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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.

Do current world events indicate that the end of the world is near? If so, can we do anything to survive the end of the world? What will happen after the end? The articles in this issue will reveal the Bible’s comforting answers to those questions.

The news is full of distressing reports

• Disease and pandemics

• Natural disasters

• Poverty and hunger

• Pollution and global warming

• Crime, violence, and corruption

• Wars

Clearly, we need a better world. A world where there is

• Perfect health

• Safety and security for everyone

• Abundant food

• A healthy environment

• Justice for all

• Global peace

What, though, do we mean when we speak of a better world?

What will happen to the world we live in now?

What can we do to live in a better world?

What Will Not End?

MANKIND

What the Bible says: God “did not create [the earth] simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited.”​—ISAIAH 45:18.

PLANET EARTH

What the Bible says: “A generation is going, and a generation is coming, but the earth remains forever.”​—ECCLESIASTES 1:4.

WHAT IT MEANS: According to the Bible, the earth will never be destroyed and it will always be inhabited. So, what is meant by the end of the world?

CONSIDER: The Bible compares the coming end of this world to what happened in the days of Noah. At that time, the earth was “full of violence.” (Genesis 6:13) However, Noah was righteous. So God preserved Noah and his family, but He destroyed the wicked people by means of a flood. Referring to what happened back then, the Bible says: “The world of that time suffered destruction when it was flooded with water.” (2 Peter 3:6) That was the end of a world. Yet, what was destroyed? Not the earth, but the wicked people on the earth. Thus, when the Bible speaks of the end of the world, it is not referring to the destruction of the planet. Instead, it is referring to the end of wicked people on the earth and to the system of things they have put together.

What Will End?

PROBLEMS AND WICKEDNESS

What the Bible says: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; you will look at where they were, and they will not be there. But the meek will possess the earth, and they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”​—PSALM 37:10, 11.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Flood of Noah’s day did not wipe out wickedness once and for all. After the Flood, wicked people once again made life miserable for everyone. Soon, though, God will bring an end to wickedness. As the psalmist said: “The wicked will be no more.” God will put an end to wickedness by means of his Kingdom​—a world government that rules from heaven over a righteous human society.

CONSIDER: Will those presently ruling the earth welcome rule by God’s Kingdom? The Bible indicates that they will not. Foolishly, they will oppose God’s Kingdom. (Psalm 2:2) What will be the result? God’s Kingdom will replace all human governments, and “it alone will stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44) But why does human rulership need to end?

WANTED​—An End to Human Rulership

What the Bible says: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”​—JEREMIAH 10:23.

WHAT IT MEANS: Humans were not created to rule themselves. They do a poor job of governing other people and solving their problems.

CONSIDER: Britannica Academic notes that individual governments seem unable to “handle the universal enemies of poverty, hunger, disease, natural disaster, and war or other violence.” It then continues: “Some . . . believe that only a form of world government can make decisive headway against those evils.” However, even if all human governments united, the world would still be ruled by imperfect humans who are unable to overcome the difficulties mentioned above. God’s Kingdom is the only government that has the power to solve all global problems permanently.

Therefore, according to the Bible, the end of the world​—the present wicked system of things—​is not something that good people should fear. Instead, it is something to look forward to because this ruined old world will be replaced by God’s magnificent new world!

When will this all happen? The next article will explain the Bible’s answer.

CONSIDER TWO STATEMENTS JESUS MADE ABOUT THE END:

“Keep on the watch, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour.”​—MATTHEW 25:13.

“Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is.”​—MARK 13:33.

So no one on earth knows exactly when this system of things will come to an end. However, God has set an “appointed time”​—a definite “day and hour”—​for the end to come. (Matthew 24:36) Does this mean that there is absolutely no way of knowing when the end is near? Not at all. Jesus told his disciples to look for a number of events that would indicate that the end was close at hand.

THE SIGN

These events would be the sign of “the conclusion of the system of things.” Jesus said: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another.” (Matthew 24:3, 7) He also said that there would be “pestilences”​—epidemic diseases. (Luke 21:11) Are you seeing the events that Jesus prophesied?

Devastating wars, famines, and earthquakes as well as relentless diseases have ravaged the earth in our day. In 2004, for example, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami that killed some 225,000 people. In three years, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some 6.9 million deaths worldwide. Jesus said that events like these would indicate that the end of this system of things is near.

“THE LAST DAYS”

The Bible describes the time period just before the end as “the last days.” (2 Peter 3:3, 4) Second Timothy 3:1-5 states that the last days would be marked by a steep moral decline. (See the box “Just Before the End of the World.”) Do you see people who exhibit selfish, greedy, fierce, and unloving traits today? This too is evidence that we are living very near the end of the world.

How long will the last days be? According to the Bible, only “a short period of time.” Then, God will destroy “those ruining the earth.”​—Revelation 11:15-18, footnote; 12:12.

THE PARADISE EARTH IS NEAR!

God has already set the day and hour when he will bring an end to this present wicked system of things. (Matthew 24:36) Yet, there is more good news​—God “does not desire anyone to be destroyed.” (2 Peter 3:9) He is giving mankind the opportunity to conform to his standards. Why? Because he wants us to survive the end of this world and live in his new world, when the earth will be a paradise.

God has organized a global teaching program to help people learn how to become part of the new world under his Kingdom. Jesus said that the good news about God’s Kingdom would be preached “in all the inhabited earth.” (Matthew 24:14) Worldwide, Jehovah’s Witnesses spend billions of hours preaching and teaching people the Bible’s message of hope. Jesus said that this preaching campaign would be done throughout the earth before the end would come.

