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THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, honors Jehovah God, the Ruler of the universe. It comforts people with the good news that God’s heavenly Kingdom will soon end all wickedness and transform the earth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who is now ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published continuously since 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.

At first, Jesus’ followers did not understand everything he said about the Kingdom. They once asked him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” They were probably surprised when Jesus did not give them a direct answer. (Acts 1:6, 7) Does that mean we cannot find out what God’s Kingdom is and when it will come? Not at all!

This issue of The Watchtower will help you find answers to the following questions:

• Why do we need God’s Kingdom?

• Who is the King of God’s Kingdom?

• When will God’s Kingdom rule the earth?

• What will God’s Kingdom accomplish?

• Why choose to support God’s Kingdom now?

• What is God’s Kingdom?

The Bible reveals that a rebellious angel, later called Satan the Devil, challenged God’s right to rule. He implied that humans would be happier without God’s direction and rulership. Sadly, our first parents, Adam and Eve, followed Satan’s course and rebelled against God.​—Genesis 3:1-6; Revelation 12:9.

Because Adam and Eve rejected God as their Ruler, they lost their Paradise home and the hope of living forever in perfect health. (Genesis 3:17-19) Their decision also affected the children they eventually had. The Bible says that because Adam sinned, “sin entered into the world and death through sin.” (Romans 5:12) Sin led to another tragic result: “Man has dominated man to his harm.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) In other words, when humans rule themselves, problems are bound to come.

HUMAN RULERSHIP APPEARS

The first human ruler mentioned in the Bible was Nimrod. And he rebelled against Jehovah’s rulership. Ever since Nimrod’s day, powerful men have abused their positions of authority. Some 3,000 years ago, King Solomon wrote: “I saw the tears of the oppressed, and there was no one to comfort them. And their oppressors had the power.”​—Ecclesiastes 4:1.

Things are no different today. In 2009, a United Nations publication said that bad rulership is increasingly being viewed as “one of the root causes of all evil within our societies.”

TIME FOR ACTION!

The world needs better rulers and a better form of government. And that is what our Creator has promised!

God has set up a Kingdom, or government, that will replace all human rule, and “it alone will stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44) This is the Kingdom for which millions have been praying. (Matthew 6:9, 10) But God will not rule this government himself. Instead, he has appointed someone who lived as a human to be the Ruler. Whom has God chosen?

• Chosen by God. “I myself have installed my king . . . I will give nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.”​—Psalm 2:6, 8.

• An heir of King David. “A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us . . . To the increase of his rulership and to peace, there will be no end, on the throne of David and on his kingdom in order to establish it firmly.”​—Isaiah 9:6, 7.

• Born in Bethlehem. “O Bethlehem . . . , from you will come out for me the one to be ruler . . . His greatness will reach the ends of the earth.”​—Micah 5:2, 4.

• Rejected by men and executed. “He was despised, and we held him as of no account. . . . He was pierced for our transgression; he was crushed for our errors.”​—Isaiah 53:3, 5.

• Raised from the dead and glorified. “You will not leave me in the Grave. You will not allow your loyal one to see the pit. . . . There is happiness at your right hand forever.”​—Psalm 16:10, 11.

Jesus Christ—Ideally Qualified

In all human history, only one person has fit the description of an ideal Ruler; that person is Jesus Christ. In fact, an angel had told Mary, Jesus’ mother: “God will give him the throne of David his father, . . . and there will be no end to his Kingdom.”​—Luke 1:31-33.

Jesus never became a ruler on earth. Rather, he is to rule mankind from heaven as King of God’s Kingdom. What makes him an ideal Ruler? Consider what Jesus did while on earth.

• Jesus cared for people. Jesus helped men and women, young and old, regardless of their background or status. (Matthew 9:36; Mark 10:16) When a leper pleaded: “If you just want to, you can make me clean,” Jesus was moved with pity and cured him.​—Mark 1:40-42.

• Jesus taught us how to please God. He said: “You cannot slave for God and for Riches.” He also said that we must treat others as we would like others to treat us​—a principle that has come to be called the Golden Rule. In addition, he showed that God is interested not only in what we do but also in how we think and feel. So to please God, we must control what we feel in our heart. (Matthew 5:28; 6:24; 7:12) Jesus emphasized that for us to be truly happy, we must learn what God wants us to do and then do it.​—Luke 11:28.

