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The Kingdom Carries Out God’s Will on EarthGod’s Kingdom Rules!
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4. How did Jehovah assure the Jews regarding security in their homeland?
4 Security. Those exiles would return, not to a literal paradise, but to a distant land that had lain desolate for 70 years, a land that few of them had ever seen. Lions were common in Bible lands back then, as were wolves, leopards, and other predators. A family man might wonder, ‘How will I keep my wife and children safe? What about the sheep and cattle—how will I protect them?’ Such concerns would be only natural. Think, then, of God’s promise recorded at Isaiah 11:6-9 and of how comforting it must have been. (Read.) With those lovely poetic words, Jehovah assured the exiles that they and their livestock would be safe. The lion would eat straw in the sense that it would not devour the Jews’ cattle. Faithful ones would have nothing to fear from such predators. Jehovah promised that his people would be safe in the restored land of Judah, even in the wilderness and in the forests.—Ezek. 34:25.
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The Kingdom Carries Out God’s Will on EarthGod’s Kingdom Rules!
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9, 10. (a) How is the prophecy of Isaiah 11:6-9 being fulfilled today? (b) What evidence of peace do we find among God’s people?
9 Security. In the prophecy recorded at Isaiah 11:6-9, we find a delightful picture of harmony and peace—between wild animals on the one hand and humans with their domestic animals on the other. Does that picture find a spiritual fulfillment today? Yes! In verse 9, we learn why it is that such creatures will cause neither harm nor ruin: “Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.” Does “knowledge of Jehovah” change the behavior of animals? No, it is people who are transformed by coming to know the Most High God and learning to imitate his peaceful ways. That is why in our spiritual paradise today, we can observe a heartwarming fulfillment of that prophecy. Under Kingdom rule, Christ’s followers are learning to put off their fierce, animalistic qualities and live in peace and harmony with their spiritual brothers and sisters.
10 For example, in this publication we have discussed the matter of Christian neutrality—both the Scriptural basis for our understanding and the resulting persecution that God’s people have faced for taking a neutral stand. Is it not remarkable that in this violent world, there is a sizable “nation” of people who refuse, even under threat of death, to take part in violence of any kind? What remarkable proof this is that the subjects of the Messianic King are indeed enjoying peace like that described by Isaiah! Jesus proclaimed that his followers would be known by the love they had among themselves. (John 13:34, 35) Within the congregation, Christ is patiently using his “faithful and discreet slave” to teach all true Christians to be peaceable, loving, and gentle.—Matt. 24:45-47.
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