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H. O. P. E. - How will Pain End Forever? You Mean Christ Felt Pain? “He was despised and was avoided by men, A man who was meant for pains and was familiar with sickness. It was as if his face were hidden from us. He was despised, and we held him as of no account. Truly he himself carried our sicknesses, And he bore our pains.” (Isa 53:3,4) Revised 2013 PAIN A sensation of physical discomfort, whether moderate or severe; also acute mental or emotional distress. The physical sensation of pain serves a beneficial purpose by alerting a person to danger regarding bodily damage and thereby enables him to take steps to avoid serious injury. The fulfillment of God’s promise that “neither will . . . pain be anymore” (Re 21:4) That could not mean that humans would become insensitive to or incapable of experiencing pain. Rather, mental, emotional, and physical pain that has resulted from sin and imperfection (Ro 8:21, 22) will ‘be no more’ in the sense that its causes (such as disease and death) will be removed. That bodily perfection does not of itself require absolute painlessness is verified by the fact that even the perfect man Jesus experienced physical and emotional pain in connection with his death and the unresponsiveness of those to whom he ministered. (Mt 26:37; Lu 19:41) It was even foretold that he would be “a man meant for pains.” (Isa 53:3) By curing those “distressed with various diseases and torments” (Mt 4:24), Jesus bore the pains of others.—Isa 53:4 “He was despised and was avoided by men, A man who was meant for pains and was familiar with sickness. It was as if his face were hidden from us. He was despised, and we held him as of no account. Truly he himself carried our sicknesses, And he bore our pains.” (Isa 53: 3,4) NWT Read the Bible at: Jw.org

God Will Soon Bring About a World Free of Fear “Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty.” (Proverbs 22:3) We can take wise precautions, however, and by reducing our risks, we may reduce our anxieties. It makes sense to be aware of who is around you and to avoid dark places when possible. Maybe you can walk home using the best-lit streets possible, even if it means walking a little farther. The Bible also says: “Two are better than one . . . If somebody could overpower one alone, two together could make a stand against him.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12) If you live in a dangerous area, can you arrange to walk home with someone? If you are harassed by someone who makes immoral suggestions, tells obscene jokes, or tries to touch you, it is best to reject him firmly. You may need to take your leave, as Joseph did when an immoral woman grabbed him. He “took to flight and went on outside.” (Genesis 39:12) If leaving is impossible, you could say: “Stop that!” or “Keep your hands to yourself!” or “I don’t appreciate that kind of talk.” If you can, avoid places where harassment is common. What can you do if you fear a violent husband? It may be wise to have an escape plan in case your husband’s conduct should suddenly threaten your health or life or that of your children.* The Bible relates how Jacob carefully prepared an escape plan to follow if his brother Esau became violent. As things turned out, the plan was not needed, but it was a wise precaution. (Genesis 32:6-8) An escape plan may involve finding someone who would receive you in an emergency. You could discuss in advance with that person what your needs might be. Having important documents and other essentials handy might be advisable. Reporting your husband’s abuse to the authorities and seeking their protection may also be an option. The Bible teaches that all must face the consequences of their actions. (Galatians 6:7) Of governmental authority, the Bible says: “It is God’s minister to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear.” (Romans 13:4) Assault is as much a crime at home as it is on the street. Stalking is also a crime in many countries. “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, . . . having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness.” (2 Timothy 3:1-3) What fearsome times those words describe! Jesus said: “When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31) In our time, we can expect a government by God to rule from heaven over all mankind. (Daniel 2:44) Freedom From Fear! The Bible describes a future time of peace when wars will cease, evildoers will be no more, and the earth will be filled with people who love God. Peter, an apostle of Jesus, wrote about a future “day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.” There will not be anyone evil to fear because “righteousness is to dwell” on earth. (2 Peter 3:7, 9, 13) Imagine the relief of living among trustworthy people who truly love one another! This prospect helps us to see the present dangerous times in a different light. They will not continue indefinitely.—Psalm 37:9-11. For the benefit of those suffering anxiety, Jehovah’s prophet was told: “Say to those who are anxious at heart: ‘Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your own God will come with vengeance itself, God even with a repayment. He himself will come and save you people.’” (Isaiah 35:4) Thus, servants of the true God can look to the future with confidence. (Philippians 4:6, 7) For people who have had to live in fear, it is most comforting to know that Jehovah has not abandoned his original purpose for the earth to be filled with people who know him and reflect his loving qualities.—Genesis 1:26-28; Isaiah 11:9. “Jehovah is my shepherd. . . . My soul he refreshes. He leads me in the tracks of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I fear nothing bad, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:1-4) jw.org IMG_4032.mov

