leaders can present a genuine long-range solution. As a result, the majority of mankind seem to be without a purpose in life; they take the general attitude, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die.”
5 These last-quoted words are found in the Bible, at 1 Corinthians 15:32,a but in a context that encourages a positive viewpoint. Could it be that the Bible holds the solution to mankind’s problems? There are many people, of course, who reject the Bible. But, in view of the precarious state of world affairs, perhaps it is time to take another look at the Bible. After all, this is a very ancient book, parts of it having been written over 3,400 years ago. It has won the respect of people of all races of mankind. It has been translated into the greatest number of living languages and its distribution has far exceeded that of any other publication in human history. Well, then, does it show us that there is much more to life?
Finding the Answers to Life’s Problems
6. How does the Bible view Christendom? (James 1:27; 5:3-5)
6 Some critics of the Bible have pointed to Christendom’s record of plundering the poorer people, and of shedding much innocent blood through crusades, inquisitions and the wars of this twentieth century. ‘If that is how the Bible causes people to act, we want nothing of it,’ they say. But the truth is that such bloodguilty men have simply used the Bible as a cloak for unchristian deeds. The Bible itself strongly condemns their actions, and shows them to be counterfeit Christians. The Bible advocates living a truly moral life.
7, 8. (a) What questions might the Bible answer? (Matthew 7:7) (b) How has the Bible helped many persons? (Psalm 119:105, 165)
7 Other critics claim that the Bible is unscientific and out of date, and that it is a book of myths. But is this so? We today are in need of convincing answers to the vital questions that affect our lives, such as: Where did man come from? What is the meaning of present conditions? Will human life be destroyed from the earth? What does the future hold for mankind?
8 The Bible answers these and many other questions that people frequently ask. Far from dealing in myths, the Bible deals in realities. The fact is, it has guided persons in every part of the world to use their lives in a way that brings them real satisfaction and contentment. When you examine the Bible, you will find that it provides answers to your questions, and gives you practical help toward finding real happiness in your life. It will help you to make life meaningful.
How the Universe Came to Exist
9, 10. (a) According to the Bible, what is the origin of the universe? (Isaiah 45:12, 18) (b) How does the universe itself testify concerning creation? (Hebrews 3:4)
9 If we want to find out what life is all about, one of the fundamental questions that must be answered is: What is the origin of life? In other words, Where did we come from? Is there a purpose in our being alive? The Bible says that “God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) But modern-day thinkers ask: Is there really an Almighty God—a Creator? Is it not true that many people believe the universe to be a product of evolution?
10 Have you ever visited a planetarium? If so, you have no doubt marveled at the intricate mechanism designed to project the exact representation of the heavens on the curved dome, and also at the accurate movement of the model of our solar system. You may have thought, What a fine product of man’s photographic and engineering skill! But think for a moment. If it required talented humans to devise such a likeness of the universe, surely it required a far more talented Intellect to construct the stupendous universe itself.
11. What have some learned worldly thinkers been compelled to admit? (Romans 1:20-23)
11 It was in the nineteenth century that Charles Darwin theorized that the universe is all a product of evolution. But do you, also, think that no one made all of this? Do you think that life came about by accident? Many intelligent persons find that the evolution theory is deficient. For example, historian Arnold Toynbee stated:
“I do not think that the Darwinian theory of evolution has given a positive account of an alternative way in which the universe may have been brought into existence.”1
Why, even Darwin, in discussing the source of life, admitted:
“Another source of conviction in the existence of God, connected with the reason and not with the feelings, impresses me . . . This follows from the extreme difficulty or rather impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe, including man with his capacity of looking backwards and far into futurity, as the result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting, I feel compelled to look to a First Cause.”2
12. What should we humbly acknowledge, and why? (Acts 14:15-17)
12 Yes, plain logic tells us that there must be a great First Cause, a Creator—God! And when we reflect that man’s most powerful telescopes can only begin to probe the depths of His marvelous universe, we should humbly acknowledge that man’s wisdom and abilities are indeed dwarfed by the excelling wisdom and power of God. As we shall see, God cannot be left out of the picture if we want to enjoy a happy and meaningful life. He must have had a purpose in creating the universe, including our earth. As we learn more about his grand purposes, we can expect to find that there is much more to life!
