Watchtower: Is There a God Who Cares? - 1975

8/20/2019 Watchtower: Is There a God Who Cares? - 1975

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Is There

A God Who Cares?

If s o -

Why has he permitted wickedness?

Will life ever be free of trouble?


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COPYRIGHT, 1975

WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY

OF PENNSYLVANIA

PUBLISHERS

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

of New York, Inc.

International Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Branch addresses:

America (U.S.A.) 117 Adams St. Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201Australia 11 Beresford Rd. Strathfleld, N.S.W. 2135Canada 150 Bridgeland Ave. Toronto, Ontario M6A 1Z5

England Watch Tower House, The Ridgeway London NW7 1RNNew Zealand 6-A Western Springs Rd. Auckland 3

South Africa Private Bag 2 P.O! Elandsfontein, 1406

Made in the United States of America


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Is There a God Who Cares?

IF GOD exists, why has he allowed so manyterrible things to happen to people all through

history? If he really cares about us, why doeshe permit wickedness and suffering to continue?

2 Thinking persons everywhere ask those questions. And with good reason, because for centuries

the human family has suffered so much fromhorrible wars, food shortages, poverty, crime anddisease. Injustice and oppression have caused agreat amount of grief too. So have calamitiessuch as floods and earthquakes. Quite often, innocent people suffer through no fault of theirown. Is all of this proof that God does not care

about what happens to us? Is there any genuinehope for a better world, a world where we canreally enjoy life on earth to the full, free fromall these troubles?

3 Such questions demand truthful, satisfying answers. But it is not truthful, or satisfying, to be told,"It is God's will for us to suffer," or, "These are

things we cannot understand." If God created theawesome universe of such marvelous order, surely he must have a good reason for allowinghumans to get so disorderly. And would such aCreator not care enough about his own humancreation to tell us why he has permitted wickedness? Would it not make sense for him to correct

these bad conditions in due time if he has thepower to do so? Any loving father would do that

1, 2. (a) Are the questions set out In the first paragraph onesthat you have asked? (b) What conditions cause people to asksuch questions?3. Why is it reasonable to be able to find answers to thesequestions?

3


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4 IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES?

for his children if he could. Certainly an all-powerful, all-wise, loving Creator would not doless for his own earthly children.

WHO CAN BEST ANSWER?4 Who can best answer the questions about

God's permission of wickedness? Well, if youwere charged with some fault, would you wantpeople to listen to only what others said about it?Or would you want to speak for yourself to clearup the matter in the mind of anyone who sincerely wanted to know? It is God who is held to beat fault for permitting wickedness. Since he bestknows why he permits it, would it not be fairto let him speak for himself? Looking to humansfor answers will never be satisfying, since so oftenthey have conflicting ideas about these matters.

6 Where does God provide the answers? Thereis only one source that the Creator claims tohave authorized to tell us what happened andwhy. That source is the Bible, which states: "AllScripture is inspired of God." (2 Timothy 3:16)*This should not be surprising, because if God hadthe power to create the amazing universe, surelyhe could become the author of a book. Mere humans can project voices and ideas, even pictures,out over invisible airwaves to your radio or television set. So it would not be any great task forthe almighty Creator to project his thoughts tofaithful human writers and to see to it that theyput these down correctly. That is why the apostlePaul could say with confidence: "When you re-

* Unless otherwise Indicated, the Bible translation used Is themodern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

4. Who is In th e best position t o tel l us why God permi tswickedness?5. Is it reasonable to believe t h a t God authored t he Bible?(2 Peter 1:21; Habakkuk 2:2)


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IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES? 5

ceived God's word, which you heard from us,you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just

as it truthfully is, as the word of God."—1 Thes-salonians 2:13.

6 Perhaps you have never examined the Bible. *Yet you may be interested to know that it contains the most complete, dated historical recordin existence today. In fact, a first-century historian, Luke, a medical doctor, was able to trace

the ancestry of Jesus of Nazareth through fourthousand years of history, step by step, name byname, all the way back to the first man. Sincethe Bible goes back to the very beginning ofhuman existence, it can tell us who is to blamefor wickedness, why God permitted it, and howit will be remedied.