The time for human rule is almost over. But the good news is that you can survive the end of the world and be part of the Paradise earth that God has promised. The following article will discuss how you can live in that new world.

The preceding articles have shown that God will soon put an end to this ungodly human society with all its problems. We can be sure that this will happen. Why? Because God’s Word, the Bible, has promised:

“The world is passing away.”​—1 JOHN 2:17.

We can be certain that there will be survivors because the above Bible verse also promises:

“The one who does the will of God remains forever.”

Therefore, the key to survival is doing God’s will. To find out what God’s will is, we must first come to know him.

SURVIVE THE END BY “COMING TO KNOW” GOD

Jesus said: “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God.” (John 17:3) To survive the end and live forever, we need to ‘come to know’ God. That means much more than merely acknowledging that God exists or knowing a few facts about him. We need to be friends with him. As with any friendship that we want to flourish, we need to devote time to it. Maintaining a friendship with God is no different. Consider some vital truths we learn from the Bible that help us to develop and maintain a friendship with God.

READ GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE, DAILY

We regularly eat food to stay alive. But Jesus said: “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.”​—Matthew 4:4.

Today, we find Jehovah’s words in the pages of the Bible. As you study that sacred book, you will learn vital truths about mankind’s past, present, and future relationship with God.

PRAY TO GOD FOR HELP

What can you do if you want to follow God’s guidance but are finding it difficult to stop doing things that he says are wrong? In that case, coming to know God can help you in a special way.

Consider a woman whom we will call Sakura, who was living an immoral life. When she started to study the Bible, she learned about God’s command to “flee from sexual immorality.” (1 Corinthians 6:18) Sakura prayed to God for strength and was able to stop this bad practice. But she still has to fight temptations. “If immoral thoughts come to mind,” she says, “I talk honestly to Jehovah in prayer, knowing that I cannot fight this by myself. The power of prayer has drawn me closer to Jehovah.” Like Sakura, millions are coming to know God. He is giving them the strength they need to make changes in their lives and live in a way that pleases him.​—Philippians 4:13.

The better you come to know God, the more you will “come to be known by God” as a precious friend. (Galatians 4:9; Psalm 25:14) Then you will qualify for survival into God’s new world. But what will that new world be like? The following article will explain.

Global government

Soon, when God’s new heavenly government exercises authority over all mankind, the earth will become a happy place where people can live together in harmony and do good and satisfying work. God has appointed Jesus Christ to rule over the earth. Unlike so many rulers today, Jesus will have the interests of his subjects at heart. His rulership will be based on love, and he will be a kind, merciful, and fair King.​—Isaiah 11:4.

International unity

The earth’s new human society will not be divided by nationality or ethnicity. Mankind will be one united people. (Revelation 7:9, 10) All humans living on earth will love God and love their neighbor, and they will cooperate peacefully to accomplish God’s original purpose of taking care of their home, the earth.​—Psalm 115:16.

Harmony with the natural environment

When God’s Kingdom takes charge of the earth, the Creator will take full control of all aspects of the weather, keeping it in perfect balance. (Psalm 24:1, 2) When he was on earth, Jesus gave a glimpse of the power God gave him when he effortlessly calmed a frightening storm. (Mark 4:39, 41) Under Christ’s rule, no one will have any reason to fear natural disasters. God’s Kingdom will also restore the original harmony between nature and humans.​—Hosea 2:18.

Perfect health and abundant food

Everybody will enjoy perfect health. No one will become ill, grow old, or die. (Isaiah 35:5, 6) People will enjoy a beautiful and clean environment like the one the first human couple enjoyed in the garden of Eden. In the new world, just as in Eden, the ground will produce food in abundance and all inhabitants of the earth will have plenty. (Genesis 2:9) Like God’s ancient nation of Israel, everyone in the Paradise will “eat [their] bread to satisfaction.”​—Leviticus 26:4, 5.

Real peace and security

Under God’s global government, all people will enjoy peace and will treat one another kindly and fairly. There will be no wars, no abuse of power, and no need to struggle for basic needs. The Bible promises: “They will sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.”​—Micah 4:3, 4.

Ample housing and satisfying work

Every family will have a home without fear of being displaced, and all the work that we do will be rewarding. As the Bible says, those living in God’s new world “will not toil for nothing,” or in vain.​—Isaiah 65:21-23.

The best education

The Bible promises: “The earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 11:9) Members of the new human society will learn from the infinite wisdom of their Creator, Jehovah, and about the beautiful things he created. They will not use their knowledge to build weapons or to harm other humans. (Isaiah 2:4) Instead, they will learn how to live in peace with one another and how to care for the earth.​—Psalm 37:11.

Unending life

God took great care to prepare the earth so that we can enjoy life to the full each day. He intends for humans to live on earth forever. (Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 45:18) To fulfill his original purpose, God “will swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:8) “Death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore,” the Bible promises. (Revelation 21:4) God will give all humans​—both those whom he saves when he destroys this wicked world and the countless dead ones he will resurrect in the coming new world—​the opportunity to live forever.​—John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.

Even now, millions worldwide are preparing for mankind’s new beginning so near at hand. Although imperfect, they are already trying to be the kind of people God would want in his new world. How? By learning about Jehovah God and the one whom he sent, Jesus Christ.​—John 17:3.

Find out more about how you can survive the end of this world and live in the better world soon to come. Accept a free interactive Bible course from one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, using the book Enjoy Life Forever!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

• How will it end?

• When will it happen?

• Can you survive?

• What will the world be like after the end?

The Bible’s answers to these questions, as discussed in this issue, will surprise and comfort you.

Jehovah’s Witnesses will be happy to help you to learn more about God’s purpose.