IMPORTANT LETTER

Working together with him, we also entreat YOU not to accept the undeserved kindness of God and miss its purpose. ² For he says: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you.” Look! Now is the especially acceptable time. Look! Now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:1,2,

IMPORTANT LETTER. PLEASE PRINT, IF POSSIBLE, AND THINK ON IT.

Dear friends,

May I ask you a question? I am sure you know the account of the flood
of Noah's day, which is in the Bible. Would you have gone into the
ark if you had been invited?

The reason I ask is that the flood was a prophetic pattern for the
future. That means that something similar would happen in our day.
Well the good news is that it has! "Just as the days of Noah were, so
the presence of the Son of man will be". (Matthew 24:37) With these
words, Jesus indicated that the time of his invisible presence would
be similar to the days of Noah, and that has been so. Particularly
since 1919, a warning message similar to the one given by Noah has
been declared to people of all nations. In general, their reaction
has been similar to that of people in Noah's days. They "took no note"
(Matthew 24:39.).

By means of the Flood, Jehovah took action against a world "full of
violence". (Genesis 6:13) That Noah and his family refrained from
taking part in such violence and instead peacefully went about the
work of building an ark was obvious to all who saw them. Here, too,
we see a parallel to our day. Sincere people can now "see the
distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one, between one
serving God and one who has not served him". (Malachi 3:18) The
honesty, kindness, peacefulness and diligence displayed by Jehovah's
Witnesses are admired by unprejudiced onlookers, and these qualities
distinguish God's people from the world in general. The Witnesses
reject violence in all it's forms and let themselves be motivated by
Jehovah's spirit. That is why they are blessed with peace and why
they pursue a righteous course. - Isaiah 60:17.

The people of Noah's day failed to appreciate that Noah had divine
backing and was acting at God's direction. So they did not take his
preaching seriously and act on his warning message. What about today?

During the final period of the "ancient world" that perished in the
Flood, Noah was a faithful "preacher of righteousness". (2 Peter 2:5)
In these last days of the present system of things, Jehovah's people
are making known God's righteous standards and are declaring good news
about the possibility of surviving into the new world. (2 Peter
3:9-13) Just as Noah and his God-fearing family were preserved in the
ark, survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their
loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah's universal
organisation.

What must a person do in order to survive the imminent destruction of
this world that is lying in Satan's power? (1 John 5:19) He must
first recognise the need for protection. Then he must avail himself
of such protection. The people of Noah's day went about their daily
life in their usual way and saw no need for protection from impending
calamity. They lacked something else - faith in God.

To survive the end of the present wicked system of things, we must do
more than believe that it will be destroyed. We must exercise faith,
taking full advantage of God's provisions for survival. We have to
reason carefully about our personal situation. Are we actually inside
Jehovah's "ark" for today? Just as in Noah's day, so too there is
only one ark for survival today.

So how do we find the earthly part of Jehovah's universal organisation
today? Well as foretold in the Bible, God would have "a people called
by His name", who like Noah, are inviting people into His ark today.
These people are Jehovah's Witnesses.
You have been invited. What will you do?.