1. Why can it be said that we are living in exciting times?

 WE ARE living in exciting times! Each day, Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. For example, we see “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” engaged in a struggle for world dominance. (Dan. 11:40, ftn.) We see the good news of God’s Kingdom being preached on an unprecedented scale, with millions responding favorably. (Isa. 60:22; Matt. 24:14) And we are receiving an abundance of spiritual food “at the proper time.”​—Matt. 24:45-47.

2. Of what can we be certain, but what must we recognize?

² Jehovah continues to help us to have a clearer understanding of the major events that lie just ahead. (Prov. 4:18; Dan. 2:28) We can be certain that by the time the great tribulation starts, we will know all we need to know in order to endure faithfully and even prosper during that challenging period. However, we must recognize that there are some things that we just do not know about the near future. In this article, we will first discuss why we have reconsidered what we have said about some of those events. Then we will review some of the things that we do know about the future and the way that our heavenly Father will act.

WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW

3. What have we said regarding when Jehovah will cut off the opportunity for people to join us, and why did we reach that conclusion?

³ In the past, we said that once the great tribulation begins, no unbelievers will be able to take their stand for Jehovah and survive Armageddon. We came to that conclusion because we understood that the account of the Flood was a prophetic type. For example, we reasoned that just as Jehovah shut the door of the ark prior to the start of the Flood, he would, at the beginning of the great tribulation, “shut the door” on Satan’s system of things, thus preventing any more people from being saved.​—Matt. 24:37-39.

4. Do we now view the account about the Flood as being a prophetic type? Explain.

⁴ Should we view the account of the Flood as a prophetic type? The answer is no. Why? Because there is no direct Scriptural support for doing so. a Jesus did compare “the days of Noah” to the time of his presence, but he did not imply that the Flood was a prophetic type, with each person and each event having a corresponding antitype; nor did he say that the closing of the door of the ark had any prophetic significance. This does not mean, however, that we cannot learn from the account of Noah and the Flood.

5. (a) What action did Noah take before the Flood? (Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20) (b) With regard to the preaching work, how does our situation today compare with that of Noah’s day?

⁵ When Noah heard Jehovah’s warning message, he proved that he had faith by building the ark. (Read Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20.) Similarly, people who hear the good news about God’s Kingdom must act on what they hear. (Acts 3:17-20) Peter called Noah “a preacher of righteousness.” (2 Pet. 2:5) However, as discussed in the preceding article, we do not know whether Noah led a preaching campaign to reach everyone living on earth before the Flood. Today we are involved in a global preaching work, and we endeavor to have a zealous share in it. Still, try as we might, we cannot possibly reach everyone on earth with the good news before the end comes. Why not?

6-7. Why can we conclude that we will not reach everyone on earth with the good news before the end comes? Explain.

⁶ Consider what Jesus said about the scope of our preaching work. He foretold that the good news would be preached “in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.” (Matt. 24:14) That prophecy is being fulfilled today as never before. The Kingdom message is published in more than 1,000 languages, and by means of the jw.org website, it is available to the majority of the world’s population.

⁷ However, Jesus also told his disciples that they would not “complete the circuit of the cities,” or preach to everyone, before he would come. (Matt. 10:23; 25:31-33) Jesus’ words will prove to be true in our day as well. Millions of people today live in areas where the preaching work is severely restricted. In addition, hundreds of babies are born every minute. We do our best to reach people from “every nation and tribe and tongue” with the good news. (Rev. 14:6) But the fact is that we will not be able to share the good news with each individual on earth before the end comes.

8. What question might we ask about Jehovah’s future judgments? (See also pictures.)

⁸ Thus, a question arises: What about those who may not have a chance to hear the good news before the great tribulation strikes? How will Jehovah and his Son, whom he has entrusted to do the judging, deal with them? (John 5:19, 22, 27; Acts 17:31) The theme text of this article states that Jehovah “does not desire anyone to be destroyed.” Instead, he wants “all to attain to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4) That said, we must acknowledge that Jehovah has not yet revealed to us what he will do in answer to this question. Of course, he is not obligated to tell us anything about what he has done or will do.

