Campaign Brings Positive Message
Bandera will be one of the thousands of communities around the globe that will receive a powerful message of hope this November as Jehovah’s Witnesses embark upon a special campaign focusing attention on the Bible’s hope for a better world.
The goal of the campaign is to distribute a special edition of The Watchtower magazine containing the cover series, “A Better World Is Near.” More than 36 million printed copies of the magazine are expected to be distributed in some 230 languages to communities in 240 lands around the globe. In addition, the digital publication is available on various platforms in nearly 400 languages.
“People are longing to hear a positive message, and this is the best news possible,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “A better world is not just a dream, it’s inevitable. In fact, it is the central theme of the entire Bible.”
The magazine addresses the age-old “doomsday” question “Is this world going to end?” with a comforting answer that may surprise many readers. While various religions have predicted the “end of the world,” the magazine reveals the Bible’s clear message: The earth is here forever and will never end! However, the magazine also explains the powerful truth that wickedness will soon be gone, quoting the Bible book of Psalms where it promises that the “lawless one” will be no more. (Psalm 37:10, Rotherham translation)
This positive message has been the hope of millions around the world who have prayed for ‘God’s Kingdom to come,’ a familiar refrain of many Christians taught by Jesus in what some refer to as the Lord’s Prayer.
For Pauline Langston of Bandera County, the hope of a brighter future has been crucial in helping her to cope with the loss of her husband, Paul, to COVID-19 complications. “I wasn’t ready to give up on my husband of 24 years,” Langston revealed. “We loved each other so dearly.”
The Bible’s promise of an earth free from sickness and death and the hope of a resurrection of the dead have sustained Langston through her grief. Her hope has also given her a future to which she can look forward. “The hope of seeing my dear Paul again, in a better world that the Bible promises, warms my heart and helps me to keep going, determined not to give up,” Langston said.
San Antonio resident Kar in Poblete’s son, Mikey, was born prematurely and has severe health issues, including cerebral palsy, scoliosis, and blindness. Karin has been his sole caregiver, a responsibility that can be overwhelming at times, but her faith in the Bible’s promises of a better future help her to keep a positive outlook. “Jehovah God has helped me through very trying times in the past,” she said.
Mikey is now 36, and Karin has begun to feel the effects of her age. As her physical strength has diminished in recent years, she now faces new struggles in caring for Mikey. To retain her joy, she often recalls one of the first scriptures she read in the Bible, Isaiah 35:5, 6, that foretells a time when her son will no longer need a wheelchair and finally be healthy. She said, “Nothing will stop God from helping me — and all of us — in the future!”
The Watchtower has been carrying a similar message about God’s Kingdom for more than 100 years and remains the most widely translated and circulated magazine in the world. The 2021 number two edition is available for free online at jw.org, where anyone can request a free printed copy by scrolling down on the homepage to “Request a Visit.”