“[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”—Revelation 21:4.
CAN this heartwarming promise be trusted? Reflect on one of the earliest warnings given to man. God said to Adam that if he disobeyed, he would “positively die.” (Genesis 2:17) And he did, exactly as God said he would. This and the death and suffering inherited by the human race are evidence that God can be trusted. Is there any reason to doubt that God’s promise to restore perfect conditions to the earth will not likewise come true?
Why is Jehovah God supremely qualified to end human suffering? Let us all see how he—using his Son Jesus—is able to and has arranged to correct the root causes of suffering.
Personal choice.
Our forefather Adam made a decision that had serious consequences for all his offspring. The apostle Paul wrote, "The whole creation continues to moan and have pain in common." (Romans 8:22) God's remedy is profoundly just, extremely compassionate and elegantly simple. Romans 6:23 states, "The reward that sin pays is death, but the gift that God gives is the eternal life of Christ Jesus our Lord."
The perfect man Jesus lived a sinless life. His death on a torture stake provided the reason for the liberation of obedient humanity from the curse of sin and death. We now have the prospect of eternal life in a world where our sinful tendency to make unwise decisions will be gone. People who deliberately let others suffer will also be gone, for "the wicked themselves will be cut off." - Psalm 37: 9.
For evil men will be done away with,
But those hoping in God will possess the earth. Psalm 37: 9.
Random events and imperfection.
God's appointed king, Jesus Christ, has the power to control the natural forces of the earth. In the first century AD, Jesus and his apostles found themselves aboard a fishing boat when "a big violent storm erupted and the waves crashed into the boat, so the boat was about to be flooded." Jesus "woke himself and blamed the wind and said to the sea," Silence! Be quiet! "And the wind subsided, and a great calm set in." His apostles were astonished. "Even the wind and the sea obey him," they said (Mark 4: 37-41).
Under the reign of Jesus, obedient people will "live in safety and be untouched by the fear of misfortune." - Proverbs 1:33. This includes the misfortune of natural disasters. In addition, mismanagement of the earth, unsafe building practices, and ignorance of Earth's natural powers, as well as other human errors, will be gone. No one will suffer again from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While on earth, Jesus identifies another feature of his reign that can undo any present that results from random, unforeseen events. "I am the resurrection and the life," he said. (John 11:25) Yes, Jesus has the power and desire to revive millions of people who tragically died as a result of natural disasters. To promise to empty? Jesus strengthened our foundation for trust in Him by performing resurrections while living on the earth. Three of them are listed in the Bible. Mark 5: 38-43; Luke 7: 11-15; John 11: 38-44.
“The ruler of this world.”
Christ Jesus has been appointed by God to “bring to nothing the one having the means to cause death, that is, the Devil.” (Hebrews 2:14) Jesus proclaimed: “There is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (John 12:31) He will “break up the works of the Devil” by removing the Devil’s influence from world affairs. (1 John 3:8) Imagine how different human society will be when the Devil’s spirit of greed, corruption, and selfishness is eliminated!
“When Will These Things Be?”
Jesus’ followers asked him: “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” (Matthew 24:3) Jesus’ reply, along with other inspired writings after his death, tells us what would occur when God’s time to end suffering was near.* Compare the prophecies below with conditions and attitudes prevalent today.
Global war—Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:4.
Famine and disease—Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5-8.
Ruining of the earth—Revelation 11:18.
“Lovers of money”—2 Timothy 3:2.
“Disobedient to parents”—2 Timothy 3:2.
“Lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God”—2 Timothy 3:4.