IS GOD TO BLAME?7 If someone else committed a crime, how would

you feel if you were blamed for it? You wouldconsider this very unjust. Justice requires that theguilty be punished and the innocent be freed fromblame. If an automobile driver ignores a stop sign

at a busy intersection and gets into a bad accident as a result, it is not the fault of the law.If a person becomes a glutton and gets sick fromovereating, it is not the fault of the farmer whogrew the food. If, despite good upbringing, ayoung man leaves home, ignores his father's goodcounsel and then gets into trouble, it is not the

father who is to blame. Then why should theheavenly Father, God, be blamed when mankindcommits wrongs? Should not the blame be putwhere it belongs—on the guilty party?

6. How far back does Bible history go, and, hence, what information can it provide us? (Luke 1:1-4; note Luke 3:23-38.)7. When wrongs are committed, who should be blamed?


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IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES?

8 Also, there is something else to consider. Ifwe blame God for such things as starvation fromfood shortages, whom do we credit for the pro-

8. What contradiction appears if we blame God for what is bad?

If human poverty and squalor are to becharged to God . . .


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ductive fields and orchards that produce suchbountiful crops in many lands? If we blame God

for sickness, whom do we credit for the body'smarvelous healing systems? If we blame God for

Who is to be credited with earth's beautyand its fruitful fields?


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city slums, whom do we credit for majestic mountains, clear lakes, delightful flowers and beautifultrees? Clearly, if we blame God for the world'stroubles and then credit him for the good thingsof the earth, it is a contradiction. A loving Godwould not promote both good and bad at the sametime.

9 To say that God does not exist only makesthe problem worse. Believing that this earth andits marvelous forms of life just happened is toignore the facts. The fact is that the earth isfar better equipped to sustain life than any house,yet every house has an intelligent designer andbuilder. Then what about this planet with itsfar grander life-sustaining systems of air, land andwater? The Bible says logically: "Of course, everyhouse is constructed by someone, but he that

constructed all things is God." (Hebrews 3:4)True, some people conclude that because humansdo bad things it means that God does not exist.However, this is like saying that because peoplewho live in houses do bad things then houseshave no designers or builders. It would also belike saying that because a person does something

wrong he never had a father.10 Who, then, is to blame for the terrible things

that have happened to the human family? Muchof the blame must rest on people themselves.Human dishonesty and frustration cause crimes.Human pride and selfishness cause wrecked mar

riages, hatreds and racial prejudices. Human errorand unconcern cause pollution and filth. Humanarrogance and stupidity cause wars; and whenentire nations blindly follow political leaders into

9. Is It logical to say that God does not exist just becausehumans do wrong things? (Isaiah 45:18)10. Where must we place much of the blame for wickedness?


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The earth is far better equippedto sustain life than any house

those wars, thenthey must share

the blame for thesuffering. Hunger and povertyare primarily dueto human neglectand greed. Consider: the world

now spends wellover $200 billioneach year on armaments. If all ofthis were properly spent on growing and equally

distributing foodand eliminating poor housing, think what couldbe done!'

11 Nor is God to blame for the wrongs committed in the nameof religion. Forinstance, clergy

men pray forGod's blessing onthe wars of theirnations. Yet often, though onopposite sides,the soldiers kill

ing each otherbelong to the11. Since cle rgy me npray for the armies oftheir nations, is Godto blame for the warsthose arm ies f igh t?(Isaiah 1:15; Proverbs28:9)

Since every house has a builder,how much more so the earth!


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1 0 IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES?

same religion! God could not be to blame forthat, because he condemns what they do, sayingthat those who truly serve him must 'have loveamong themselves.' (John 13:34, 35) If they donot have this love, then God says that they are"like Cain, who originated with the wicked oneand slaughtered his brother." (1 John 3:10-12)Killing people in the name of God, whether duringinquisitions or in wars, is similar to the ancientpractice of sacrificing children to false gods, athing that Almighty God says he 'had not commanded and that had not come up into his heart.'—Jeremiah 7:31.

