faith “upon the basis of a hope of the everlasting life which God, who cannot lie, promised before times long lasting.”—Titus 1:2.

The Bible gives hope because everything that God has promised has come to pass, and that exactly on time. Thus, by his prophet Jeremiah God foretold that the land of Israel would lie desolate for seventy years while his people would serve the king of Babylon. And when those seventy years were fulfilled, those Israelites who were hoping in God were not disappointed. God had liberated them and, right on time, they had arrived back in their homeland.—Jer. 25:11; Dan. 9:2; Ezra 1:1-4.

God’s promise also proved true as to the coming of the Messiah. At Daniel 9:24-27, God caused his prophet to record that “from the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Leader, there will be seven weeks, also sixty-two weeks,” or sixty-nine weeks of years. And secular history verifies that from the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah (455 B.C.E.) until Jesus came as the Messiah (29 C.E.) exactly sixty-nine weeks of years, or 483 years, passed. Yes, Jesus the Messiah appeared exactly on time to fulfill the hopes of his people.—Luke 3:15.

The fact that these prophecies and others like them have been fulfilled gives strong assurance that the rest of the prophetic promises of God will be fulfilled. It is even as Joshua recorded regarding the experience of his people Israel: “Not a promise failed out of all the good promise that Jehovah had made to the house of Israel; it all came true.” Because of this, Christians today can echo the sentiments of King Solomon at the time of the dedication of Jehovah’s temple: “Blessed be Jehovah, who has given a resting place to his people Israel according to all that he has promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promise that he has promised by means of Moses his servant.”—Josh. 21:45; 1 Ki. 8:56.

BIBLE HOPE NEARS FULFILLMENT

A careful study of God’s Word reveals that it is having fulfillment also in our day, giving us hope of early deliverance from the terrible conditions of today. Jesus Christ foretold that the end of this system of things would be marked by international wars, widespread food shortages, earthquakes and increasing lawlessness. More than that, he said that the generation that saw all these things would also see an end to this wicked system. Can you appreciate what that means for you?—Matt. 24:3-34.

Do you grieve and fear because of the constant wars between nations, bringing untold hardship and loss of loved ones? Then do not despair, but be comforted with the hope that God will cause all wars to cease, even as he promised: “Come, you people, behold the activities of Jehovah, . . . He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.” Of the Kingdom reign of his Son, Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace,” we are assured that there will be an “abundance of peace until the moon is no more,” and that of the abundance of its peace “there will be no end.” Just think what that will mean! No more high taxes to pay for costly war budgets, no more wanton destruction of life and property!—Pss. 46:8, 9; 72:7; Isa. 9:6, 7.

Are you inclined to become discouraged because of bodily aches and pains? Then take hope, for these also will be done away with by Jehovah’s Kingdom rule, even as he has promised: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. The former things have passed away.” What a prospect! No further need for doctors and nurses to treat ailments and undertakers to bury the dead! They will all have to find something else to do!—Rev. 21:4.

Have you lost a loved one in death? Then take hope in God’s promise “that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” As Jesus himself promised: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” Then instead of people growing old and dying, people will be returning from the graves and be restored to the health and vigor of youth.—Acts 24:15; John 5:28, 29.

What can all this mean for you? It will mean that if you survive the end of this old system of things that Jesus spoke about, you will never need to go down into death.—Isa. 25:8.

But what if you should die before God’s kingdom brings in that new system of things? Then Jesus’ comforting words to Martha at the time of her brother’s death will apply to you: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life.”—John 11:25, 26.

STRENGTHEN YOUR HOPE

While by means of his inspired Word Jehovah God has furnished ample reason and basis for hope, it is up to you to strengthen your own hope. How can you do so?

First of all by feeding regularly on the Book of hope, the Holy Bible. Read a portion of it every day. To get the most benefit from its pages, however, you will do well to take advantage of the aids God has provided to assist you to understand the Bible. These aids are published by the Watch Tower Society and are brought to you by the Christian witnesses of Jehovah. The magazine you are reading is one of these.

To strengthen your hope you should also want to associate with others who have this strong, sure hope, thereby heeding the apostolic command ‘not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together.’ This you can do at the Kingdom Halls and other meeting places of Jehovah’s witnesses. Important also is bringing your personal life in line with the righteous principles set forth in the Bible, for you cannot have strong hope unless you are living in line with those principles. That means to heed the prophetic command: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth . . . Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”—Heb. 10:25; Zeph. 2:3.

God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is indeed the Book of hope. The evidence leaves no doubt about it. God simply cannot lie. What he foretold would take place in the past always has come to pass. Therefore you can have strong hope that all his promises regarding the future of this earth and mankind he also will fulfill. He has both the desire, the ability and the means to do so. What a blessed assurance!

Bible Truth Makes Changes

● At the close of their second home Bible study with Jehovah’s witnesses, a couple accepted the invitation to attend the Bible meetings of the Witnesses. They came to the Sunday meeting and have come for eight consecutive Sundays. The wife of the interested man took the Witness aside and said to her: “I cannot get over my husband. I could never get him to church before. He would always sleep in on Sunday mornings and now he is the first one ready to come to the Kingdom Hall.”