Study From The Watchtower, Week of February 6 to 12, 2023, “You will be with me in Paradise”, Underlined Answers.

Study From The Watchtower, 6-12-February-2023, “You will be with me in Paradise”, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

"I assure you today: you will be with me in Paradise" (LUC. 23:43).

1. Shortly before dying, what did Jesus say to a criminal who was next to him? (Luke 23:39-43).

 JESUS ​​and the two criminals next to him were slowly dying (Luke 23:32, 33). These two men had been making fun of Jesus, so it is clear that they were not his disciples (Matt. 27:44; Mark 15:32). But one of them changed his attitude. He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus answered him: "I assure you today: you will be with me in Paradise" (read Luke 23:39-43). There is nothing to indicate that this criminal would have accepted the message of the "Kingdom of Heaven" that Jesus preached during his ministry. And Jesus never said that this man would enter the Kingdom (Matt. 4:17). Jesus was talking about the Paradise that would be on Earth in the future. How do we know?

2. What makes us think that the repentant offender was a Jew?

2 The repentant offender was probably a Jew. This man asked the other delinquent: "Don't you have any fear of God, now that you have received the same punishment?" (Luke 23:40). The Jews worshiped only one God, but the people of other nations believed in many gods (Ex. 20:2, 3; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6). If these criminals had not been Jews, the question might have been like this: "Are you not afraid of the gods?" Also, because Jesus was sent to “the lost sheep of the nation of Israel,” he did not generally preach to people from other nations (Matt. 15:24).And God had revealed to the Israelites that he would raise the dead. Perhaps the repentant offender knew this, and his words indicate that he understood that Jehovah would resurrect Jesus to rule in the Kingdom of God. Apparently, this man was hoping that God would also resurrect him.

 ILLUSTRATION

Jesus nailed to the torture stake. A delinquent who is next to him speaks to him. What conclusion do we come to about the criminal who talked to Jesus and what he knew? (See paragraphs 2 and 3).

3. What was the repentant offender possibly thinking when Jesus mentioned Paradise? (Genesis 2:15).

3 If the repentant offender was a Jew, he knew of the Paradise in which Jehovah had placed Adam and Eve. That is why he may have thought that the Paradise Jesus mentioned would be a beautiful garden here on Earth (read Genesis 2:15).

4. What should what Jesus said to the offender make us think about?

4 What Jesus said to the delinquent should make us think about what life in Paradise will be like. Something that will help us is to remember the time of peace that existed during the reign of Solomon. The Bible identifies Jesus as "one who is greater than Solomon." So we can be sure that Jesus and those who will reign with him will make the earth a wonderful place (Matt. 12:42). Of course, the “other sheep” must learn what they have to do in order to live forever in Paradise (John 10:16).

WHAT WILL LIFE BE LIKE IN PARADISE?

5. How do you imagine life in Paradise?

5 How do you imagine life in Paradise? Perhaps you think of a beautiful park, like the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:7-9). Or perhaps you remember Micah's prophecy that God's servants will sit “each one under his vine and under his fig tree” (Mic. 4:3, 4). And scriptures that say there will be food in abundance (Ps. 72:16; Is. 65:21, 22) may come to mind. So you probably imagine yourself in a nice garden facing a table laden with tasty food. Can you see yourself breathing in the delicious aroma of plants and flowers? And can you hear your friends and family laughing and having a good time together? Maybe some of them have been resurrected. None of this is a dream. Such scenes will be seen on Earth. But in Paradise there will also be pleasant work to do.

6. What will we do in Paradise? (See drawing).

6 Jehovah has created us with the ability to enjoy our work (Eccl. 2:24). The Millennial Reign of Christ will be a period of great activity. Those who survive the great tribulation and the millions of people who are resurrected will need clothing, food, and a place to live. Covering all these needs will involve a lot of work, but it will be rewarding. Just as Adam and Eve had to take care of the Garden of Eden, we will have the honor of turning the Earth into a paradise. Imagine also how much we will enjoy teaching the millions of resurrected people who knew very little about Jehovah and his purposes. In addition, we will be able to update the faithful servants of God who died long before Jesus was on Earth.

