exercised over all his creation.​—Heb. 13:8; 1 Cor. 15:24-28.

18. Does Jehovah have further marvelous things in store for Christ and his 144,000 associates after the thousand-year reign is finished?

¹⁸ Of course, Christ will always be acknowledged and honored for his great work and will be Honorary High Priest and King. As the great Rewarder, Jehovah’s further relationships to Christ and his 144,000 heavenly associates and his assignments to them will be expressions of his great love for them. (Heb. 6:10) The Bible does not reveal the things that he has in store for them, but what he has already done has been grand.

“God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with the Christ . . . and he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus, that in the coming systems of things there might be demonstrated the surpassing riches of his undeserved kindness in his graciousness toward us in union with Christ Jesus.”​—Eph. 2:4-7.

19. Why does a person need to understand the things that we have just studied?

¹⁹ All these things are involved in the good news, and an understanding and appreciation of them is essential to one who wants to serve God acceptably, and to proclaim the good news to others.

What Did the Wise Man Mean?

They Are in God’s Hands

Wise as he was, King Solomon could not fathom the full scope of God’s work​—the things that the Most High not only does but also tolerates in the outworking of his grand purpose. Still there was a vital truth that Solomon ‘took to heart’ after making a careful investigation of human affairs. What was it? “The righteous ones and the wise ones and their works are in the hand of the true God.”​—Eccl. 9:1.

Yes, both as to their persons and their actions, the righteous and the wise are in the hands or in the power of the Most High. While he may permit calamity to befall them, they positively will not lose their reward. Jehovah God “knows those who belong to him” and will make all his works turn out ‘for the good of those who love him.’ (Rom. 8:28; 2 Tim. 2:19) This can be a source of comfort and encouragement when we see righteous persons suffering while the wicked are prospering.​—Eccl. 8:14.

Bible scholars of recent centuries have been puzzled as to just what Solomon meant by his next statement at Ecclesiastes 9:1: “Mankind are not aware of either the love or the hate that were all prior to them.” It may well be that these words were purposely written in such a way that a number of practical concepts can be drawn from them. For example, this may be understood as meaning that, because death brings an end to people’s love and hate, the living have no idea of how much love and hate existed before they were born, that is, in the lives of people who lived before their own time.

Or, it may be that Solomon’s words should be viewed in the previously expressed context of God’s having power over the righteous and the wise as well as their works. The love and the hate that