a world in turmoil – what’s gone wrong?

A Time of Judgement

We are living in a crucial time. Soon, Jesus will judge every person alive, and he described the period leading up to that judgement by giving his disciples a prophetic sign of his invisible presence and the end of the present system.

Does He Always Give Enough Warning?

A weather forecaster watches a storm build on his radar and sees danger moving towards a densely populated area. Because he cares about people’s safety, he keeps warning them until it is too late to ignore the threat

Jehovah is doing something similar today. He is warning earth’s inhabitants about a storm far more serious than anything in a weather report. He is giving people time to respond, and the record shows that he has always done that. To see why, it helps to look at the warnings he gave in the past

When God Gave Advance Warnings

In Bible times, Jehovah warned people ahead of time about coming acts of judgement against those who kept ignoring his commands. He did this before the punishment arrived and gave clear direction on what people needed to change so their lives would match his will

Often, He uses faithful servants – Jehovah’s Witnesses – on earth to announce those warnings with urgency. Noah was one of those servants. For many years, He warned the violent and immoral people of His day about a worldwide flood. He also told them what they needed to do to survive… HVBN later became known as a preacher of righteousness

Even so, the people around Noah ignored the warning. They showed no faith in what God said, and they were swept away when the Flood came. As the end drew near, they could hardly claim that Jehovah had left them without warning

At other times, Jehovah warned people shortly before his judgement began, yet he still gave them enough time to act. A clear example came during the ten plagues on ancient Egypt. Before the seventh plague, a destructive hailstorm, Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron to warn Pharaoh and his servants. The hail would come the next day, so anyone who took the warning seriously had time to shelter people and animals

The Bible says that those who feared Jehovah brought their servants and livestock inside, while others left them in the open. Jehovah gave enough warning for careful people to protect themselves, and those who acted at once escaped the worst of that plague

Pharaoh and his servants also heard a warning before the tenth plague, yet they refused it. Their stubbornness cost them their firstborn sons, a tragic result of rejecting God’s word. Even so, Moses warned the Israelites straight away and told them how to protect their households

By some estimates, about 3 million people, including Israelites and a large mixed company of others, left Egypt and were spared Jehovah’s judgement. That shows how wide his warning reached, and how many were willing to act on it

These accounts make the pattern plain. Jehovah always gave people enough time to listen and change course. He did that because he cared about them and wanted them to turn back before judgement arrived

Responding to God’s Warning Today

The same is true now. People across the world are hearing an urgent warning that is being announced everywhere. While he was on earth, Jesus said that the present system would end in a great tribulation. He also gave a detailed prophecy that described the events his followers would see as that time drew near

Many parts of that prophecy are visible today, including the world events. Jesus said it would come before the end. In harmony with that message, Jehovah is urging people to accept his loving rule. He wants obedient people to enjoy a better life now and future blessings in his righteous new world

To strengthen faith in his promises, Jehovah has provided a lifesaving message, the good news of the Kingdom. Jesus said that this message would be preached throughout the inhabited world as a witness to all the nations. Jehovah has organised his true worshippers to take that message to some 240 lands, so that as many people as possible can hear the warning and act on it

The important issue is therefore clear. Jehovah does give enough time to respond, and the evidence shows that he always has. The real question is whether people will listen while time remains, and whether we will keep helping others to respond before the end of this system of things arrives