How Life on Earth Began
13. Why is this earth outstanding in God’s creation? (Psalm 104:24)
13 Let us turn our attention now to this small speck in the expanse of the universe—earth itself. This earth has a particular beauty. It is clothed with color, and is enriched with a wonderful variety of living things. It has life on it. One of the astronauts that journeyed to the moon described it in these words:
“In the whole universe, wherever we looked, the only bit of color was back on the earth. There we could see the royal blue of the seas, the tans and browns of the land, and the whites of the clouds. . . . It was the most beautiful thing to see, in all the heavens. People down here don’t realize what they have.”3
There is no question that this earth stands out as a gem in the vast universe. It is indeed full of life. And surely there must be a purpose in all of this life! Let us see if we can find out what this purpose is.
14. Where did life come from, and how? (Psalm 104:30, 31)
14 It is not too difficult to find out where life came from. A Bible writer pointed to that Source 3,000 years ago when he declared:
“How precious your loving-kindness is, O God! . . . For with you is the source of life; by light from you we can see light.”—Psalm 36:7, 9.
Some hardened critics of the Bible have had to concede that God is the Source of life. Even evolutionist Darwin acknowledged that originally life must have been “breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one.”4 But if God could breathe life into “a few forms,” why would he not in the same way breathe it into hundreds of created “kinds,” each in its turn? The Bible says he did just that! He created each living thing “according to its kind.” (Genesis 1:12, 21, 24, 25) God’s creation of the first man is described in these words:
“And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.”—Genesis 2:7.
According to the Bible, that is how human life got to be here, just 6,000 years ago—by direct creation from God. It is vital that we understand that fact in order to appreciate that there is much more to life.
15. Could life have come about by chance? (Psalm 100:3)
15 In contrast with the Bible’s straightforward account of creation, some of the explanations by evolutionists read like fantasies. For example, one evolutionary scientist writes this way:
“Once upon a time, very long ago, perhaps two and a half billion years ago, under a deadly sun, in an ammoniated ocean topped by a poisonous atmosphere, in the midst of a soup of organic molecules, a nucleic acid molecule came accidentally into being that could somehow bring about the existence of another like itself—and from that all else would follow!” (Italics inserted)5
Does that convince you? Evolutionist Lecomte du Noüy calculated the chance that one protein molecule could produce itself, under favorable conditions, in an ocean of chemicals the size of the earth. He said it could happen only once in 10243 (that is the figure 1 followed by 243 zeros) billions of years.6 However, a living cell is made up of, not one, but hundreds of protein molecules, as well as many other complex substances! Surely life did not come about by chance!
16. Why may evolution be termed a “myth”? (1 Timothy 1:3, 4)
16 There is so much in the evolution theory that conflicts with the facts! For example, it is an unchangeable genetic law for all living things, plant, animal and human, that each can reproduce only according to its kind. There may be changes within the kind, as can be observed in the many types of dogs. But the dog kind always reproduces dogs. It cannot be crossed with the cat, or with other kinds. Much to the disappointment of the evolutionists, fossil remains in the rocks have failed to come up with the predicted “missing links” between kinds. Moreover, “mutations,” or cellular changes, have almost always been harmful—the reverse of what evolution claims—producing in the case of mankind only mongoloids or other deficient humans. No wonder that certain reputable scientists are now describing evolution by such terms as “myth,”7 “judicious guessing”8 and “the greatest fairy tale ever to masquerade under the name of science.”9
17. In what ways is man more wonderfully made than the animals? (Genesis 1:27, 28)
17 But man himself is no “myth.” He lives. His very existence as an intelligent, moral creature, made “in God’s image” and governed by conscience, sets him apart completely from all the lower forms of life. So, there should be much more to life than merely subsisting like animals. A tremendous gulf separates man from the animals. What animal spends as much as twenty years in caring for and training each of its young? It is man alone that can exercise the marvelous qualities of love, kindness, foresight, inventiveness and appreciation for beauty, the arts and music. In thankfulness for being so richly endowed, should not all humans who love life join ancient King David in his expression: “O Jehovah, . . . I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made”?—Psalm 139:4, 14.
