A Better World Is Near (opinion)
Carson City, Nevada, 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 many 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.
Phil and Louise Gurule of Reno credit their happy life to what they’ve learned from the Bible. “I feel like we work together as a team,” Phil Gurule said, but that wasn’t always the case.
Before learning about the Bible’s message of hope, Phil Gurule struggled with addiction. “I had been doing drugs and drinking since I was probably 12 years old.” Growing up in an abusive household started Louise Gurule on a similar path, and their addictions ate away at their marriage. “If we weren’t arguing about something, we never talked. It was always an argument,” she said. Phil Gurule added: “We put everything to the side. Drinking became the most important thing in our lives.”
After some time in a rehabilitation center, the Gurules wanted a better future and dove into Bible study, which brought about a change. “I know I’m not perfect, so there’s so much I have to work on, but every year I find new things that I’ve succeeded in,” Phil Gurule said. “The hope the Bible gives me is what keeps me going every day.” His wife echoed: “I was not a happy person. I never even smiled. Now I can’t stop smiling.” Even though life is a roller coaster at times, she takes comfort in knowing her anxieties are “only going to be temporary.”
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 free online at jw.org, where anyone can also request a free printed copy by scrolling down on the homepage to “Request a Visit.” Click below for a direct link to the online version of the magazine: https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-no2-2021-may-jun/
Jamie Dunjey
Regional Spokesman
602-649-2340
jdunjey@jw.org