Wednesday, January 7 They were all wiped off the earth.​—Gen. 7:23.

[Anniebea]

Wednesday, January 7

They were all wiped off the earth.—Gen. 7:23.

 

In the past, our publications have considered the question of what happens to those whom Jehovah judges as unrighteous. We have said that for such individuals there is no hope of a future resurrection. Several Bible accounts describe Jehovah’s judgments against unrighteous people, such as the unknown numbers who died in the Flood or the seven nations in the Promised Land that Jehovah ordered his people to devote to destruction or the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers slain by an angel of Jehovah in a single night. (Deut. 7:1-3; Isa. 37:36, 37) In these cases, does the Bible give us enough information to determine that Jehovah sentenced all those individuals to eternal destruction, with no hope of a resurrection? No, it does not. We do not know how Jehovah judged each individual; nor do we know whether those who were killed had an opportunity to learn about Jehovah and to repent. w24.05 3 ¶5-7

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Jehovah wiped the earth clean because wickedness had filled it completely. That shows He does not ignore wrongdoing indefinitely, even when it seems to go on for a long time. At the same time, He protected those who listened and obeyed Him, while continuing to judge individuals according to what they knew and how their conscience functioned (Romans 2:14, 15). This reminds us that our safety is found in trusting Jehovah and doing what he asks, even when others choose a different path.