1-3. Wetin be the prison wey all of us dey, and how Jehovah go free us?

IMAGINE say they put you for prison for crime wey you no commit. And they talk say you no go ever come out. You no get hope and you no fit do anything about-am. But when you think say your life don finish, you hear say person dey wey e fit help you. And e promise to help you. How you go feel?

² All of us dey for prison, and na death be our prison. No matter how we try reach, we no fit comot from that prison. But Jehovah get the power to free us from death. And e don promise say: “Death wey be the last enemy no go dey again.”​—1 Corinthians 15:26.

³ Just imagine how you go feel if people no de die again! Jehovah no go only remove death. E go still bring dead people back to life. Just think about how this one fit help you. Jehovah promise us say people wey they don die go live again. (Isaiah 26:19) Bible call this one resurrection.

4. (a) Wetin fit help us if our tight friend or family person die? (b) Na who be some of Jesus tight friend?

⁴ When our tight friend or family person die, e de hard to bear the pain. Life go just tire us. And we no  fit do anything to bring that person back to life. But Bible fit help us. (Read 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.) Make we talk about one example. E go show us how Jehovah and Jesus go bring our people wey they don die back to life. When Jesus be dey this earth, e de always visit Lazarus and e sisters, Martha and Mary. The three of them be Jesus tight friend. Bible talk say: “Jesus love Martha and e sister and Lazarus.” But one day, Lazarus come die.​—John 11:3-5.

5, 6. (a) Wetin Jesus do when e see the family and friends of Lazarus? (b) Why e cool our heart as we know how Jesus de feel when person die?

⁵ Jesus go meet Martha and Mary, so that e go fit cool their heart. When Martha hear say Jesus de come, e go meet Jesus for outside the city. E dey glad to see Jesus. But e talk say: “Lord, if you be dey here, my brother no for die.” Martha de think say Jesus don come late. Later, Jesus see as Mary de cry. This thing touch Jesus for heart so e start de cry too. (John 11:21, 33, 35) Jesus feel the strong pain wey we de feel when our person die.

⁶ E de cool our heart as we know say Jesus de feel the way we de feel when person die. Jesus just be like Jehovah. (John 14:9) Jehovah get power and e fit make sure say people no die again. Small time, na so e go do-am.

7, 8. Why Martha be no want make they remove the stone for Lazarus grave? Wetin Jesus do?

⁷ Jesus go the place wey they bury Lazarus, and e see say they don use one big stone cover front of the  grave. E talk say: “Make wuna comot the stone.” But Martha no want make they remove the stone because e don reach four days wey they bury Lazarus. (John 11:39) Martha be no know the thing wey Jesus want do for e brother.

⁸ Jesus tell Lazarus say: “Come out!” The next thing wey Martha and Mary see really surprise them. “The man wey be don die come out with the cloth wey they use wrap e leg, hand and face.” (John 11:43, 44) Lazarus don come back to life! E don be with e family and friends again. Now, they fit touch and hold Lazarus and e fit talk with them. This na miracle! Jesus don resurrect Lazarus.

9, 10. (a) Na who give Jesus power wey e use resurrect people? (b) Why e good say we learn the story of people wey they resurrect?

⁹ Na Jesus get the power wey e use wake people wey they don die? No. Before e resurrect Lazarus, e pray to Jehovah, so na Jehovah give Jesus power wey e use resurrect Lazarus. (Read John 11:41, 42.) Other people dey wey they still resurrect. Bible tell us about one girl wey e really de sick, the girl dey 12 years. E papa na Jairus, and e really want make the girl well, so e beg Jesus make e come heal e pikin. This girl na the only pikin wey Jairus get. As Jairus de talk with Jesus, some men come, and they tell Jairus say: “Your daughter don die! No worry the Teacher again.” But Jesus tell Jairus say: “Make you no fear, just get faith, and e go save.” E come follow Jairus go house. As they waka near the house, Jesus see as people de cry. So e tell them say: “Make wuna no cry  again, e no die but e de sleep.” Jairus and e wife fit de wonder wetin Jesus mean. Jesus tell everybody make they comot, and e take the papa and mama enter the room wey the small girl dey. Jesus hold e hand and e tell the girl say: “Small girl, I say make you get up!” Just think how the papa and mama go feel. They go dey happy as their pikin stand up and start de waka! Jesus don resurrect their pikin. (Mark 5:22-24, 35-42; Luke 8:49-56) From that day, anytime wey they see their pikin, they go remember the thing wey Jehovah don use Jesus do for them. *

¹⁰ The people wey Jesus resurrect still die again. But e good say we learn their story because e de give us hope. Jehovah really want resurrect people, and e go do-am.

11. How Ecclesiastes 9:5 help us know the thing wey happen to Lazarus?

¹¹ Bible talk say “people no de know anything at all after they don die.” Na so e happen for Lazarus. (Ecclesiastes 9:5) Just like Jesus talk, e just be like say Lazarus be de sleep. (John 11:11) The time wey Lazarus be dey for grave, e no “know anything at all.”

12. How we know say Lazarus really live again?

¹² When Jesus resurrect Lazarus, plenty people see  the thing wey happen. Even people wey they be enemy of Jesus know this miracle wey e do. Lazarus don wake, and this one really prove say resurrection don happen. (John 11:47) As plenty people de go see Lazarus, they start to believe say na God really send Jesus. The enemies of Jesus no like this one, so they plan say they go kill Jesus and Lazarus.​—John 11:53; 12:9-11.