ILLUSTRATION

The older brother from the previous article is now young and is in Paradise teaching the truth to the criminal who was executed next to Jesus. We will have the important task of teaching the resurrected. (See paragraph 6).

7. What can we be sure of, and why?

7 We can be sure that peace, prosperity and order will reign in Paradise. Because? Because, with the account of Solomon's reign, Jehovah helps us to get an idea of ​​what life will be like when his Son rules the earth.

THE REIGN OF SOLOMON, A FORECAST OF LIFE IN PARADISE

8. How was Psalm 37:10, 11, 29 fulfilled in the past? (See the “Questions From Readers” section of this magazine.)

8 Jehovah inspired David to write what life would be like in the future during the reign of a wise and faithful king.—Read Psalm 37:10, 11, 29. When we talk to other people about Paradise, we often read Psalm 37:11. And it's okay for us to do so, for Jesus quoted that text in the Sermon on the Mount. Thus he demonstrated that those words will have a fulfillment in the future (Matt. 5: 5). But what King David wrote also showed what life would be like in Solomon's day. At that time, the nation of Israel enjoyed much peace and prosperity in a land that overflowed “with milk and honey.” God had said: “If you continue to walk according to my statutes […], I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down and there will be no one to make you afraid” (Lev. 20:24; 26:3, 6).Those promises came true during the reign of Solomon (1 Chron. 22:9; 29:26-28). And Jehovah promised them that wicked people would cease to exist (Ps. 37:10). In summary, the words of Psalm 37:10, 11, 29 were fulfilled in the past and will also be fulfilled in the future.

9. What did the Queen of Sheba say about Solomon's reign?

9 News of the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the Israelites under Solomon's reign reached the queen of Sheba. She traveled a long way to Jerusalem to see it all with her own eyes (1 Kings 10:1). After seeing how Solomon's kingdom worked, she told the king: “They hadn't even told me half of it. […] Happy your men and happy your servants, who are always with you listening to your wisdom!” (1 Kings 10:6-8). But the conditions under Solomon's reign were only a foretaste of what Jehovah will do for mankind when his Son Jesus rules the earth.

10. Why is Jesus superior to Solomon?

10 Jesus is superior to Solomon in every way. Solomon was a flawed man who made serious errors in judgment that over time hurt God's people. Instead, Jesus is a perfect ruler who never errs (Luke 1:32; Heb. 4:14, 15). In addition, he successfully overcame the terrible tests that Satan put on him. Christ has shown that he will never sin or do anything to harm loyal Kingdom citizens. Isn't it an honor that he is our King?

11. What help will Jesus have?

11 Jesus will have the help of 144,000 kings, and together they will take care of humanity and fulfill Jehovah's purpose for the Earth (Rev. 14:1-3). These rulers will have gone through many hardships as men and women here on Earth. That is why they will be very understanding with us. What will your specific role be?

WHAT ROLE WILL THE ANOINTED PLAY?

12. What task will Jehovah give the 144,000?

12 Compared to Solomon, Jesus and the 144,000 have much more work to do. This Israelite king had charge of a few million people in one country. But those who rule in the Kingdom of God will be in charge of billions of people all over the planet. What an impressive honor Jehovah accords to the 144,000!

13. What special role will those who rule with Jesus play?

13 Like Jesus, the 144,000 will be kings and priests (Rev. 5:10). Under the Mosaic Law, the primary responsibility of the priests was to protect the physical and spiritual health of the people. Since the Law had "a shadow of good things to come," it is logical to think that those who will rule with Jesus will perform a special function: to care for the physical and spiritual health of God's people (Heb. 10:1). Of course, we don't yet know how these kings and priests will communicate with Kingdom citizens here on Earth. However Jehovah arranges things, we can be sure that those living in Paradise will have the guidance they need.—Rev. 21:3, 4.

WHAT SHOULD THE “OTHER SHEEP” DO TO BE ABLE TO LIVE IN PARADISE?

14. What relationship is there between the “other sheep” and the “little flock”?

14 Jesus called the group of people who will rule with him a “little flock” (Luke 12:32). And he also spoke of a second group, which he called the "other sheep." These two groups form a single flock (John 10:16). They already work in unity, and will continue to do so when the Earth is a paradise. By that time, those of the “little flock” will be in heaven, and those of the “other sheep” will have the hope of living forever on earth. But there are certain things that the “other sheep” have to do now in order to live in Paradise.