Doomsday Fears Loom to a Large Nuclear War? One nuclear explosion can instantly obliterate a city—a somber fact that was demonstrated twice in August 1945. A nuclear explosion is horrendously powerful, destroying and killing by means of blast wave, wind, heat, fire, and radiation. Radiation also contaminates food and water. A nuclear war would cause tons of dust to be thrown into the air, blocking sunlight and causing global temperatures to plummet. Food crops and other plants would die. Without food to eat, humans and animals would die of starvation. Some nine countries are said to have the capacity to launch nuclear attacks. A few other nations appear to be in the process of developing their own nuclear weapons. And terrorist organizations are only too eager to get hold of them. “Nuclear weapons remain the gravest and most immediate threat to human civilization. . . . There are still some 25,000 nuclear weapons worldwide . . Eventually, terrorists will get the bomb.”—Union of Concerned Scientists. Bible’s version of what the future holds paints a more reasonable picture. According to the Bible, for a certainty, a great change is coming. But survival is guaranteed to all who do God’s will. Furthermore, the Bible does not foretell that the earth will be blasted to a cinder or frozen like an ice cube. It will be transformed into a global paradise. Will the earth and the human race be destroyed? “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”—Psalm 37:29. Will any humans lose their lives? “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.”—Proverbs 2:21, 22. Has God acted against ungodly people in the past? God “did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people; and by reducing the cities Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly persons of things to come.”— 2 Peter 2:5, 6. Can we know the date when God’s judgment will come? “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be.”—Matthew 24:36-39. Though the Scriptures give us but a glimpse of what lies ahead, they assure us that humanity is not doomed. The future will be glorious beyond our ability to comprehend. You can count on that, confident that what Jehovah God has promised, he is also able to do. How is the earth also protected? Van Allen radiation belts (cross section) A radiation belt is a zone of energeticcharged particles, most of which originate from the solar wind that is captured by and held around a planet by that planet's magnetic field. The Earth has two such belts and sometimes others may be temporarily created. The discovery of the belts is credited to James Van Allen, and as a result the Earth's belts are known as the Van Allen belts. Earth's two main belts extend from an altitude of about 1,000 to 60,000 kilometers above the surface in which region radiation levels vary. Most of the particles that form the belts are thought to come from solar windand other particles by cosmic rays.[1] By trapping the solar wind, the magnetic field deflects those energetic particles and protects the Earth's atmosphere from destruction. The belts are located in the inner region of the Earth's magnetosphere. The belts trap energetic electrons and protons. Other nuclei, such as alpha particles, are less prevalent. The belts endanger satellites, which must have their sensitive components protected with adequate shielding if they spend significant time in that zone. In 2013, NASA reported that the Van Allen Probes had discovered a transient, third radiation belt, which was observed for four weeks until it was destroyed by a powerful, interplanetary shock wavefrom the Sun.[2] NOW ARE YOU IN FEAR OF NUCLEAR WAR OR DEVASTATION OF OUR PLANET? Rest your hope in a all-wise loving Creator that will not let the righteous be destroyed or his beautiful earth be destroyed with all living things. God made the earth to be inhabited by humans—to be a lush, global paradise of delight, not a wasteland. Isaiah 45:18 describes Jehovah as “the Creator of the heavens, He the true God, the Former of the earthand the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited.” God has long promised that humans who choose to obey him would reside forever on this earth in peace. Micah 4:4 promises: “They will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble; for the very mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken it.” Thus, according to God’s purpose, the earth must remain eternally as mankind’s home, or else his promises would be in vain.—Psalm 119:90; Isaiah 55:11; 1 John 2:17. IMG_3815.MP4