13. Why we dey sure say Jehovah go resurrect people wey they don die?

¹³ Jesus talk say “all people inside grave” go live again. (John 5:28) But before Jehovah go resurrect person, e mean say e go remember everything about that person. E fit really remember everything about all the people wey they don die? Remember say the stars for up plenty reach billions. Bible talk say Jehovah know their name one by one. (Read Isaiah 40:26.) If Jehovah fit remember the name of all the stars, e mean say e go remember everything about all the people wey e want resurrect. And since na Jehovah make all things, e get power to wake people wey they don die.

14, 15. Wetin we learn from the thing wey Job be talk about people wey they go resurrect?

¹⁴ Job get faith. E believe say God go wake people wey they don die. E ask say: “If person die, e go fit live again?” E come tell Jehovah say: “You go call me, and I go answer you. You go really want see the thing wey your hand don make.” Job know say Jehovah really de wait for the time wey e go resurrect people wey they don die.​—Job 14:13-15.

 ¹⁵ Now wey you know say Jehovah go resurrect people, how you de feel? You fit de wonder say, ‘What of my people wey they don die, they go wake up too?’ E de cool our heart as we don learn say Jehovah really want bring them come life again. Make we see the thing wey Bible talk about the people wey they go resurrect and the place wey they go stay.

16. People wey God go resurrect go enjoy which kind life?

¹⁶ For Bible time, people wey they resurrect join their family members and friends again. Na so e go still be for future, and e go even better pass this ones. Why? Because the people wey God go resurrect for this earth go get chance to live forever, and they no go die again. And that time, this world no go dey like this again. War, crime and sickness no go dey this earth again.

17. Which people go resurrect?

¹⁷ Which people go resurrect? Jesus talk say “all people inside grave go hear e voice and they go come out.” (John 5:28, 29) And Revelation 20:13 talk say: “The sea bring out dead people wey them dey inside-am, and death and the Grave bring out dead people wey them dey inside them.” Yes, plenty-plenty people go live again. Even apostle Paul talk say “righteous people and people wey them no dey righteous” go come back to life. (Read Acts 24:15.) Wetin that one mean?

18. Who be the “righteous people” wey God go resurrect?

¹⁸ Who dey among the “righteous people”? Some  of them na people wey serve Jehovah well even before Jesus come this earth. People like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, and Esther go live again for this earth. You fit read about some of them for Hebrews chapter 11. For this our time, e get some people wey serve Jehovah well till they die. They too go live again because they be “righteous people.”

19. Who be the “people wey them no dey righteous”? Which chance Jehovah go give them?

 ¹⁹ Some people no fit learn about Jehovah till they die. Them dey among the “people wey them no dey righteous.” Jehovah no forget them even as they don die. E go resurrect them, they go learn the truth and they go fit choose to serve Jehovah.

20. Why they no go resurrect everybody?

²⁰ E mean say na anybody wey e die go live again? No. Jesus talk say some people no go live again. (Luke 12:5) Na who go decide say person go live or e no go live? Na Jehovah be the final Judge, but e don give Jesus power make e “judge people wey them de live, and people wey they don die.” (Acts 10:42) Any person wey they judge, and see-am say e wicked and e no want change, they no go resurrect the person.​—Check Endnote 19.

21, 22. (a) People wey they resurrect go heaven go get which kind body? (b) Na who be the first person wey God resurrect wey e go heaven?

²¹ Bible still talk say some people go live for heaven. They no go resurrect person wey e de go heaven with this kind body wey we get. This kind person go resurrect as spirit, since na heaven e go stay.

²² Jesus na the first person wey they resurrect as spirit. (John 3:13) Jehovah resurrect Jesus three days after e die. (Psalm 16:10; Acts 13:34, 35) Jesus no resurrect with this kind body wey we get. Apostle Peter talk about Jesus say: “E die as person but e resurrect  as spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus come back to life as spirit person wey e get power! (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) Bible talk say other people go still come back to life as spirit.

23, 24. Na who be the “little flock” wey Jesus be talk about, and how many they be?

²³ Before Jesus die, e be tell e disciples say: “I de go prepare one place for wuna.” (John 14:2) This one mean say they go resurrect some people wey de follow Jesus make they stay with Jesus for heaven. How many they go be? Jesus talk say their number small, e call them “little flock.” (Luke 12:32) Apostle John tell us the number for the time wey e see Jesus “as e stand ontop Mount Zion [for heaven], and e dey with 144,000 people.”​—Revelation 14:1.

²⁴ Na which time they go resurrect the 144,000 people? Bible talk say na after Jesus don start to rule for heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:23) Na now be the time. Many of the people for this 144,000 don already resurrect, and them dey heaven now. For the ones wey they still dey for this earth, God go resurrect them go heaven as they die. But the people wey they go plenty pass na the ones wey God go resurrect for Paradise.

25. Wetin we go learn for the next chapter?

²⁵ Small time, Jehovah go free all of us from death, and we no go de die again! (Read Isaiah 25:8.) But wetin the people wey them de go heaven go do for there? Bible talk say they go join Jesus rule for the Kingdom wey e dey heaven. We go learn more about that Kingdom for the next chapter.