12 The clergy's political meddling, support ofwars, and false teachings such as saying that Godis responsible for this world's suffering, or that

he even burns people in a literal hellfire forever,are repugnant to reasoning persons, and to God.Religious leaders who teach and practice thingsin opposition to God are called "hypocrites" inGod's Word, which also says to them: "You resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead

men's bones and of every sort of uncleanness.In that way you also, outwardly indeed, appearrighteous to men, but inside you are full ofhypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27, 28)In fact, Jesus said of hypocritical religiousleaders: "You are from your father the Devil."—John 8:44.

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No, God is not to blame for the wrongs thathumans themselves commit. And he is not toblame for the wrongs blessed by clergymen who

12. Why are religious clergymen called "hypocrites" in theBible? (Matthew 15:7-9)13. (a) SO is God to blame when humans, even religious leaders,commit wrongs? (b) Yet, what questions may still be asked?


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claim to serve God but who do not speak the truthor practice it. Well, then, was there something

wrong with the way God made mankind? Did hegive the human race a bad start?

A PERFECT START"When a person reads the first two chapters

of the book of Genesis, it becomes very clearthat when God created man and woman he gave

them a perfect start. He created them with perfect bodies and minds, so that sickness and deathwould never plague them. Their home was alovely, parklike garden of delightful flowers, lushvegetation and fruit-bearing trees. There was nolack. To the contrary, there was an abundance.Also, God set before our first parents interesting

work and stimulating goals. He instructed themto extend the parklike conditions of that paradisethroughout the entire earth. In time they wouldbe assisted in this by the many perfect childrenthat they would produce. Thus, eventually, thehuman family would become a perfect race ofpeople, inhabiting an earthly paradise, enjoying

life forever, and even having the animals inloving subjection.15 But why did things turn out so disastrously?

Was it because God did not really create humansperfect in the first place? No, that is not the case,because Deuteronomy 32:4 says of God, "Perfectis his activity." However, human perfection didnot mean that the first human pair knew everything, or could do everything, or could not dowhat is wrong. Even perfect creatures have

14. Describe the start that God gave our first parents. (Genesis1:26-31; 2:7-9, 15)15. What does human perfection mean, and what does it notmean?


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limitations. For instance, there were physicallimits. If they did not eat food, drink water and

breathe air they would die. Nor could they dosuch things as violate the law of gravity by jumping off a very high place and not expect to gethurt. Also, they had mental limits. Obviously,Adam and Eve had a lot to learn, since they hadno experience. But no matter how much theylearned, they could never know as much as their

Creator. Hence, although perfect, they were limited by being in the human realm. Perfectionsimply meant that they were complete, that therewas no flaw in their physical and mental makeup.

16 Also, God created humans as free moralagents, not to be guided just by instinct, as areanimals. And surely you appreciate such freedom.

You would not want anyone dictating to you, everyminute of your life, what you should do. However, that freedom was not to be absolute, thatis, without limitations, but was to be relative.It had to be exercised within the boundaries ofGod's laws. Those fine laws would be few andsimple, designed with the greatest happiness of

the entire human family in mind. God's love forhumans was shown by his requiring that theyobey his laws, since he knew that respect for

those laws would bring them unending benefits.Disrespect for God and his laws would interfere

with their happiness. It would bring nothing good.In fact, it would bring certain calamity, because

God warned Adam and Eve that if they abandonedhim they would "positively die." (Genesis 2:17)So to keep living, they needed not only to eatfood, drink water and breathe air, but also tobe guided by God and his laws.16. Within what boundaries was human freedom designed towork best? (1 Peter 2:16)


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The Bible shows that God's purpose was to makethe entire earth a beautiful park, a paradise,

for humans to enjoy forever

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wrong, relying on their own thinking. They didnot foresee the vast damage that would result

from such thinking. But that is what happened,since 'God cannot lie.' (Titus 1:2) When theypulled away from God's rulership, what resultedis, in a broad sense, like what happens when youpull out the plug of an electric fan. Cut off fromits source of sustaining power, the fan slows downand eventually comes to a dead stop. Similarly,

when the first human pair pulled away from theSource of life, Jehovah God, they eventually deteriorated and died, as God warned that they would.

