'A Better World Is Near'

Western New York was one of the thousands of communities around the globe that received a
powerful message of hope in November as Jehovah’s Witnesses embarked upon a special campaign focusing attention on the Bible’s hope for a better world.

The goal of the campaign was 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 were 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.

At age 13, Leander Rose of Buffalo, New York, began selling drugs to help support his mother financially. “My focus in life was to accumulate wealth because we were poor,” said Rose. Eventually, he ran a small gang of drug dealers until age 25, when Rose’s activities earned him a 15-year prison sentence.

While in prison, Rose studied the Bible. Learning about God’s promise of a better world changed his outlook and gave his life purpose. “It really helped me to see that I'm not a lost cause and that I have something to look forward to,” said Rose. “That really affected my life to a great degree.”

The Bible’s positive message gave him so much joy that he spent the remainder of his prison sentence focused on sharing its hope for the future with others. “Before my life was about taking,” said Rose. “Now my life is about giving."

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."

For more information, please call (718) 560-5600.

Click below for a direct link to the online version of the magazine:
https://www.jw.org/en/library/...