15. a) How do “the other sheep” support Christ's brothers? b) How can you follow the example of the brother in the photograph?

15 The repentant offender did not get a chance to show how grateful he was for what Jesus did for him. Instead, those of the "other sheep" have many opportunities to do so. For example, we show that we love Jesus by the way we treat his anointed brothers. Jesus said that would serve as the basis for determining who are sheep (Matt. 25:31-40). a). One way to support Christ's brothers is by enthusiastically participating in the preaching and disciple-making work (Matt. 28:18-20). Therefore,  b). we want to use the Bible study tools they give us, like the Enjoy Life book. If you're not teaching Bible classes to anyone yet, why not make it a point to offer a Bible course to everyone you can?

ILLUSTRATION

The same older brother discusses the “Enjoy Life” brochure with a pharmacist. From now on we can demonstrate that we are preparing to live in Paradise. (See paragraph 15). 

16. What can we do from now on to prepare to live in Paradise?

16 You don't have to wait until you live in Paradise to become the kind of people Jehovah wants there. From now on we can strive to be honest in what we say and do, and to lead a balanced life. And we must also be loyal to Jehovah, to our husband or wife, and to our brothers. If we do our best to obey God's rules now that we live in this evil world, it will be easier for us to do so in Paradise. In addition, we can develop skills and qualities to show that we are already preparing to live there, such as those mentioned in the article “Are you ready to 'inherit the land'?” of this magazine.

17. Why shouldn't we let the guilt over our past sins weigh us down?

17 We must also strive to stop feeling guilty for serious sins committed. Of course, we don't want to see the ransom as an excuse to practice “sin on purpose” (Heb. 10:26-31). But if we are truly sorry for a serious sin, have sought help from Jehovah and the elders, and have changed, we can be sure that he has generously forgiven us (Is. 55:7; Acts 3:19). Let us remember what Jesus told the Pharisees: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13). That's right, all our sins can be forgiven thanks to the ransom.

YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER IN PARADISE

18. What would you like to talk about with the criminal who died next to Jesus?

18 Imagine yourself in Paradise conversing with the delinquent who spoke with Jesus. Surely both of them would express how grateful they are for Christ's sacrifice. You may ask him to tell you more about the last hours of Jesus' life on earth and how it felt to hear his response to his request. On the other hand, the offender may ask you about what life was like in the last days of Satan's world. What an honor it will be to teach people like this man what the Word of God says! (Eph. 4:22-24).

19. Why won't life in Paradise be boring? (See cover drawing.)

In Paradise we will never get bored. There will always be interesting people to talk to and a job that fills us with satisfaction. And the best of all is that every day we will continue to get to know our heavenly Father more and enjoy his gifts. We will never stop learning new things about him and the creation of him. Our love for God will grow bigger day by day. How grateful we are that Jehovah and Jesus have promised us eternal life in Paradise!

ILLUSTRATION

The same older brother is now young and is in Paradise painting a picture while a sister watches him. They are surrounded by beautiful mountains, trees and flowers. They have close lions, rabbits and ibex, and all live in peace. In the Millennium, a brother enjoys honing a talent he's always wanted to cultivate. (See paragraph 19).

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What will life be like in Paradise?

We will enjoy teaching the millions of resurrected people who knew very little about Jehovah and his purposes. In addition, we will be able to update the faithful servants of God who died long before Jesus was on Earth.

How will Jesus' anointed brothers help make earth a paradise?

Those who rule in the Kingdom of God will be in charge of billions of people all over the planet.

It is logical to think that those who will govern with Jesus will perform a special function: to care for the physical and spiritual health of the people of God.

What must the “other sheep” do to be able to live in Paradise?

From now on we can strive to be honest in what we say and do, and to lead a balanced life. And we must also be loyal to Jehovah, to our husband or wife, and to our brothers.

 If we do our best to obey God's rules now that we live in this evil world, it will be easier for us to do so in Paradise. 

In addition, we can develop skills and qualities to show that we are already preparing to live there.