True Religion Can Benefit You Forever!

 1. What will happen if we “draw close to God”?

JEHOVAH loves those who serve him. If you worship Jehovah, he will bless you now and in the future. The Bible says: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.”​—James 4:8.

 2. How can we draw close to God, and how will this affect our prayers?

² To draw close to God, you must study and apply his Word. When you pray in harmony with his will, Jehovah will listen to your prayers and answer them. The Christian apostle John wrote: “This is the confidence that we have toward [God], that, no matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he hears us. Further, if we know he hears us respecting whatever we are asking, we know we are to have the things asked since we have asked them of him.”​—1 John 5:14, 15.

3-7. How may we acquire godly wisdom, and how can it help us?

³ Furthermore, as you draw close to God, he will give you the wisdom to deal with the everyday matters of life. The Bible says: “If any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep on asking God.”​—James 1:5.

⁴ How can godly wisdom help you? For one thing, it can help you to know the things that displease Jehovah. You can also learn why these things are wrong and what you can do to avoid practicing them. Such knowledge can protect you from many of the problems that afflict people in general. For example, obedience to God’s counsel to be morally clean helps protect God’s people against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and unhappy or broken marriages.

⁵ What else can God-given wisdom do for you? It can enable you to get the most out of life. It can help you make wise decisions in practical matters, such as managing your money. You will be able to pursue worthwhile goals and reject goals that are of no lasting value.

⁶ Godly wisdom can also help you in your relationships with others. You can have a happier family life. You can build lasting, genuine friendships with others, and you may earn respect, even from those who do not serve God.

⁷ Furthermore, your having godly wisdom will improve your outlook on life. It will help you to cope with life’s difficulties and disappointments. Also, you will have a balanced, positive outlook for the future. A positive outlook, in turn, will contribute to your mental and physical health.​—Proverbs 14:30; Isaiah 48:17.

 8. If you serve God, what will you not fear?

⁸ If you serve the true God, you will have freedom from the fears that trouble those who do not serve him. Because you know that the dead are lifeless in the grave, you will not fear those who have died. Because you have confidence in God’s promise to resurrect the dead, you will not fear dying. And since you know that God is all-powerful, you will not fear witchcraft or sorcery.​—John 8:32.

9-11. Who will live in Paradise, and who will not?

⁹ If you draw close to God, you will not fear the future. As we have seen, the Bible foretold many of the problems that we see on earth today. Jehovah tells us that these things are temporary; God’s Kingdom will soon make this earth a paradise.​—Luke 21:10, 11, 31; 23:43.

¹⁰ Only those who draw close to Jehovah and serve him will live in Paradise. The Bible says: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”​—Psalm 37:10, 11.

¹¹ Those who stubbornly refuse to obey God’s righteous laws will lose their lives forever. (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9) They will be no more. They will join Satan and his demons in everlasting death. (Revelation 20:10, 14) But those who learn about Jehovah and serve him will find exquisite delight in Paradise on earth.

12. What does the Bible say about the future?

¹² Jehovah has wonderful things in store for those who love him! Just look at what his Word says about life on the Paradise earth:

• Plenty of food to eat: “There will come to be plenty of grain [or, food] on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow.”​—Psalm 72:16.

• Good housing: “They will certainly build houses and have occupancy.”​—Isaiah 65:21.

• Enjoyable work: “The work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full. They will not toil for nothing.”​—Isaiah 65:22, 23.

• No sickness: “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”​—Isaiah 33:24.

• No disabilities: “At that time the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped. At that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag [a male deer] does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.”​—Isaiah 35:5, 6.

• No pain, sorrow, death: “[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:4.

• No war: “[God] is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.”​—Psalm 46:9.

• Everlasting life: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”​—Psalm 37:29.

13. Who only can make this earth a paradise, and why?

¹³ Humans could never bring about such things, but Jehovah has the power to do whatever he says he will do. Nothing can stop him from doing what he wants to do. The Bible says: “With God no declaration will be an impossibility.”​—Luke 1:37.

14. How can you get on the road to everlasting life?

¹⁴ By means of his Witnesses, Jehovah is giving people everywhere the opportunity to “go in through the narrow gate” and to travel the road that leads to everlasting life. May you be among the happy people who accept that invitation. May you practice the true religion and enjoy Jehovah’s blessing forever!​—Matthew 7:13, 14.