What “Evolution” Has Done to Lives
18, 19. How has evolution affected (a) morals? (Psalm 10:3, 4) (b) the attitude of rulers? (1 John 3:15)
18 Why has evolution found ready acceptance by so many persons today? One reason is that it has been the popular, fashionable thing for a person to go along with it. Also, it has provided an escape route for independent or immoral persons who want to ‘do their own thing’ without feeling responsibility to a Creator or his moral laws. In The Outline of History, H. G. Wells describes how the theory of evolution developed, and says: “It was bringing nothing constructive . . . to replace the old moral stand-bys. A real demoralization ensued.”10 It was contributing nothing toward making life worth while.
19 Historian Wells tells of a further result of evolutionary teaching as follows: “Prevalent people . . . believed that they prevailed by virtue of the Struggle for Existence, in which the strong and cunning get the better of the weak and confiding. . . . So it seemed right to them that the big dogs of the human pack should bully and subdue.”11 Thus evolution provided “Christendom” with self-justification for waging brutal war. The book Evolution and Christians attributes the tragedy of the first world war in 1914 and later the evil excesses of Nazism to Darwinian teaching.12 In the same way, evolution must accept its share of responsibility for the rise of Communism. Karl Marx is said to have rejoiced at reading Darwin’s Origin of Species, which he described as giving “the death blow” to God.13 He also said:
“Darwin’s book is very important and serves me as a basis for the class struggle in history.”14
To this day, Communistic nations pursue their goal of world domination on the basis of the evolutionary teaching of “survival of the fittest.” Other nations join the fight for survival and the result is the massive armaments race of this nuclear age. The life of all humankind is in jeopardy.
20. How could belief in evolution affect your own life? (Colossians 2:8)
20 How does this affect your own life? It can be quite damaging for you personally to get caught up in the evolution theory. If evolution were true, life would become purposeless and meaningless. It would be just the “rat race” of struggling to survive, and with only death as the final outcome. Believing in the “survival of the fittest,” the evolutionist has no incentive to love his fellowman, to live a decent moral life or to behave differently from brute beasts. Evolution is entirely negative in its effect on mankind. It cannot give a satisfactory answer to any of the questions about life. But the Bible can.
Why Is Life So Filled With Problems?
21, 22. (a) To what may man’s present situation be compared? (b) What “sign” did Adam fail to obey, and with what result? (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:17-19)
21 The situation may be compared to a family traveling along a beautiful highway. It leads through a glorious paradise. Everything is favorable for a good journey. However, they see a broad road to the side with a sign: “Danger—Do Not Enter.” Curiosity and an independent spirit get the better of them. They enter that road and travel farther and farther away from the highway. At last, there is a steep downgrade. They are now traveling out of control. It is impossible for them to make it back to the highway. Brakes have failed. There is no stopping. They plunge downhill faster and faster. Finally they crash over a precipice to their destruction.
22 The Bible shows it is just like that with mankind. God put up a “road sign” for the first man in the Garden of Eden: ‘You must not eat of this one fruit.’ The man and his wife were required to show their love for God by obeying that simple command. But they failed to do so. They willfully strayed off the highway and they entered the roadway of sin that leads to death and destruction under God’s judgment. At Romans 5:12 we read: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” Thus, because we are the descendants of disobedient Adam, we have all had to travel this disagreeable road, far removed from the perfection that the parents of the human family enjoyed in paradise. How bumpy and unpleasant has that road become in recent years! It is a broad one-way road, and none of the politicians or wise men of the world have been able to show the human family the way back. For each individual on it, the end of the road is death. And destruction of the entire world of mankind has become a distinct possibility.
