Study From The Watchtower, Week of January 30 to February 5, 2023, We can live forever, Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, 30-January-5-February 2023, We can live forever, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

"This means eternal life" (JOHN 17:3).

1. How does thinking about Jehovah's promise to live forever affect us?

JEHOVAH promises those who obey him that they will have “everlasting life” (Rom. 6:23). When we meditate on this beautiful promise, our love for him grows stronger. Let's think about this: our heavenly Father loves us so much that he offers us this gift so that we will never be separated from him.

2. How does the promise of eternal life help us?

2 God's promise to give us eternal life helps us face trials. Even if our enemies threaten to kill us, we will not stop serving Jehovah. Why? One reason is that we know that if we die faithful to Jehovah, he will restore us to life and we will have the hope of never dying again (John 5:28, 29; 1 Cor. 15:55-58; Heb. 2:15 ). Why are we sure that we can live forever? Let's look at some reasons.

JEHOVAH LIVES FOREVER

3. Why are we sure that Jehovah can make us live forever? (Psalm 102:12, 24, 27).

3 We know that Jehovah can make us live forever because he is “the fountain of life” and lives forever (Ps. 36:9). Let's look at a few Bible verses that confirm that Jehovah has always existed and always will exist. Psalm 90:2 says that he exists "for ever and ever." Psalm 102 expresses a similar idea (read Psalm 102:12, 24, 27). And, speaking of our heavenly Father, the prophet Habakkuk wrote: “O Jehovah, have you not been from forever? Oh my God, my Holy One, you do not die” (Hab. 1:12).

4. Why should we not worry if we find it difficult to understand that Jehovah has always existed?

 4 Is it difficult for you to understand that Jehovah has existed for “all eternity”? (Is. 40:28). You are not the only one. Elihu said about God: “The number of his years is beyond our comprehension” (Job 36:26). Now, the simple fact that we do not understand something does not mean that it is not true. For example, we may not fully understand how light works. But that does not mean that light does not exist. Similarly, we humans may never fully understand how Jehovah can be without beginning or end. But that does not mean that God is not eternal.The truth about the Creator does not depend on our understanding of things (Rom. 11:33-36). Furthermore, he existed before the physical universe, which includes the Sun and other stars, came into being. The Bible assures us: "He is the one who made the earth, the one who made it with his power." And he adds: “he stretched out the heavens” (Jer. 51:15; Acts 17:24). Let's look at another reason that convinces us that we can live forever.

WE ARE MADE TO LIVE FOREVER

5. What hope did the first human couple have?

5 Of all the living things that Jehovah created on earth, human beings would be the only ones that would not eventually die. To them he gave the special hope of everlasting life. Of course, Jehovah warned Adam: "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, for in the day you eat from it you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17). If Adam and Eve had obeyed Jehovah, they would not have died. It is logical to think that at some point God would have allowed them to eat from the "tree of life." That would have confirmed to them that they would live "forever" (Gen. 3:22).

The expression "forever" in the Bible

Of the Hebrew words that are usually translated “forever ,” the most common is ʽohlám. In the Bible, this word can refer to something that existed long in the past or will exist long in the future, without specifying its beginning or end (Joshua 24:2; Ps 24:7, 9). . ʽOhlám can also refer to something that will never end. It is in this sense that Jehovah is said to remain forever (Ps. 102:12, 24, 27). Depending on the context, this Hebrew word is translated in the New World Translation with expressions like “forever,” “permanently,” or “a long time ago.”

6, 7. (a) What other proofs do we have that we are not made to die? b) What do you want to do when you have eternal life? (See pictures).

6 It is very interesting that a). Some scientists have found evidence that our brains have the capacity to store much more information than we can learn in a lifetime . In 2010, an American scientific journal said that, according to an estimate, our brains can store about two and a half million gigabytes. That equates to a three million hour video, which would take us over 300 years to watch. And it is probable that this calculation falls very short. But it confirms that Jehovah designed the human brain with the capacity to store much more information than we can learn in just 70 or 80 years (Ps. 90:10).

7 Jehovah has also created us with an intense desire to continue living. As the Bible says, God "has put eternity in the hearts" of human beings (Eccl. 3:11). That is one reason why death is an enemy to us (1 Cor. 15:26). Let's think about this. If we get seriously ill, do we resign ourselves and sit idly by? No. Usually we go to the doctor and take medicine to fight the disease. In fact, we do everything we reasonably can to avoid death. And when someone we love dies, young or old, we are filled with a deep grief that does not go away overnight (John 11:32, 33).Sure, we know that our Creator loves us and would not give us the desire and ability to continue living unless that was his purpose for human beings. But there are more compelling reasons to believe that we can live forever. Let's look at some things that Jehovah has done and is doing that show that his original purpose has not changed.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: b). An older brother is sitting next to a table on which there are many medicines. He is reading the Bible and thinking about the things he will be able to do in the new world when he regains the vigor of youth. 1. he is browsing. 2. he is painting a picture. 3. he is walking next to a waterfall. Since we hope to live forever, we love to think about what we can do in the future. (See paragraph 7).  

JEHOVAH'S PURPOSE HAS NOT CHANGED

8. What does Isaiah 55:11 assure us about Jehovah's purpose?

8 Although Adam and Eve sinned and through their fault all their descendants inherited death, Jehovah did not set aside his purpose.—Read Isaiah 55:11. He still wants faithful people to live forever. How do we know? For all the things Jehovah has said and done to fulfill his purpose.