19 Since our first parents rebelled against Godbefore they had children, imperfection set in before the birth of their first child. Adam and Evebecame like a defective pattern. Everything produced from them was also defective. They couldpass on to their children only what they themselves now had—imperfect bodies and minds. Theywere no longer perfect because they had withdrawn from the Source that sustains perfectionand life, Jehovah God. So in line with what the

Bible says at Romans 5:12, everybody born sincethen has been born in imperfection, and is proneto sickness, old age and death. But God cannotbe blamed for this. Deuteronomy 32:5 says: "Theyhave acted ruinously on their own part; they arenot his children, the defect is their own." AndEcclesiastes 7:29 notes: "The true God made man

kind upright, but they themselves have soughtout many plans."

20 But is it reasonable that disobedience by just

19. Why was the entire human race born imperfect? (Romans5:12)20. How can the wrongs of a few people result in harm to somany?


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two persons should result in such tragic consequences for everybody? Well, we know that

human carelessness by just one person in handlinga small safety factor in the construction of abuilding can result in a disaster that may cost thelives of many people. Failure to care for a similarfeature in a dam could lead to its rupture anda flood that could cause enormous destruction.A single act of corruption by a ruler may open

When a small safety factor is ignored, even a greatdam can collapse. When our first parents broke God's

law, a flood of wickedness and suffering began


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the way for a chain reaction of wrongdoing in agovernment, leading to great harm for millions

of people. In a family, when a father and a mothermake a wrong choice, their children can sufferserious consequences. Our first parents made thewrong choice. As a result, the entire human family •was plunged into imperfection and disaster.

21 Since God's law was involved, and his integrity too, he could not let the violation go by

without enforcing that law. What respect wouldpeople have for him or for his law if he didnothing about it? Do we respect rulers todaywho do not obey their own laws, or who allowcertain people to break them willfully withoutpenalty? Hence, God carried out his stated penaltyfor disobedience, which was death. But he mercifully allowed the first pair to have children,which we should appreciate, otherwise we wouldnever have been born. And although we are imperfect due to Adam and Eve's failure, do wenot prefer to be alive rather than dead?

22 Is this to say that wickedness originated en

tirely with humans? No, there is more to it.God's producing of intelligent creatures was notlimited to humans. Already he had created countless other intelligent sons in the heavens, spiritcreatures. While they too were free moral agents,they would also have to submit to God's goodand reasonable laws to remain alive. However,one of these spirit creatures meditated on wrongideas. And when a person meditates on what iswrong, that can build up to a point where he

21. Why did God uphold the death penalty, and yet how washis mercy shown?22. Who else bears a large measure of responsibility for wickedness? (Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:12)


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does the wrong thing he is thinking about. Sotoo with this spirit creature. He built up ambition in himself to such a degree that it moved

him to challenge God's actions. He told Adam'swife, Eve, that they could disobey God and still,he said, "You positively will not die." (Genesis3:4) He questioned their need to depend uponthe Creator for continued life and happiness. Infact, he told them that disobedience would actuallyimprove matters for them, causing them to be

like God. Thus he called into question the truthfulness of God. And by calling into question God'slaws, he cast doubt on God's way of ruling—indeed, on God's right to rule. For this he wascalled Satan, which means resister, and Devil,which means slanderer.

