Sunday, July8

Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.Matt. 24:36.

Jesus said those words while he was on earth. But Christ has been empowered in heaven to wage war against Satans world. (Rev. 19:11-16) Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus now knows when Armageddon will occur. We, however, do not know. It is imperative that we stay watchful until the tribulation occurs. Yet, the timing of that event has never been uncertain to Jehovah. He has determined exactly when the end will come. He is counting down the time to the start of the great tribulation, and its start will not be late! (Hab. 2:1-3) How can we be sure of this? Jehovahs prophecies have always been fulfilled right on time! We can be certain that Jehovahs promise of deliverance through the great tribulation will not fail us either. However, if we want to survive the destruction of this system, we must keep on the watch. w16.07 2:4-6

Peter said to him: Even if all the others are stumbled, I will not be.Mark 14:29.

At a critical moment, the apostles abandoned Jesus. Peter had earlier stated that even if the others did that, he would not. (Mark 14:27-31,50) Nevertheless, when Jesus was being taken into custody, all the apostlesincluding Peterabandoned him. Peter repeatedly denied even knowing Jesus. (Mark 14:53, 54, 66-72) However, Peter showed remorse, and Jehovah continued to use him. Had you been a disciple then, would Peters actions have affected your loyalty to Jehovah? Today, will you recognize that Jehovah may allow time for repentance on the part of wrongdoers and that he will ultimately correct the wrongs and act in a just way? On the other hand, sometimes those who have been guilty of serious sins reject Jehovahs mercy and are unrepentant. In such situations, will you have confidence that Jehovah will in time judge such wrongdoers, perhaps removing them from the congregation? w16.06 4:8, 9

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father ... comfort your hearts and strengthen you.2Thess. 2:16, 17, ftn.

A great blessing that comes to us through Jehovahs undeserved kindness is comfort for a distressed heart. (Ps. 51:17) To Christians in Thessalonica, who were experiencing persecution, Paul wrote the words found in todays text. How comforting it is to be aware of the loving care that we receive from Jehovah because of his generous kindness! As sinners, on our own we would have no hope. (Ps. 49:7,8) But Jehovah provides us with a wonderful hope. Jesus promised his followers: This is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life. (John 6:40) Yes, the hope of eternal life is a gift, a wonderful expression of Gods undeserved kindness. Paul, who certainly appreciated that fact, said: The undeserved kindness of God has been manifested, bringing salvation to all sorts of people.Titus 2:11. w16.07 3:14, 15

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