How You Can Live in a New World
The preceding articles have shown that God will soon put an end to this ungodly
human society with all its problems. We can be sure that this will happen. Why?
Because God’s Word, the Bible, has promised:
“The world is passing away.”—1 John 2:17.
We can be certain that there will be survivors because the above Bible verse also
promises:
“The one who does the will of God remains forever.”
Therefore, the key to survival is doing God’s will. To find out what God’s will is, we
must first come to know him.
Survive the End by “Coming to Know” God
Jesus said: “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true
God.” (John 17:3) To survive the end and live forever, we need to ‘come to know’ God.
That means much more than merely acknowledging that God exists or knowing a few
facts about him. We need to be friends with him. As with any friendship that we want to
flourish, we need to devote time to it. Maintaining a friendship with God is no different.
Consider some vital truths we learn from the Bible that help us to develop and maintain
a friendship with God.
[Image:] Collage: 1. A hospital nurse sits on a hospital floor, exhausted and
overwhelmed. 2. She takes a break in the cafeteria and notices her workmate
happily reading a magazine. 3. The workmate reads a Bible verse to her and
gives her a jw.org contact card.
Box on page 11
[Box.] Truths We Learn From the Bible
We learn that God intended for us to live in Paradise.
He created the first humans, Adam and Eve, and placed them in a beautiful
location called the garden of Eden. They were perfect, and God had provided
everything they needed in order to enjoy a happy life. Their life could have been
endless. As long as they remained friends with God, they would never die. But they
chose to disobey a simple command God gave them.
We learn why we are now suffering hardships.
By disobeying God, the first man, Adam, lost the opportunity to live forever, both
for himself and for the rest of mankind. The Bible explains: “Through one man sin
entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.” (Romans
5:12) Just as a person might inherit a defect from his parents, all of Adam’s children
inherited imperfection from him. As a result, we grow old and die.
We learn what God has already done to help us.
The Bible says: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten
Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have
everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God sent Jesus to the earth to give his life in our behalf.
Regarding that act of love, an 86 year old Indian man named Prabhakar says: “It shows
Jehovah’s* intense love for me. His love has given me the hope of everlasting life.”
[Footnote.] *Jehovah is the name of God as revealed in the Bible. [End of footnote.]
We learn how we can show appreciation for what God has done for us.
The Bible says that we can show our appreciation for what God has done for us
by “observing his commandments.” (1 John 2:3) Jehovah God lovingly shows us what
we can do to enjoy life now. (Isaiah 48:17, 18, footnote) God does not want us to suffer.
He promises that if we follow his instruction, we will not only enjoy a happy life now but
also have the opportunity to live forever.
[Image:] The nurse, at home, looking at the jw.org website. [End of box.]
Read God’s Word, The Bible, Daily
We regularly eat food to stay alive. But Jesus said: “Man must live, not on bread
alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.”—Matthew 4:4.
Today, we find Jehovah’s words in the pages of the Bible. As you study that sacred
book, you will learn vital truths about mankind’s past, present, and future relationship
with God.
Pray to God for Help
What can you do if you want to follow God’s guidance but are finding it difficult to
stop doing things that he says are wrong? In that case, coming to know God can help
you in a special way.
Consider a woman whom we will call Sakura, who was living an immoral life.
When she started to study the Bible, she learned about God’s command to “flee from
sexual immorality.” (1 Corinthians 6:18) Sakura prayed to God for strength and was able
to stop this bad practice. But she still has to fight temptations. “If immoral thoughts come
to mind,” she says, “I talk honestly to Jehovah in prayer, knowing that I cannot fight this
by myself. The power of prayer has drawn me closer to Jehovah.” Like Sakura, millions
are coming to know God. He is giving them the strength they need to make changes in
their lives and live in a way that pleases him.—Philippians 4:13.
The better you come to know God, the more you will “come to be known by God”
as a precious friend. (Galatians 4:9; Psalm 25:14) Then you will qualify for survival into
God’s new world. But what will that new world be like? The following article will explain.
Page 12 [Image:] The nurse looking toward heaven after reading the Bible during
her lunch break outside.
Caption: You can survive the end of the world by praying for God’s help and
doing his will