WHY HAS IT BEEN PERMITTED FOR SO LONG?23 Because God is so much stronger, he couldeasily have wiped out these human and spiritrebels at the start. But that would not have settledmatters satisfactorily. Why not? Because it wasnot God's strength that was challenged. The issuesraised were moral ones. And a vital issue among

them was this: Would the way of rebellion provesuccessful? Could rulership that ignored Godbring lasting benefits to the entire human family?Would God's rulership of people be better forthem, or would man's rulership be better? God,in his wisdom, knew that this, and other keyissues raised, would take time to settle. So he

allowed a definite period of time that would givehumans ample opportunity to arrive at the peakof their political, social, industrial and scientificachievements.

23, 24. Why would the Issues take time to settle?


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even when just two people are involved. The issuesinvolving God's rulership must be settled completely,forever, and this requires enough time

24 That time period could not be just a fewdays or a few years. It would take many genera

tions for the answer to be demonstrated beyondreasonable doubt. Court cases can take weeks ormonths even where just two people are involved.The great issues at stake relative to God's ruledemand a full answer, not a halfway settlement.In this way the settling of these issues wouldnever need to be repeated at any future time.

A loving God could accept nothing less than afull settlement. And we can be glad that this isso, since only such a settlement can open theway for unending peace and security for all ofGod's universal family, in heaven and on earth.

25 About 6,000 years have now passed sincethe issues were first raised. What has been the

result of independence from God's rule? All kindsof governments, all kinds of social orders, all kindsof economic systems, and all kinds of sectarianreligions have been tried. But nothing has broughttrue peace, security, lasting health and happiness.

25. In spite of material progress, has man's independence fromGod brought true peace and happiness?


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Can one boast of material progress when WorldWar II alone took over fifty million lives? Is itprogress to send men to the moon, when thosesame rockets with nuclear warheads could annihilate mankind, and when hundreds of millionsof people on earth were suffering from hungerand poverty at the same time that men walkedon the moon? What good is having a house withmany conveniences when families are torn apartby arguments, when the number of divorces growsconstantly, when fear of crime in the neighborhood spreads, when pollution and slums grow,when economic depressions throw millions out ofwork, when riots, civil wars and the toppling ofgovernments are yearly occurrences that threatena man's home and way of life?

26 The truth is just as United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim admitted: "Despite material progress, human life has never had a greatersense of insecurity than it is experiencing today."*The book Environmental Ethics also states: "Man,created to breathe clean air, drink and enjoypure water, and enjoy the adventure of his naturalsurroundings, has changed his environment andfinds he cannot adapt. He is preparing his ownmass execution."! Truly the long permission ofwickedness should demonstrate to all reasonablepersons that men were not created with theability to direct their affairs successfully apartfrom the guidance of God. And with six thousandyears of human failure as evidence, never cananyone rightly charge God with not allowingenough time for humans to experiment. The al-

* New York Times, November 6, 1972, p. 5.- Environmental Ethics, edited by Donald R. Scoby, 1971, p. 17.

26. What has the time allowed revealed about man's Independence from God? (Psalm 127:1)


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IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES? 2 1

lotted time has been enough to prove that theway of rebellion against God has been an absolute

disaster.

WICKEDNESS SOON TO END27 The human family desperately needs a change

for the better. In fact, we need an entirely newsystem. As sociologist Erich Fromm admitted,the evils in society can be corrected "only if the

whole system as it has existed during the last6,000 years of history can be replaced by a fundamentally different one."* That is exactly whatGod has in mind! When his allotted time periodis up, God has guaranteed to_crush.out of existence.the entire present wicked system of things, alongwith those who prefer it. "All the wicked ones

he will annihilate."—Psalm 145:20.28 When will this take place? Very soon, because God's Word shows that the unprecedentedtroubles that have struck the human family sincethe first world war began in 1914 make up a signidentifying what is called in the Bible "the last

days." The Bible foretold that in these "last days"there would be world wars, mounting crime, hun-ger, djsease. epidemics, wanton pleasure-seekingby the majority, the turning away from belief inGod, religious hypocrisy and decay, and manyother events. These would be like the lines of afingerprint, identifying with certainty our genera

tion as the final one in which God would toleratesuch terrible conditions. Jesus prophesied that our

* New York Post, March 30, 1974, p. 35.

