PREFACE—What Is God’s Purpose for Us?
When you read the newspaper, watch television, or listen to the radio, you see and hear many stories of crime, war, and terrorism. Perhaps you personally are suffering because of an illness or because someone you love has died.
Ask yourself:
 Is this what God wants for me and my family?
 Where can I find help to cope with my problems?
 Will there ever be real peace?
The Bible provides convincing answers to those questions.
The Bible Teaches That God Will Do Amazing Things on the Earth.
People will no longer feel pain, grow old, or die.—Revelation 21:4
“The lame will leap like the deer.”—Isaiah 35:6
“The eyes of the blind will be opened.”—Isaiah 35:5
The dead will be brought back to life.—John 5:28, 29
No one will get sick.—Isaiah 33:24
Everyone on earth will have plenty to eat.—Psalm 72:16
Benefit From What the Bible Teaches
It would be easy to think that what you have read in the first few pages of this book is just a dream. But God has promised to make those changes on the earth very soon, and the Bible explains how he will do so.
The Bible does more than that. It tells us what we need to know in order to be truly happy and enjoy life right now. Think for a moment about the things that make you worry. These may include money or family matters, bad health, or the death of someone you love. The Bible can help you to cope with these problems, and it can comfort you by answering such questions as these:
 Why do we suffer?
 How can we cope with our problems?
 Can our family be happy?
 What happens to us when we die?
 Will we ever see our dead loved ones again?
 Why can we be confident that God will do everything that he has promised?
The fact that you are reading this book shows that you want to know what the Bible teaches. This book will help you. There are questions for the paragraphs, which will help you understand the Bible better. Millions of people have enjoyed discussing the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. We hope you will too. May God bless you as you discover what the Bible can teach you!

Box on page 7
[Box.] Get to Know Your Bible

The Bible contains 66 books and letters. Each one is divided into chapters and verses. This makes it easy to find a verse. When this publication cites a scripture, the first number after the name of the Bible book indicates the chapter, and the following number refers to the verse. For example, if you see “2 Timothy 3:16,” it means the second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16.
When you look up the scriptures cited, you will quickly become familiar with the Bible. You could also start reading the Bible each day. If you read three to five chapters a day, you can read the entire Bible in a year. [End of Box.]