Why Fear the Future?
WHAT does the future hold? Would we not all like to know? Many scientists and statesmen believe that world conditions will continue as in the past; that there will be divisions of government, changes of government, crime, corruption, wars, etc. But notice what the Bible has to say on this matter: “Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. Delight thyself also in Jehovah; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.” And again: “Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing. For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait for Jehovah, they shall inherit the land. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and he shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”—Ps. 37:1-4, 7-11, AS.
From these few verses we can see that mankind is due for some wonderful changes. Evildoers, workers of unrighteousness, those who bring about wicked devices and those who are incorrigibly wicked are soon to be erased from the earth forever. “The wicked shall not be.”
But to many right now that day may seem a long way off; both the righteous and the earth appear to be in for total destruction at the hands of the wicked. But not so. The Bible refers to our day as the time “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth,” which means that we can expect God Almighty to wage war against all wickedness and make our earth a fit place for righteous people to inhabit. The war that God wages is called in the Bible Armageddon.—Rev. 11:18, NW.
Just listen to what the Bible at Zephaniah 1:14-18 (AS) has to say about that battle: “The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land.”
So the future holds an awful war for mankind—God’s war! The threat and fear of atomic and hydrogen warfare are great and frightening, but, despite its dreadful prospect, it is as nothing in comparison with what Jehovah God has in store for mankind. People today should be concerned for their lives, because Armageddon is not far distant. They should be searching for a way of survival, not how to survive a possible third world war, but how to survive the certain battle of the great day of God Almighty. Some will survive.
At Zephaniah 2:1-3 (AS) Jehovah God reveals what creatures must do in order to pass through Armageddon into his new world. Here is what he says: “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah’s anger come upon you. Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”
Such is your hope if you heed Jehovah’s commands. So be farsighted. Look into the future through the telescopic vision of God’s Word. Set your sight on the new world. It will come. It is as sure as the sun and moon. Knowing this to be true, we see how foolish it is for us to fret because of evildoers, or that the wicked seem to prosper. Their days are short indeed! “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”—Ps. 37:10, 11.