Tästä Jehovan nimenomaisesta halusta, ettei kukaan tuhoutuisi, lienee paras osoitus on Vt-seuran pitkäaikainen toive siitä, että 99,9 % tuhotaan:Jehova ei ole hidas lupauksensa suhteen, niin kuin jotkut pitävät sitä hitautena, vaan hän on kärsivällinen teitä kohtaan, koska hän ei halua kenenkään tuhoutuvan vaan haluaa kaikkien pääsevän katumukseen. (1. Piet. 3:9 UMK)
Artikkelissa nimeltä “What Will Armageddon Mean for You?” ja sen väliotsikon “THE ARMAGEDDON FORCES” alla kerrotaan:Olettakaamme, ei profeetallisesti vaan pelkästään kuvauksena, että niiden vanhurskaiden ihmisten ”suuri joukko”, ”jotka tulevat” elävinä tätä asiainjärjestelmää kohtaavasta ”suuresta ahdistuksesta” (Il 7:9, 14), olisi määrältään n. 6 miljoonaa (n. 1/1000 maapallon nykyisestä väestömäärästä)." (it-2-FI sivu 1381)
Jo vuonna 1952 osattiin kertoa täsmälleen samaa:“As for humans upon earth, on the side of Jehovah will be all those fully dedicated to him and who are faithfully following Jesus Christ; compared with earth’s billions these are indeed few. They are the few that walk the narrow way or cramped road that leads to life. These will not share in the fighting but will merely sing God’s praises.—2 Chron. 20:20, 21; 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Matt. 7:13, 14.
On Satan’s side will be all the rest of mankind, more than 99.9 percent, even as we read: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” That includes all the governments of the world together with their supporters, the commercial, religious and social institutions. Even the professedly Christian organizations? Yes, because all such that are friends of the world are making themselves enemies of God.—1 John 5:19; Jas. 4:4.” (w58 page 614-615)
WHY WE WITNESS NOW
If ignorance during this present judgment period is an excuse and is going to mean a resurrection for ignorant ones in the millennial reign, would it not be advantageous to let all remain ignorant now? If all those not personally preached to now and who are slain by Jehovah at Armageddon are going to return in the resurrection of mankind, why preach now at all? Even those who oppose the view that all Armageddon’s slain are forever dead will admit that those hearing but not accepting the witness now will perish eternally at Armageddon. Just for the sake of reasoning together, adopt their view for a moment. We preach to one thousand persons now, and perhaps one accepts the truth, while all the others reject it and die forever at Armageddon. But if we refrained from preaching to this one thousand, all would die at Armageddon but all would return in a resurrection, not having heard the message. Surely when they returned in that new world far advanced toward perfect paradise, with no corrupting humans around and demonic influence gone, so our opposers would incline to think and say, many more than one of that thousand would conform to new world requirements. Maybe only one would refuse. So why preach now and save one out of a thousand? Why not be silent now and save 999 out of a thousand?
That, of course, would be folly. It would mean eternal destruction for the witness who remained silent. It means the stones would cry out the warning, if the watchman class failed to do so. (Ezek. 33:7-9; Luke 19:40) The gospel-preaching is going to be done earth-wide, for Jehovah says so. And whether it is done on the basis of personal or family or community responsibility, the peoples of all nations are going to be separated into “sheep” and “goat” classes, for Jehovah says so. Those whom he slays at Armageddon will remain forever dead, for his prophetic pictures made at the time of the Flood and at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction say so, along with the parable of the sheep and goats. This view is corroborated by John 5:28, 29 (NW): “The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (w52 June 1 page 347)