• Jesus taught what it means to love. Jesus’ words and actions were powerful and touched his listeners’ hearts. “The crowds were astounded at his way of teaching, for he was teaching them as a person having authority.” (Matthew 7:28, 29) He taught them: “Love your enemies.” He even prayed in behalf of some of those who were responsible for his death: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”​—Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34.

Jesus is perfectly qualified to be an effective world Ruler who is helpful and kind. But when does he begin to rule?

WHAT EVENTS DID JESUS SAY WOULD HAPPEN?

Jesus said: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences.” (Luke 21:10, 11) Like the lines that form a fingerprint, all these events together form an unmistakable sign. And just as a fingerprint identifies a person, these events happening at the same time identify that “the Kingdom of God is near.” Have such events occurred together and become visible on a worldwide scale? Consider the evidence.

1. WARS

In 1914, war broke out on a scale never seen before in all human history! Historians often refer to the year 1914 as a turning point in history because it is when the first-ever world war began. That war introduced the first large-scale use of tanks, aerial bombs, machine guns, poisonous gas, and other deadly weapons. It was followed by the second world war, a war that gave birth to atomic weapons. Mankind has been fighting wars in one place or another ever since 1914, and those wars have killed millions of people.

2. EARTHQUAKES

Every year there are about 100 earthquakes that are large enough to cause “substantial damage,” says Britannica Academic. And the United States Geological Survey reports that “according to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 16 major earthquakes in any given year.” Though some might attribute the apparent increase in earthquakes to better detection, the fact is that great earthquakes around the world are causing suffering and loss of life on an unprecedented scale.

3. FOOD SHORTAGES

Food shortages occur worldwide because of war, corruption, economic collapse, poor management of agriculture, or lack of planning for extreme weather. The World Food Programme’s “2018 Year in Review” states: “Across the world, 821 million people are going hungry​—124 million acutely so.” Malnutrition has contributed to the death of about 3.1 million children each year. In the year 2011, this was the cause of about 45 percent of all child deaths worldwide.

4. DISEASES AND EPIDEMICS

A World Health Organization publication states: “The 21st century has already been marked by major epidemics. Old diseases​—cholera, plague and yellow fever—​have returned, and new ones have emerged​—SARS, pandemic influenza, MERS, Ebola and Zika.” The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest. Even though scientists and doctors have learned much about sicknesses, they have not been able to find a cure for all diseases.

5. A WORLDWIDE PREACHING WORK

Jesus pointed out another part of the sign when he foretold: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) While the world is experiencing terrible problems, over eight million people from all nations are declaring the good news of God’s Kingdom in 240 lands and in over 1,000 languages. This has never happened before in human history.

WHAT DOES THE SIGN MEAN FOR US?

The events making up the sign Jesus gave are happening today. Why should we be interested in that fact? Because Jesus said: “When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.”​—Luke 21:31.

The sign that Jesus gave, along with Bible chronology, helps us understand that God set up his Kingdom in heaven in the year 1914.a At that time, he installed his Son, Jesus Christ, as King. (Psalm 2:2, 4, 6-9) Soon, God’s Kingdom will rule the earth, and it will remove all rival rulerships and make the earth a paradise for humans to live in forever.

Shortly, the words of the model prayer that Jesus taught will be fulfilled: “Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.” (Matthew 6:10) What, though, has the Kingdom been doing since it took power in 1914? And what can we look forward to when the Kingdom takes complete rulership of mankind?

WHAT GOD’S KINGDOM HAS ALREADY DONE

In the preceding article, we considered the sign Jesus gave. That sign provides visible proof that God’s Kingdom has been established in heaven with Jesus Christ as King.

The Bible says that on taking Kingdom power, Jesus would expel Satan and his demons from heaven. Their activity is now restricted to the earth, which is one of the reasons why things have become so bad since the year 1914.​—Revelation 12:7, 9.

Despite worsening world conditions, Jesus, as King of God’s Kingdom, has done things to help people around the earth. Thanks to the worldwide Bible educational work that Jesus foretold, many are learning and applying Bible principles in their daily life. (Isaiah 2:2-4) Millions have learned to have a balanced view of work, to improve their family life, and to enjoy material things without becoming slaves to them. These people are learning to benefit themselves now and are becoming the kind of people God wants as subjects of his Kingdom.

WHAT WILL GOD’S KINGDOM ACCOMPLISH NEXT?

Although Jesus is already ruling in heaven, human governments still rule on earth. However, God has directed Jesus: “Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.” (Psalm 110:2) Soon, Jesus will completely destroy all opposers and bring relief to those who are willing to obey God.

