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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1958 | April 15
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For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, without gratitude, with no loving-kindness, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness.”—2 Tim. 3:1-3.
So the sharp increase of wickedness today is because this world has entered the “last days”; and because Satan, restrained to the neighborhood of the earth and “knowing he has a short period of time,” has prodded peoples and nations to do increased wickedness in defiance of Jehovah’s universal sovereignty. Little wonder that human law enforcement agencies, unable to reach Satan, have been helpless to check the foretold “increasing of lawlessness”!
● With increasingly destructive weapons of war and decreasing morality and love of principles, what hope is there for man and the earth? Will wickedness ever be brought to an end?
Despite a race to make the deadliest weapons in human history, there is hope for men who love righteousness, hope to live forever upon this earth under peaceful conditions. Man’s weapons and wickedness do not make such a new world impossible. It is, of course, as Jesus stated: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” And God has promised it: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.”—Matt. 19:26; 2 Pet. 3:13.
A righteous new world means peace for the earth, and a peaceful New World society is already formed. And already they live in harmony with the Bible prophecy: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.”—Isa. 2:4, AS.
The New World society has no fear of the earth’s being destroyed by man’s folly. We have God’s assurance: “He has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, nor forever.” Nor will nuclear weapons make the earth uninhabitable; for God “formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited.”—Ps. 104:5; Isa. 45:18, AV.
God’s Word recognizes, however, that man is in the process of ruining the earth. So the Most High God has promised to take action “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” He will do this soon at the universal war of Armageddon, called “the war of the great day of God the Almighty.” This righteous war will settle the great issue, that of Jehovah’s universal sovereignty. Satan, who knows his remaining time is short, will not escape. He, together with his demons, will be isolated bound in a prison abyss. Thus Armageddon will accomplish what no human war has ever done—get to the root cause of wickedness. Executed also will be all human doers of wickedness, since Jehovah’s forces at Armageddon come “to execute judgment against all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds.”—Rev. 11:18; 16:14; 20:1-3; Jude 15.
Before Armageddon makes the way for God’s new world, a warning must be delivered. The peaceful New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses are sounding that warning, that all lovers of morality may flee from Satan’s doomed world and find protection by trusting in Jehovah: “Hope in Jehovah and keep his way, and he will exalt you to take possession of the earth. When the wicked ones are cut off you will see [it]. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Ps. 37:34, 11.
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African Chief Shows WisdomThe Watchtower—1958 | April 15
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African Chief Shows Wisdom
Two full-time ministers of Jehovah were sent to a certain village in Nyasaland to preach. This caused the representative of the Universal Missions to Central Africa to petition the chief to expel the witnesses on the premise that both organizations could not operate in the same village. After consulting with his superiors the chief ruled: “If the U.M.C.A. does not want to stay together with Jehovah’s witnesses, then they may leave. I am very pleased to have the name of Jehovah preached in my area and I agree that they stay and continue with their good work.” So now still only one religious group is active in the village, but it is Jehovah’s witnesses!—1958 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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