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

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.

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.

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’sa intense love for me. His love has given me the hope of everlasting life.”

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.

READ GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE, DAILY

The nurse looking toward heaven after reading the Bible during her lunch break outside. — You can survive the end of the world by praying for God’s help and doing his will

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.

a Jehovah is the name of God as revealed in the Bible.