9. What promise has God made? (Daniel 12:2, 13).

9 Jehovah has promised that he will resurrect people who have died and give them the opportunity to obtain eternal life (Acts 24:15; Titus 1:1, 2). Faithful Job was sure that Jehovah longs to resurrect those who have died (Job 14:14, 15). The prophet Daniel knew that human beings would be resurrected and would have the opportunity to live forever (Ps. 37:29; read Daniel 12:2, 13). The Jews of Jesus' day also knew that Jehovah could give his faithful servants “eternal life” (Luke 10:25; 18:18). Jesus spoke of this promise on many occasions and himself was resurrected by his Father (Matt. 19:29; 22:31, 32; Luke 18:30; John 11:25).

10. What do the resurrections of the past show? (See drawing).

10 Jehovah is the one who gives us life and who has the ability to restore it to those who have died. He gave power to the prophet Elijah to resurrect the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17: 21-23). Later, with God's help, the prophet Elisha raised the son of a woman from Shunem to life (2 Kings 4:18-20, 34-37). These and other resurrections show that Jehovah has the power to restore life to those who have died. And, while Jesus was on Earth, he made it clear that his Father had given him that same power (John 11:23-25, 43, 44).Now Jesus is in heaven and has received "all authority in heaven and on earth." So he can fulfill the promise that “all who are in the graves” will come back to life with the hope of going on living forever (Matt. 28:18; John 5:25-29).

ILLUSTRATION

The widow of Sarepta receives her son full of joy, who has been resurrected by the prophet Elijah.  What does the resurrection that Elijah did guarantee us? (See paragraph 10).

11. How does the ransom make it possible for us to live forever?

11 Why did Jehovah allow his beloved Son to suffer such a painful death? Jesus provided the answer when he said: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that no one showing faith in him might be destroyed but have eternal life” (John 3:16). By giving his Son as a ransom so that we may have the forgiveness of our sins, God gives us the opportunity to obtain eternal life (Matt. 20:28). The apostle Paul explained this important part of God's purpose in these words: “As death came through a man, so the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For, just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will receive life ”(1 Cor. 15:21, 22).

12. How will Jehovah fulfill his purpose?

12 Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the Kingdom of God to come and for his Father's will to be done on earth (Matt. 6:9, 10). Part of that purpose is for human beings to live forever on Earth. To that end, Jehovah appointed his Son King of the Messianic Kingdom and has been gathering 144,000 people to work with Jesus in carrying out his will (Rev. 5:9, 10).

13. What is Jehovah doing in our day, and what should you do?

13 In our day, Jehovah is gathering “a great crowd” of people and training them to live under his Kingdom (Rev. 7:9, 10; Jas. 2:8). Although the world is divided by hatred and wars, those who are part of that group strive to leave behind all hate. As it were, they are already breaking their swords into plowshares (Mic. 4:3). Instead of fighting wars, which cause so much death, they help people find “the life that really is life” by teaching them about the true God and his purposes (1 Tim. 6:19).Because they support God's Kingdom, they may face opposition from their families or financial problems, but Jehovah sees to it that they have what they need.—Matt. 6:25, 30-33; Luke 18:29, 30. All this confirms to us that the Kingdom of God is a reality and that it will continue to fulfill Jehovah's purpose.

 A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE

14, 15. How will Jehovah's promise to eliminate death forever be fulfilled?

14 Jesus already rules in heaven as King of the Kingdom of God and will fulfill all the promises of Jehovah (2 Cor. 1:20). Since 1914 he has been dominating his enemies (Ps. 110:1, 2). Soon, Jesus and the 144,000 will complete their victory and eliminate the wicked (Rev. 6:2).

15 During the Thousand Year Reign, Jesus will resurrect those who have died and help all obedient humans to reach perfection. After the final test, those whom Jehovah deems righteous “will inherit the earth and live in it forever.”—Ps. 37:10, 11, 29. And “the last enemy, death, will be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26). What joy!

16. What should be the most important reason for serving Jehovah?

16 As we have seen, our hope of living forever is well founded in the Word of God. This hope helps us to stay loyal in these last days, which are so complicated. But, if we want to please Jehovah, we must remain loyal to him and to Jesus not only to save our lives, but above all because we love them from the heart (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). That love is what compels us to follow his example and speak of our hope (Rom. 10:13-15). The more we strive to overcome selfishness and be generous, the more Jehovah will want to be our friend forever (Heb. 13:16).

17. What responsibility does each of us have? (Matthew 7:13, 14).

17 And us? Will we live forever? Jehovah has given us that opportunity, but we are the ones who have to stay on the path that leads to life.—Read Matthew 7:13, 14. Now, what will life be like when we live forever? We will see that in the next article.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

How do we know that we are made to live forever?

Some scientists have found evidence that our brains have the capacity to store much more information than we can learn in a lifetime, which means that we are meant to live forever.

An American scientific journal said that, according to an estimate, our brain can store about two and a half million gigabytes. That is equivalent to a video of three million hours, which would take us more than 300 years to watch, this confirms that Jehovah designed the human brain with the capacity to store much more information than we can learn in just 70 or 80 years.

How do we know that Jehovah still wants us to live forever?

For all the things Jehovah has said and done to fulfill his purpose.

Jesus spoke on many occasions of this promise and he himself was resurrected by his Father.

Jehovah is the one who gives us life and who has the ability to give it back to those who have died.

What must be the most important reason for wanting eternal life?

As we have seen, our hope of living forever is well founded in the Word of God.

How we love and want to please Jehovah. That love is what drives us to follow his example and speak of our hope.

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