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.

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.

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.

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.