Bridging the Gap​—The Real Solution

HUNDREDS of millions of people worldwide try to survive each day in spite of abject poverty. It is evident that mankind needs a righteous and incorruptible government that sincerely desires to change this injustice. Such a government must also be powerful enough to follow through on its good intentions. Can we realistically expect humans to produce such a government?

History verifies the truthfulness of the Bible warning: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.” (Psalm 146:3) Have you found that trusting human governments or leaders often leads to disappointment? Yet, to whom else can we turn?

Actually, millions of people have prayed for a righteous government to change the unjust situation. Perhaps you too have prayed the model prayer that Jesus taught: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.”​—Matthew 6:9-13.

Is this Kingdom the one we need? Is it righteous and incorruptible? Is it powerful enough to follow through on its good intentions? Without a doubt, it is! The God who set up this government, “our Father in the heavens,” is “a righteous God and a Savior,” who is “righteous in all his works.” (Isaiah 45:21; Daniel 9:14) Of him it is said: “You are too pure in eyes to see what is bad,” so we can be sure that his government will never become corrupt. (Habakkuk 1:13) And since “God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him,” we know that he is impartially interested in the welfare of every single individual on earth.​—Acts 10:34, 35; Romans 2:11.

Already Established and in Action!

Although God’s Kingdom is a heavenly government, it will actively direct affairs on earth to accomplish the outworking of God’s purposes. This includes replacing imperfect  human government with perfect divine government. At Daniel 2:44 the promise is given: “In the days of those kings [governments] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”

Under the direction of this Kingdom, God’s will can finally be done both in heaven and on earth. How encouraging to know that this will be a government capable of wiping out all traces of the inequality that has in the past contributed to the development of the extremes of wealth and poverty! No longer will there be a few who have and many who have not.

How gratifying to know that God’s heavenly government has already moved into position to solve these problems forever! Bible chronology and world events clearly mark the year 1914 as the time when God’s government was established in heaven. * Thus, for almost a century, it has been actively preparing the foundation for a new world of righteousness.

Those who have come to recognize the Kingdom’s establishment and who are now obediently following its direction are impartial. Jehovah’s Witnesses carry on their preaching work in almost every country. The citizens of these countries, regardless of wealth or lack of the same, are given opportunity to learn how to gain eternal life. (John 17:3) The Witnesses do not allow economic differences to determine position or status within their congregations. People are not judged on the basis of what they have. Rather, they are respected because of what they are. Greater emphasis is put on spiritual values than on material ones.

Would you like to know how you can live under this righteous government? Then start your investigation today. Learn how you can look forward to experiencing the joy of living when the world will not be divided by wealth.

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All Brothers, Whether Rich or Poor

▪ At the end of World War II, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe and the Orient were in need of food, clothing, and housing. Witnesses from other countries shipped tons of clothing and food to their spiritual brothers in Europe, the Philippines, and Japan. Witnesses in the United States and Canada contributed for aid packages to be sent to Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia), England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Romania.

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United States

Switzerland

Germany

▪ More recently, in the summer of 1994, a team of Witness volunteers from Europe rushed help to their Christian brothers and sisters in Africa. Well-organized camps and field hospitals were set up for Rwandan refugees. Huge quantities of clothing, blankets, food, and Bible literature were sent to assist over 7,000 afflicted individuals​—nearly three times the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Rwanda at the time.

 ▪ Two years later, in 1996, warfare erupted in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Crops were ruined, food reserves were looted, and supply lines were cut. Most people could afford to eat only one meal a day, resulting in malnutrition and disease. Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe responded swiftly. A relief team of Witnesses, including medical doctors, flew in with medicine and money. By June 1997, Witnesses in Belgium, France, and Switzerland had donated 1,100 pounds [500 kg] of medicine, 10 tons of high-protein biscuits, 20 tons of other food, 90 tons of clothing, 18,500 pairs of shoes, and 1,000 blankets​—at a cost of nearly $1,000,000.

▪ Besides filling material needs, Jehovah’s Witnesses are even more interested in helping people spiritually. This accounts for their desire to build Kingdom Halls for use as centers of spiritual training. In 1997 it was reported: “With help from brothers in other lands, the [Watch Tower] Society has been able to help build 413 new Kingdom Halls and remodel 727 others in just a four-month period in 75 different countries.” By 2003, the report was made: “Among the European countries benefiting from an arrangement to help build Kingdom Halls in lands with limited resources is Romania, where 124 Kingdom Halls have been built since July 2000. Using a standard pattern for almost all their Kingdom Halls, Ukraine built 61 in the year 2001 and 76 more in 2002. With the aid of moneys contributed to the Kingdom Hall Fund, hundreds of Kingdom Halls have been built in Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, and Serbia and Montenegro.”

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Croatia

Bulgaria

Romania

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A volunteer caring for two refugee orphans

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© Liba Taylor/Panos Pictures

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Jehovah’s Witnesses are spreading a message of hope

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God’s Kingdom will eliminate poverty