HEED THE WARNING!

Conclusion of Take Refuge Now

Many today hear the message about God's decision to destroy this wicked system of things and discern, to a certain extent,the validity of the warning. "It may eventually come,' they may reason, 'but not today,' they conveniently put off the day of Jehovah to a later time so that they may not be diverted from what seems more important in their eyes at the moment.

Baruch had such a problem. Being the secretary to the ancient prophet Jeremiah, Baruch courageously warned the Israelites of Jerusalem's impending doom. Yet, he once became weary of this commission. At that, Jehovah corrected him:"As for you, you keep seeking great things for yourself. Do not keep on seeking." Be wealth, prominence, or material security, Baruch was not to 'seek great things for himself.' He was to be interested in one thing, doing God's will to help people to stand on His side. As a result, he would receive 'his soul as a spoil.' (Jeremiah 45:1-5) Comparably, instead of 'seeking great things for ourselves,' we should seek Jehovah, which can lead to the saving of our own lives.

At Mount Fugen, over a dozen policemen and volunteer firemen were on duty when the superheated volcanic flow hit them. They were trying to help and protect endangered people. They were like well-meaning men and women who are immersed in improving this world. Lofty though their motives may be, "that which is made crooked cannot be made straight." (Ecclesiastes 1:15) The crooked system of things cannot be straightened out. Is it reasonable to make oneself "a friend of the world" by trying to save a worldwide system that God is determined to eliminate?

Next time: Once You Have Fled, Stay Away

Watchtower, 2000