During that time, God’s Kingdom will take action to

• Abolish false religion. Religions that have taught lies about God and that have made life difficult for people will be gone. The Bible portrays false religion as a prostitute. Its destruction will come as a shock to many.​—Revelation 17:15, 16.

• End human rulership. God’s Kingdom will take action to put an end to all human rulership.​—Revelation 19:15, 17, 18.

• Remove wicked people. What about those who are determined to do what is bad and who refuse to obey God? “As for the wicked, they will be cut off from the earth.”​—Proverbs 2:22.

• Eliminate Satan and the demons. Satan and the demons will be unable to “mislead the nations anymore.”​—Revelation 20:3, 10.

What will all of this mean for those who accept God’s Kingdom?

WHAT GOD’S KINGDOM WILL DO FOR MANKIND

Ruling as King in heaven, Jesus will accomplish much more than any human ruler ever could. He will be assisted by 144,000 corulers, who are chosen from among mankind. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1, 3) He will make sure that God’s will is carried out here on earth. What will God’s Kingdom do for earth’s inhabitants?

• Eliminate sickness and death. “No resident will say: ‘I am sick,’” and “death will be no more.”​—Isaiah 33:24; Revelation 21:4.

• Ensure true peace and security. “The peace of your sons will be abundant,” and “they will sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.”​—Isaiah 54:13; Micah 4:4.

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

• Solve environmental problems. “The wilderness and the parched land will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron.”​—Isaiah 35:1.

• Teach people what they need to do in order to live forever. “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”​—John 17:3.

God wants you to enjoy those blessings. (Isaiah 48:18) The next article will explain what you can do now to be part of this wonderful future.

In a sense, all of us are living in the path of a devastating “storm,” which Jesus called a “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21) We cannot simply get out of the path of that tribulation. But we can do something to protect ourselves. What is that?

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gave this direction: “Keep on, then, seeking first [God’s] Kingdom and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) How do we do that?

Seek first the Kingdom of God. This means that we should view God’s Kingdom as being more important than anything else. (Matthew 6:25, 32, 33) Why should we view it that way? Because humans are just not able to solve mankind’s problems. Only God’s Kingdom can accomplish that difficult job.

Seek his righteousness. We should try our best to live by God’s righteous laws and principles. Why? Because if we decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, the results will be bad. (Proverbs 16:25) On the other hand, if we live by God’s standards, we not only please God but also benefit ourselves.​—Isaiah 48:17, 18.

Keep on seeking first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. Jesus warned that some might get sidetracked, thinking they can find security in making as much money as possible. Others may let anxieties of life overwhelm them to the point that they have no time to seek God’s Kingdom.​—Matthew 6:19-21, 25-32.

However, Jesus promised that those who support God’s Kingdom will have what they need now and enjoy endless blessings in the future.​—Matthew 6:33.

Even though Jesus’ disciples in the first century were seeking first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness, they did not see the end of all pain and suffering in their lifetime. But they were protected. How?

They lived by God’s righteous standards, and that protected them from the difficulties suffered by those who ignored what God said. Their strong faith that the Kingdom would come helped them to face even the severest of problems. And God gave them “the power beyond what is normal” so that they could cope.​—2 Corinthians 4:7-9.

WILL YOU SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM?

Christians in the first century obeyed Jesus’ command to seek first the Kingdom. They preached the Kingdom good news throughout their part of the world. (Colossians 1:23) Is anyone doing that today?

Yes! Jehovah’s Witnesses realize that the time left before God’s Kingdom brings an end to this current system of things is short. So they do all they can to live by Jesus’ words: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”​—Matthew 24:14.

How will you respond to the good news? We urge you to imitate the first-century inhabitants of the Macedonian city of Beroea. When they heard the good news about the Kingdom from the apostle Paul, they accepted his message “with the greatest eagerness of mind.” Then they ‘carefully examined the Scriptures’ to verify what they had heard, and they acted on what they learned.​—Acts 17:11, 12.

You can do the same. By seeking first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness, you will find refuge and protection now and enjoy lasting peace and security in the future.

CONSIDER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:

• What is God’s Kingdom?

  It is a heavenly government ruled by Jesus Christ as King.​—Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 5:3; Luke 1:31-33.

• What will God’s Kingdom accomplish?

  It will put an end to all bad things and bring lasting peace to people on earth.​—Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10.

• What does it mean to seek first the Kingdom?

  It means to support God’s Kingdom and to trust that only it will make conditions on earth the way God wants them to be.​—Matthew 6:33; 13:44.