27. How extensive a change has God purposed? (Proverbs 2:21,22; Romans 16:20)28. What does the Bible call the time in which we live, andwhy? (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 12, 13; Matthew 24:3-14)


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time would indeed see the end of the system ofthings now dominating the earth.

29 Jesus also said regarding the generation ofpeople who saw the beginning of the "last days"

in 1914: "Truly I say to you that this generationwill by no means pass away until all these thingsoccur." (Matthew 24:34).This means that someof the people who were alive when World War. Ibegan in 1914 would still be alive to witness theend of this present system of things. That WorldWar I generation is getting very old__now, and

this is strong evidence that the end of wickednessis rapidly approaching,30 When the end comes, God will display his

mighty power and intervene directly in man'saffairs. All human systems in opposition to himwill be crushed. The prophecy of Daniel chapter 2,verse 44, says about this: "In the days of those

kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdomwhich shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall breakin pieces all these kingdoms and bring them toan end, and it shall stand for ever." (RevisedStandard Version) With all hurtful human systemstaken out of the way, God's rule over the earth

will assume complete control.31 Hence, God's rule will be exercised by a new

29. How do we know that this system's end Is near?30. What will happen to all the systems of human rule nowdominating the earth? (Zephaniah 3:8; Isaiah 1:28)31. What government will God provide for all mankind? (Matthew 6:9, 10)


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IS THERE A GOD WHO CARES? 2 3

government, a heavenly government, the kingdomof God. That is the government that Jesus Christ

made the main point of his teaching. And heforetold that it alone would control the entireearth in due time. Since the Kingdom will rulefrom heaven, directed by God, there will be nochance of its being corrupted by selfish men. Sogoverning power will be where it belonged in thefirst place, in heaven, with God. With God's

rule dominating the earth, his promise is that"righteousness is what the inhabitants of theproductive land will certainly learn." (Isaiah 26:9)Nor will anybody be misled by false religion,as there will be none. Everyone living will betaught the truth about God and his purposes,so that, in the fullest sense, "the earth will

certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea."—Isaiah 11:9.

A RIGHTEOUS NEW ORDER32 Under the rule of God's kingdom, an entirely

new human society will develop, a society made

up of godly people. In this new order, God'sgreat care for us will be demonstrated by whathe does. For one thing, wars will never again marthe peace and happiness of humans. Why not?Because all who will have survived the end ofthis present wicked world will already have beeneducated in the ways of peace, so that the newhuman society will have a peaceful start. Then,all who come to live in that new order will continue to receive the same education in doing God'swill. That is why the Bible's promise will be cer-

32. Under the rule of God's kingdom, how extensive will peacebe? (Isaiah 2:2-4)


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tain of fulfillment that God "is making wars tocease to the extremity of the earth." (Psalm 46:8, 9) How complete will that peace be? God's •

prophetic Word says: "The meek ones themselveswill possess the earth, and they will indeed findtheir exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."—Psalm 37:11.

33 In addition, those living in that new orderwill transform the earth into the paradise thatGod originally purposed for it. What a satisfying

work that will be for mankind! And with paradiserestored, people will be able to enjoy to the fullthe lakes, rivers and oceans; the hills, mountains,plains and valleys; the lovely flowers, plants andtrees; as well as the interesting animals. Nor will

33. The earth will undergo what transformation?

There will be no war in God's new order,as he is "making wars to cease"


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food shortagesever occur, for

"the earth itself will certainly give itsproduce; God,our God, willbless us." Yes," t h e r e w i l l

come to beplenty of grainon the earth;on the top ofthe mountains

there will be an overflow."—Psalm 67:6; 72:16.34 Along with lasting peace and plenty of food

will come vibrant health. Since God created man,he knows better than any doctor exactly whatto do to heal the crippled, to make the blind