23, 24. (a) What does John 14:6 mean, and how is it true of Jesus? (b) How would it benefit you to return to that highway? (John 3:16)
23 But, look! A ray of light shines onto a side road, a narrow way that leads back from the broad road toward the highway. At first sight, it looks extremely cramped. It would be difficult to make the turn into it. The large family of people who are now traveling recklessly down the broad road choose to ignore the narrow way. They prefer to go along with the crowd. The great majority of the people keep to the broad road for convenience and for the temporary thrills that it provides. They pay no heed to further warnings of danger ahead. But some alert persons turn into the narrow way. It presents some hardships for them, and they have to be watchful, but, in time, it becomes pleasant for traveling. And in the end it leads them to a restored paradise of plenty. What a pleasure it is for them to feast their eyes on that delightful, peaceful paradise!
24 Again, as the Bible shows, it is the same with the human family. While the majority insist on their independence, and go along with the crowd in traveling the broad road to destruction, a way of return has opened up. While he was here on this earth, Jesus, the Son of God, called attention to this, saying: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Because Jesus faithfully did God’s will on earth, even to sacrificing his life in behalf of the human family, God appointed him to be “the Chief Agent of Life.” He also came into the world to “bear witness to the truth” and to make known God’s purposes. (Acts 3:15; John 18:37) He alone is able to show members of the human family the way back to the beautiful highway that leads on to the full enjoyment of a happy life in the earthly paradise of God.
25. Why is life in the paradise earth most desirable? (Revelation 21:3, 4)
25 Would you not like to journey on such a highway, right on to an earth made glorious, and with the prospect of living forever in perfect health and happiness? Truly, there would be much more to that kind of life!
26. How important is it that you really learn the truth? (John 8:31, 32)
26 It is by exercising faith in God’s Chief Agent of life that we can find the “way” to that life. Living is so different when it has purpose, and when there is firm hope of a satisfying, rewarding life stretching far into the future. And how may we realize that hope? Jesus himself answers, in prayer to his Father: “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) By diligently searching the Scriptures, we can learn the truth; and by applying it daily, we can even now start really to live!
World Conditions That Affect Your Life
27. In what situation do we now find ourselves? (2 Timothy 3:1)
27 Admittedly, world conditions are worsening. In the big cities, poverty and crime are on the increase. Wherever you live, you are paying more for your bread, more for your meat, and the cost of just keeping alive is spiraling. In many places, lawlessness walks the streets. Greater violence and even war seem liable to erupt at any time. It is as though mankind is making its final plunge down the road to destruction.
28. Who is behind all the trouble, and what is his goal? (2 Corinthians 4:4)
28 What is the force behind all of this? It is a wicked spirit person, “the great dragon . . . , the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” He pulls the strings behind the nations’ diplomacy. However, God’s time has now arrived to replace Satan’s authority by a harmonious, loving rule of mankind through Christ’s heavenly kingdom. It is His time to bring those who love life right back to the highway to enjoy eternal life in happiness. But Satan refuses to vacate. Hence, today, it is “woe for the earth . . . because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:9, 12) His goal is to plunge humankind into destruction.
29. What is God’s purpose for this time? (Psalm 37:9-11)
29 There is no question about it! Wherever you look on earth today, there is evidence that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” Satan. (1 John 5:19) But God will not permit Satan to succeed in his evil intention! True, destruction of this world society is imminent. But God purposes to save lives. In the prophecies written in the Bible, he shows just how he will do this.
How Bible Prophecy Helps to Save Lives
30. Why can you be confident that Bible prophecies concerning our day will be fulfilled? (2 Peter 1:19-21; Daniel 9:24-27)
30 Many Bible prophecies have already had a remarkable fulfillment. For example, hundreds of years before Jesus appeared on this earth, these prophecies foretold the exact dates of his preaching activity—29 to 33 C.E.—as well as numerous details of his life and death. All these things were fulfilled. Also, Jesus himself spoke some outstanding prophecies. One of these was about “the conclusion of the system of things.” It had a notable fulfillment on the Jewish system of things in the first century.
