JW subtitle extractor

Our text for today is taken
from Revelation chapter 7.
And this chapter contains thrilling events:
The final sealing of the 144,000
who will rule with Christ in the heavens
and the identification of a great crowd
that will come out of the great tribulation.
And it’s so exciting to contemplate
what is ahead of us, whether our hope
is in the heavens or here on earth.
But meanwhile,
we also understand from Bible prophecy
that we are heading
toward the greatest time of trouble
that mankind has ever seen.
Daniel 12:1 tells us
that “there will occur a time of distress
“such as not has not occurred since there
came to be a nation until that time.”
Yes, difficult days are ahead of all of us.
Well,
as we head toward the great tribulation,
we do well to keep in sharp focus
the promises that Jehovah has given
regarding what will take place
after these events,
the blessings that the anointed
and the great crowd will enjoy.
Why?
Well, this can help us to maintain our hope
and keep our courage strong and alive.
Think of what the anointed anticipate.
Weren’t we excited at the last annual meeting
as we listened to Brother Herd explain
how the anointed think about their hope?
They pray about it;
they eagerly anticipate their reward.
And then we may consider what
the apostle John wrote to fellow anointed
as recorded at 1 John 3:2,
where he says:
“We will see [Jehovah] just as he is.”
What will it be like
when they are introduced to Jehovah
and they meet Jesus,
the angels, their fellow anointed?
Why, it will be more incredible
than they could ever have imagined.
And what about the rest of us?
What blessings will the great crowd enjoy?
Well, in Ezekiel chapter 47,
we read of Ezekiel’s vision
of the water flowing from the temple,
and this symbolizes the blessings
that will flow in Paradise.
It starts as a trickle,
but as time goes on through the Millennium,
that will widen, and eventually that river
of blessings will become a torrent,
and things will get better
than we could ever have imagined.
Well, do you periodically stop and reflect
on Jehovah’s promises for you
and assure yourself that it will happen?
Let’s do that now
with three of Jehovah’s promises.
Turn, please,
to Isaiah 65:21, 22
—Isaiah 65:21, 22:
“They will build houses and live in them,
“and they will plant vineyards
and eat their fruitage.
“They will not build
for someone else to inhabit,
“nor will they plant for others to eat.
“For the days of my people
will be like the days of a tree,
“and the work of their hands my chosen ones
will enjoy to the full.”
This portrays the peaceful, prosperous,
secure conditions to come.
But can we be sure
that Christ and the 144,000
really will be able to solve the problems
that have plagued governments
and brought pain
to people for thousands of years?
Yes!
The Bible’s account of Jehovah’s dealings
with the nation of Israel
assures us that he knows how
to address these issues.
For example, if you think about it, Jehovah
put a structure in place that, when followed,
ensured that there were
no civil rights problems.
The foreigner and the Israelite
were treated the same.
No one went hungry.
Anyone who was in need could go
and glean from the farmers’ fields,
and yet it was not a system of handouts.
They had to work for it,
and this helped them
to maintain their dignity.
Each family had a God-given inheritance
that they could never permanently sell
and no one could ever permanently
take from their family.
This prevented abuses
and real estate monopolies.
The law also protected families
from sinking too far into poverty.
Even if a family
because of economic reversals
lost everything and had to go to work
for someone else,
every Jubilee year,
they were released
with their family, their land,
and their provisions to start over again.
There was no national debt.
And when you think about it,
the Jubilee effectively
reset the economy every 50 years,
and that eliminated the roller-coaster ride
we see today
of inflation, crushing debt, and recession.
And those were just few
of the provisions of the Law.
Can you picture
what it will be like
when we are living under God’s Kingdom
with Christ and the 144,000 taking the lead?
It will be more wonderful
than we could ever have imagined!
What about our second promise?
Let’s look at Ezekiel 34:25.
Ezekiel 34:25 says:
“And I will make
a covenant of peace with them,
“and I will rid the land
of vicious wild beasts,
“so that they may dwell securely
in the wilderness
and sleep in the forests.”
Peace with the animals
—but will it really happen?
Is it possible that when the Bible talks
about peace with wild animals
it’s just figurative?
Well, consider this:
What happened when the nation of Israel
went into the Promised Land?
Well, we may think of what it says
at Exodus 23:29,
where regarding the enemy nations
it records Jehovah saying:
“I will not drive them out from before you
in one year,
“so that the land does not become desolate
and the wild animals of the field
multiply against you.”
So Jehovah did not want
to depopulate the area too quickly.
Otherwise, the wild animals would take over.
However, there’s no indication that Jehovah
will gradually remove
the wicked in the future.
Why will the wild animals not take over then?
Is that further evidence
that the animals will be subdued?
Can you imagine what it will be like
when you see fulfilled your childhood dreams,
like being at peace with the animals
and being able to safely sleep in the forest?
Let’s look at our third promise.
Acts 24:15
—Acts 24:15: “And I have hope toward God,
“which hope these men also look forward to,
that there is going to be a resurrection.”
Now, we may have lived through periods
of relative economic stability
and periods of peace.
We may have even seen
wild animals acting docilely,
but none of us have ever seen
somebody resurrected.
Will it really happen?
Can we prove that Jehovah
has obligated himself to a resurrection?
The account that always encourages me
is the account of Job.
Now,
we’re very familiar what happened to Job,
that he lost
all of his possessions and his children.
But what happened in the end?
Well, you look at Job 42:10,
and it tells us that Jehovah doubled
what Job lost.
But Jehovah didn’t leave it at that.
You see, he inspired Moses
to tell us exactly what it was,
how many that Job lost.
If you go to Job chapter 1,
we see that he lists out
how many sheep, camels, cattle, donkeys,
and children Job had in the beginning.
And then, in what is now Job chapter 42,
Moses lists the amounts and shows
that each of these exactly double,
with one exception.
Job 42:13:
“He also came to have seven more sons
and three more daughters.”
Now, wait a minute.
Why did Jehovah not give Job
14 more sons and 6 more daughters
when he doubled everything else?
Was Jehovah not completely truthful
when he says he doubled everything?
No, that’s not possible.
So, what happened?
Well, the animals aren’t coming back,
so Jehovah doubled them for him right then.
But in Jehovah’s mind,
the children are still living,
and this account is a guarantee
that Jehovah will resurrect Job,
will resurrect
his original group of ten children,
and will resurrect
his second group of ten children.
Job will see a double portion,
even of his children,
just as Jehovah promised.
There will be a resurrection.
Can you imagine what that will be like?
Well, brothers and sisters,
things are getting difficult
for our brothers and sisters
all around the world.
We think of what our brothers
are going through right now in Europe
and in many other places.
Things will get difficult for all of us
before the end of this system of things
takes place.
Well, dear friends,
during the dark days to come,
keep your hope strong.
Keep your courage alive.
Do not lose sight of the reality
of the beautiful promises
that are ahead of you.
And just as you are seeing
unmistakable fulfillment
of Jehovah’s promises right now,
you will see
unmistakable fulfillment
of Jehovah’s promises for the future.
And think about the joy that you will have
when all creation in heaven and on earth
are finally united in pure worship
and when that river is a torrent.
Yes, you can be certain
it will be more wonderful
than you could ever have imagined!

Robert Luccioni: Keep Jehovah’s Promises in Sight! (Rev. 7:9)