34. What physical healing will take place?

Never again will mankind sufferfrom hunger

The earth will yield abundantly with God's blessing


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see and the deafhear, and how toeliminate all sickness , aging anddeath. The power

of God to dothis was demons t ra ted byJesus Chris t

on a token, orsmal l , s ca lewhen he wason earth. TheBible tells us:"Great crowdsa p p r o a c h e d

h i m , h a v i n ga l o n g w i t hthem people

that were lame, maimed, blind, dumb, and manyotherwise, and they fairly threw them at his feet,and he cured them; so that the crowd felt amazement as they saw the dumb speaking and the

lame walking and the blind seeing."—Matthew15:30, 31.35 Jesus referred to this earthly Paradise when

he told the man who was hung alongside him:"You will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)But that man died. So how could he get into

Paradise? By means of another marvelous provision that shows how much God cares—by meansof the resurrection from the dead. The Bible saysat Acts 24:15: "There is going to be a resurrec-

Old persons will be restored to

the vigor that comes with youthand perfect health

35, 36. How will dead persons be given the opportunity of living-in God's new order? (John 5:28, 29; Luke 7:11-15)


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tion of both the righteous and the unrighteous."When on earth, Jesus resurrected dead persons to

demonstrate God's power to do this under therule of his kingdom.

36 Do you find the idea of a resurrection hardto believe? Yet even now you can see televisionprograms with people in them who have longbeen dead. You hear their voices, observe theiractions and note their characteristics. If mere

man can preserve such things on television tapes,it would not be difficult for the All-Wise God toretain in his memory the detailed imprint of thepersonality and characteristics of each individualhuman that he would want to re-create. This hehas done, and he will raise such dead ones up tolife again. In this way, they too will have the

opportunity to enjoy life in God's new order.And by emptying the graves, and by healingpeople from inherited sickness, aging and death,God "will actually swallow up death forever."(Isaiah 25:8) Thus, people will be able to liveforever!


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37 By means of his kingdom, God will complete-ly reverse the bad situation that has prevailed

for so long! Throughout eternity he will show hisgreat care for us by showering down blessingsthat will far more than make up for any hurt thatwe have received in the past. The previoustroubles we have experienced in this present system will fade to a dim memory then, if we careto remember them at all. God's promise is: "I amcreating new heavens [a new heavenly government over all mankind] and a new earth [arighteous human society]; and the former thingswill not be called to mind, neither will they comeup into the heart. But exult, you people, and be

joyful forever in what I am creating." (Isaiah65:17, 18) With such grand blessings just ahead,

you can see why the Bible says that God "willwipe out every tear from their eyes." And whynot? For "death will be no more, neither willmourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. Theformer things have passed away."—Revelation21:4.

GOD CARES—DO WE?38 The fact that God will end wickedness soonand usher in a delightful new order shows thathe really cares about us. But do we care abouthim? If we do, we need to show it. What mustwe do? The Bible says: "The world is passing

away and so is its desire, but he that does the willof God remains forever." (1 John 2:17) Thekind of people God wants in his new order are

37. Why can it be said that God will more than make up forany hurt that people have received unjustly?38. What kind of people does God want in his new order?(Psalm 37:37, 38)


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Under the rule of God's kingdom, life will be such adelight that it will more than make up for any

suffering we have unjustly experienced now


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Is the Bible

Really the Word of God?Can you trust what the Bible says? It is

vital that you know, for it foretells an im

pending world destruction and shows the

way of escape.

The 192-page book Is the Bible Really the

Word of God? examines the Bible's claim

of divine authorship. It considers the evi

dence that answers questions you have

likely asked, such as:

• Is the Bible's account of creation factor fiction?

• Did the races of mankind have dif -fering origins?

• Was there an earth-wide flood?

• Are the miracles of the Bible true?

• Do the Bible and history agree?

• Are the Bible's moral standards consistent?

These and other questions

are examined in the book

Is the Bible Really the Wordof God? Only 25 cents. You

can order your copy from

the addresses found inside

the front cover.

Watchtower: Is There a God Who Cares? - 1975

Documents

Transcript of Watchtower: Is There a God Who Cares? - 1975