31, 32. How did prophecy help to save lives in 70 C.E.? (Luke 21:20-24)
31 According to Matthew 24:3, 15-22, Jesus pointed forward to Jerusalem’s being besieged by the “disgusting thing,” the armies of imperial Rome. In his prophecy he said that when Christians saw this they should begin “fleeing to the mountains.” Thirty-four years later, when those armies actually came, they fulfilled many features of Jesus’ prophecy, such as encircling the city by “a fortification with pointed stakes” and penetrating to stand even in the “holy place,” as far as to the western wall of Jerusalem’s temple. (Luke 19:43; Matthew 24:15) But how could the Christians leave the city in this seemingly impossible situation?
32 Suddenly, and without apparent reason, the Roman armies withdrew! In obedience to Jesus’ command, the Christians could now flee for their lives to the mountains across the Jordan River. Later, the Roman armies returned under General Titus, and in 70 C.E. Jerusalem and its temple were razed to the ground. Siege, famine and the sword took the lives of 1,100,000 nationalistic Jews, and 97,000 were led captive into slavery, according to the historian Josephus. But by obeying Bible prophecy those who really loved life escaped with their lives!
33. What situation today parallels the last days of the Jewish system? (Luke 21:25, 26)
33 Jesus was using these foretold events of the first century as a pattern of world-shaking happenings yet to occur in the generation from 1914 C.E. onward. Lives need to be saved today too! For now we have arrived at “the conclusion of the system of things,” the entire world system under Satan’s control. How clearly do events since 1914 prove this to be so! In final fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, that year saw “a beginning of pangs of distress” as ‘nation rose against nation’ in the bloodbath of World War I. As foretold, this was followed by “great earthquakes, . . . pestilences and food shortages.” A second world war, far more terrible than the first, followed, and the “increasing of lawlessness” is now plaguing the earth. (Matthew 24:7-13; Luke 21:10, 11) The nations are in anguish. None of them know the way out.
34. How does God act to save lives? (Daniel 2:44)
34 But God knows! Speaking of his judging the selfish kingdoms, or nations, of earth, God declares that he “will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin,” and which “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms.” (Daniel 2:44) It will then bestow life under peaceable conditions on all who have accepted Jesus’ Kingdom rule. To aid all of such life-seeking persons, true Christians today engage in a lifesaving work in fulfillment of the further part of Jesus’ great prophecy: “And 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.
35. (a) When and how will the end come? (b) How may heeding prophecy benefit you? (Luke 21:34-36)
35 Of course, we are most interested in knowing just when “the end will come.” For truly our lives are involved! In Job 24:1 we read: “The day of reckoning is no secret to the Almighty, though those who know him have no hint of its date.” (The New English Bible) But it must be close at hand! For Jesus says concerning persons who saw the “pangs of distress” start in 1914 C.E.: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” (Matthew 24:34) Included in “all these things” is the destruction of the corrupted society of today, as Jesus had just described it: “Then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21, 22) If the “great tribulation” were not cut short, mankind would, of itself, perish off the earth! But, happily, all those who love God may escape with their lives. “Jehovah is guarding all those loving him, but all the wicked ones he will annihilate.” (Psalm 145:20) If you heed the Bible prophecy, you, too, can escape and keep on living.
The Way to Survive for Eternal Life
36. How would you apply 1 John 2:15-17 in your daily life? (Mark 12:28-31)
36 Will you be among the survivors? That depends on whether you turn off the broad road that plunges on toward destruction. It depends on your obeying the road signs along the way that leads to life. If you really want to live, it is not too hard. It means learning to love God and neighbor. As 1 John 5:3 states, “This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments.” Some of the things that he requires of us are stated earlier in this letter of John’s (1Jo 2:15-17):
“Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”
In order to remain alive forever, receiving God’s protection and favor clear through the “great tribulation” and on into the restored paradise, we must turn away from the things that God hates—the immorality, the greed, the dishonesty, the lying, the thievery and the conflicts of the world. By doing this we can also make life worth living now.
