Открытый христианский форум JesusChrist.ru

*** w99 5/1 p. 6 Everyone Will Be Free ***

...sacrifice of Jesus Christ, He frees them from bondage to inherited sin and declares them “righteous,” or spiritually clean. (1 Corinthians 6:11) Then he adopts them as “sons of God,” bringing them back into his universal family.—Romans 8:14-17.

As Jehovah’s adopted sons, they will have a glorious privilege. They will be “priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth” alongside Jesus Christ as part of God’s heavenly Kingdom, or government. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 14:1-4) This is a government firmly established on principles of freedom and justice—not on oppression and tyranny. (Isaiah 9:6, 7; 61:1-4) The apostle Paul says that these sons of God are associates of Jesus, the long-promised ‘seed of Abraham.’ (Galatians 3:16, 26, 29) As such, they play a key role in fulfilling a promise God made to his friend Abraham. Part of that promise is that by means of Abraham’s seed (or, offspring), “all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves.”—Genesis 22:18.

What blessing do they bring to mankind? The sons of God share in liberating the whole human family from the terrible consequences of Adamic sin and in restoring mankind to perfection. People “out of all nations and tribes and peoples” can bless themselves by exercising faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and by submitting to his benevolent Kingdom rule. (Revelation 7:9, 14-17; 21:1-4; 22:1, 2; Matthew 20:28; John 3:16) In this way “all creation” will once again enjoy “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” This will not be some kind of limited, temporary political freedom but, rather, freedom from everything that has caused pain and distress to the human family ever since Adam and Eve rejected God’s sovereignty. No wonder the apostle Paul could say that “the sufferings of the present season do not amount to anything” in comparison with the glorious service that faithful ones will perform!

When does “the revealing of the sons of God” begin? Very soon now, when Jehovah makes it clear to all who the sons of God are. This will be when these “sons,” resurrected to the spirit realm, share with Jesus Christ in cleansing this earth of evil and oppression at God’s war of Har–Magedon. (Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14, 27; Revelation 2:26, 27; 16:16; 17:14; 19:11-21) We see around us mounting evidence that we are deep into “the last days,” when God’s long tolerance of rebellion and its resultant wickedness will end.—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:3-31.

Yes, it is true, as the apostle Paul says, that “all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now”—but...