and serve God’s interests as his “sheep” or stand with this corrupt world and serve its selfish interests and be classed with the “goats.” It is a serious decision that cannot be avoided.

EXECUTION OF JUDGMENT

Christ foretold that “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) As long as that preaching is being done earth’s inhabitants will continue under the King’s judgment, but when it ends his decision will be final. His judgment will then be executed. Regarding those who end up on the King’s left, in the goat class, God said through his prophet Isaiah: “I will destine you men to the sword, and you will all of you bow down to being slaughtered, for the reason that I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not listen; and you kept doing what was bad in my eyes, and the thing in which I took no delight you chose.”—Isa. 65:12.

This execution of divine judgment through the King, Christ Jesus, will take place at the coming battle of Armageddon. At that time God’s King will destroy this wicked system of things and all who are clinging to it. The words of Enoch will then be fulfilled: “Look! Jehovah came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment against all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him.”—Jude 14, 15.

But what about those on the King’s right hand, those he judges as his sheep? Christ tells us in his illustration: “Then the king will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who have my Father’s blessing, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the world’s foundation.’” (Matt. 25:34) They receive this favorable judgment because they made the right decision.

The period in which we live is critical not only because of an atomic-war threat but because all people are on trial before God’s enthroned King. They are under judgment with their lives at stake. That is why this day of decision is of vital concern to everyone.

Questions From Readers

● What did Jesus mean when he said, as recorded at John 3:13, that “no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man”? Since he was at that time still on earth, is he referring to occasions in his prehuman existence when as the Word of God he may have appeared as God’s angelic spokesman and then ascended to heaven?—F. B., United States.

No, the scripture at John 3:13 is not referring to his prehuman activity as the Word of God. We must take into consideration the context of the statement. At the time Jesus spoke these words he had descended from heaven, being