37. (a) In what way must we be “no part of the world”? (John 15:17-19) (b) How can you show support for God’s kingdom? (Matthew 6:33)
37 Jesus himself said of his disciples: “They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.” (John 17:16) How would we apply this in our lives? It means we should separate ourselves from the aims and programs of a world that is actually heading for destruction under its god and ruler, Satan the “wicked one.” In our daily lives, we need to be nonparticipants in worldly activities that are in conflict with God’s rule. As Matthew 24:3 and Mt 25:31 show, the sign of “the conclusion of the system of things” is also the sign of Jesus’ “presence” in heaven with Kingdom power. Therefore, from the year 1914, the prophecy is also fulfilled that “the kingdom of the world did become the kingdom of our Lord [God] and of his Christ, and he will rule as king forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) Now is the time to give support to that kingdom! Our future life depends on God’s kingdom. Can we, then, conscientiously support the wars, the revolutions, the political movements or the worldly schemes of our time? These are certain to fail in their objectives. For they are claiming to do what God’s kingdom alone can do. The entire system is doomed. So why share in trying to patch it up? Rather, let us give wholehearted support to the certain remedy—God’s kingdom!
38. What attitude should we take toward rulers today? (Luke 20:25)
38 Does this mean we must become anarchists? Far from it! For “God is a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) So long as existing governments continue, God expects us to obey their laws and respect their rulers. Says Romans 13:1: “Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities.” This means giving “Caesar” (the government) his due by paying taxes and keeping all the laws, provided they do not conflict with God’s law.—Mark 12:17.
39. How can you show neighbor love? (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
39 In addition to love for God, we must show love for our neighbor. Where better can we start than in our own families! But how can we do this? The Bible answers simply, at Colossians 3:18-21:
“You wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as it is becoming in the Lord. You husbands, keep on loving your wives and do not be bitterly angry with them. You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. You fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted.”
A fine basis, indeed, for building a united family! And not only in the family, but in relations with all others, we can cultivate qualities of “compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind, mildness, and long-suffering.” And what is the principal thing? “Besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.”—Colossians 3:12, 14.
40. What kind of people are Jehovah’s witnesses? (John 13:34, 35)
40 You may ask, Is there any group of people on earth today who really apply in their lives this love of God and neighbor? There is such a group. If there is a Kingdom Hall in your neighborhood, you need only to look that far to find them. They are an international group, numbering into the millions. For the most part, they are just ordinary folk, no different in background from most of their neighbors, and usually they follow the same daily occupations as do others of their community. But their first love is for their God. They look forward to His will being done on earth, and they live their lives accordingly. Hence, they are zealous in studying the Bible, applying its principles in their everyday living and telling its message to their neighbors. They are Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. Why not meet with them at the Kingdom Hall in your community? You will find that there is no ritual, no passing of collection plates, no stiff formalism. Instead, you will find a warmhearted people who are even now getting a great deal of satisfaction out of life, and who are looking forward to everlasting life in perfection on a paradise earth.
41. How have the Witnesses solved major problems? (Acts 10:34, 35)
41 Would you not like to associate with people that have this hope and live by it? They have a worldwide unity that has been brought about through living by Bible principles. In their own ranks they have solved the problems that nations have worked on unsuccessfully for centuries, such as war, racism and nationalism. Because they live by the Bible, they are basically free of problems related to violence, crime, dishonesty and immorality among themselves. They are not plagued by social ills. Even if one of their number should err seriously, though this is rare, he is lovingly rehabilitated when he repents. Knowing that God “made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth,” they do not allow their view of each individual human to be influenced by his social standing, his education or lack thereof, his nationality or the color of his skin.—Acts 17:26.
Why There Is Much More to Life!
42. What future awaits those who love life? (Psalm 72:1-8)
42 A glorious future awaits those who love life and who act now to save their lives. What will that future be like? It will be nothing like the humdrum life that so many of the human family experience today. “The former things”—the sorrow, death and pain of this present system—will “have passed away.” So, what will follow? God himself declares: “Look! I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:4, 5) In the new system of things, the heavenly king, Jesus Christ, will rule lovingly as an “Eternal Father” over the entire family of mankind. “To the abundance of [his] princely rule and to peace there will be no end.” Justice and righteousness will be the foundations of that kingdom. (Isaiah 9:6, 7) How satisfying and enjoyable life will be under those conditions! It will have purpose, in doing God’s will on earth with love toward our fellowman. Jesus assures us that even those in the graves “will hear his voice” and come forth to enjoy that paradise earth.—John 5:28, 29.