9. What has Jehovah revealed to us in the Bible?

⁹ In his Word, Jehovah has revealed to us some of the things he will do. For example, the Bible tells us that Jehovah will bring back to life “unrighteous” people who have not had the opportunity to respond to the good news and change their ways. (Acts 24:15; Luke 23:42, 43) That raises other important questions.

10. What other questions arise?

¹⁰ Will all who die during the events of the great tribulation be destroyed forever with no hope of a resurrection? The Scriptures make it clear that outright opposers whom Jehovah and his forces will destroy at Armageddon will not be resurrected. (2 Thess. 1:6-10) But what about others, for example, who may die from natural causes, from accidents, or at the hand of other humans? (Eccl. 9:11; Zech. 14:13) Could some of these people be among the “unrighteous” who will be resurrected in the new world? We simply do not know.

WHAT WE DO KNOW

11. On what basis will people be judged at Armageddon?

¹¹ We do know several things about future events. For example, we know that at Armageddon, people will be dealt with on the basis of how they have treated Christ’s brothers. (Matt. 25:40) Those judged as sheep will have shown their support for the anointed and for Christ. We also know that some of Christ’s brothers will still be on earth after the great tribulation starts and will not be taken to heaven until shortly before the outbreak of Armageddon. As long as the brothers of Christ are still on earth, it is possible that honesthearted individuals will have the opportunity to support them and the work they are doing. (Matt. 25:31, 32; Rev. 12:17) Why are those facts significant?

12-13. How might some react after seeing the destruction of “Babylon the Great”? (See also pictures.)

¹² Even after the great tribulation starts, it is possible that some who see the destruction of “Babylon the Great” will recall that Jehovah’s Witnesses had long spoken of this event. Might some who see these events have a change of heart?​—Rev. 17:5; Ezek. 33:33.

¹³ Such an outcome would be similar to what occurred in Egypt in Moses’ day. Recall that “a vast mixed company” joined Israel in the Exodus. Some of these individuals may have started to develop faith when they saw that Moses’ warnings about the Ten Plagues came true. (Ex. 12:38) If a similar development should occur following the destruction of Babylon the Great, would we be disappointed that people were able to join us shortly before the end comes? Of course not! We want to reflect the personality of our heavenly Father, “a God merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love and truth.” b​—Ex. 34:6.

14-15. Does a person’s eternal future depend on when he happens to die or where he happens to live? Explain. (Psalm 33:4, 5)

¹⁴ At times, we hear someone say, “It would almost be better if my relative dies before the great tribulation begins so that there is hope for his resurrection.” There are surely kind motives behind such expressions. But a person’s eternal future does not depend on when he happens to die. Jehovah is the perfect Judge​—he renders just and righteous decisions. (Read Psalm 33:4, 5.) We can be confident that “the Judge of all the earth” will do what is right.​—Gen. 18:25.

¹⁵ It is also reasonable to conclude that a person’s eternal future does not depend on where he happens to live. It is unthinkable that Jehovah would automatically label as “goats” millions of people who live in lands where they never had an opportunity to respond to the Kingdom message. (Matt. 25:46) The righteous Judge of all the earth cares even more about these individuals than we ever could. We do not know how Jehovah will maneuver events during the great tribulation. Perhaps some of these people will have an opportunity to learn about Jehovah, put faith in him, and take their stand on Jehovah’s side when he sanctifies himself before all nations.​—Ezek. 38:16.

16. What have we come to know about Jehovah? (See also picture.)

¹⁶ Through our study of the Bible, we have come to know just how much Jehovah values human life. He gave his Son’s life so that all of us may have the prospect of living forever. (John 3:16) We have all felt Jehovah’s tender affection. (Isa. 49:15) He knows each of us by name. In fact, he knows us so well as individuals that should we die, he can re-create every unique detail and restore every memory that makes us who we are! (Matt. 10:29-31) Surely, we have good reason to be confident that our loving heavenly Father will judge each individual in a perfectly balanced, righteous, and merciful way.​—Jas. 2:13.

17. What will we discuss in the next article?

¹⁷ These clarifications actually make our preaching work more urgent than ever. Why can we say that? And what motivates us to keep preaching the good news without letup? We will discuss the answers to these questions in detail in the next article.