43. How may you have your life spared? (Zephaniah 2:2, 3)
43 This “present wicked system of things” is about to take its plunge off the broad road into destruction. But you need not take the plunge with it. In association with God’s own people—those who love life—you may have your life spared when God comes forth to destroy the bloodguilty nations of earth:
“Go, my people, enter into your interior rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for but a moment until the denunciation passes over. For, look! Jehovah is coming forth from his place to call to account the error of the inhabitant of the land against him, and the land will certainly expose her bloodshed and will no longer cover over her killed ones.”—Isaiah 26:20, 21.
44. What grand opportunity now lies before you? (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20)
44 So, by starting to live the real life now, according to Bible standards, you may share with the zealous, forward-looking society of God’s people in passing alive through the “great tribulation,” and never dying off this earth. Indeed, it can confidently be said, a “great multitude” now living may never die!
45. (a) What is it that works now and in the future? (1 Timothy 6:11, 12) (b) How may you show that you appreciate that there is much more to life? (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
45 In the living society of his witnesses throughout the earth, Jehovah has produced something that works right now! It can work too for you! And it will work outstandingly in the paradise earth, where at last “every breathing thing” will praise the great Life-Giver, Jehovah God. (Psalm 150:6) Truly, there is much more to life!
REFERENCES
1. Intellectual Digest, December 1971, p. 59.
2. Charles Darwin: His Life, chapter 3, p. 66.
3. The Yomiuri, Tokyo, January 17, 1969.
4. Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, concluding sentence.
5. Isaac Asimov, The Wellsprings of Life, 1960, pp. 224, 225.
6. Lecomte du Noüy, Human Destiny, 1947, p. 34.
7. Prof. John N. Moore, Michigan State University, paper of December 27, 1971, p. 5.
8. Isaac Asimov, The Wellsprings of Life, 1960, p. 85.
9. M. S. Keringthan, The Globe and Mail, Toronto, November 26, 1970, p. 46.
10. H. G. Wells, The Outline of History, 3rd Edition, 1921, p. 956.
11. Ibid., p. 957.
12. Philip G. Fothergill, Evolution and Christians, 1961, p. 17.
13. Himmelfarb, Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution, p. 398.
14. J. D. Bernal, Marx and Science, 1952, p. 17.
[Footnotes]
a Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this publication are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
[Picture on page 6]
Skillful scientists have constructed models of our solar system. Would it not require a far greater Intellect to construct the vast universe itself?
[Picture on page 8]
An astronaut described Earth as “the most beautiful thing to see, in all the heavens.” This is because it has life, created by God
[Pictures on page 10]
There are many types of dogs, which can interbreed. But they cannot interbreed with another “kind,” such as a cat
[Picture on page 11]
The Seattle Times, November 21, 1971
The Washington Daily News, December 27, 1971
The Express, Easton, Pa., May 3, 1973
[Pictures on page 12, 13]
It is impossible to bridge the great gulf between man and animals. They are separate created “kinds”
[Picture on page 15]
Man was created to live in glorious paradise. But his continued enjoyment of it depended on obedience
[Picture on page 20]
This relief on the Arch of Titus (in Rome) records as history the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.
[Picture on page 21]
Heeding Bible prophecy saved lives of first-century Christians. It can likewise save your life today
[Picture on page 23]
‘World War I ushered in the century of Total War. . . . Never before had so many nations been involved. Never had the slaughter been so comprehensive and indiscriminate.’—“World War I,” by H. W. Baldwin.
[Picture on page 23]
It is estimated that 400,000,000 persons are gravely underfed
[Picture on page 29]
The new society of godly people will enjoy the real life and praise God for eternity