The Path of Life

Discover Truth, Freedom, and Hope 
  
  “Thou wilt shew me the path of life:

in thy presence is fullness of joy;                                   

at thy right hand there are  pleasures for evermore.” 

- Psalm 16:11 

 
Introduction 

Each person has a choice in life of which path to take – God’s way or his own way. The following eight stories will guide you through the history of mankind, revealing God’s purpose for the path of mankind. 

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life…”  

All of life’s answers are given by the Giver of Life, the Most High God. He has given a Divine Book to man called the Holy Bible. Throughout the history of mankind, we see that God has moved in the affairs of man to show him the path of life. He wants to show you your path! 

“…in thy presence is fullness of joy;”  

The purpose of man’s life is to know his Creator personally and worship Him. We will learn how man broke fellowship with God and lost the joy of being in His presence. But we will also discover how God restored his relationship with fallen man and offers joy in your life today. 

“…at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” – Psalm 16:11 

We will learn how God has not only guided the path of history, but also wants to give light to your path of life. God desires that you enjoy his presence and pleasures forever. There is no pleasure greater than knowing the truth, enjoying freedom from the guilt of sin, and having hope for your future.

Bible Timeline

Note: The timeline above includes the major events and people that in the Bible. Interestingly enough, most cultures use this dating system with BC and AD. Here, B.C. represents “Before Christ” and A.D. represents “Anno Domini”, meaning in the year of our Lord. 

How did life begin? Why do I exist? Where will we go when we die? These are the fundamental questions in life and may be found when we research ancient writings. The best-selling book throughout history has been translated into hundreds of languages all over earth. The Holy Bible has had over 5 billion copies sold! What is so special about this book? The first of the Old Testament books are the oldest religious writings found in the world, having been written over 3,000 years ago!

The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by 40 different penmen, yet without any contradictions. In fact, there is not even one error as it covers topics such as science, history, biology, and zoology. It answers every important question about this world and mankind. It tells of how God has a purpose for creation and how he desires to have a relationship with each person. The Bible speaks about the future and what happens after we die. The greatest fact about this book is that it is Divine, with God being the author!

The Bible reveals the God who made us and how He desires to have a personal relationship with mankind through His only Son Jesus Christ. In the Bible, there are over 2,000 prophecies made. Over 300 of these prophecies were made about Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to note that our dating systems surround the life of Jesus Christ, who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. A.D. represents Anno Domini, which means “in the year of our Lord”. Dating after Christ has A.D. after the year. For example, it is now year 2019 A.D. according to the English calendar. Any date recorded before Jesus birth is represented by B.C. meaning “Before Christ.”

We learn much about an author by His writings. What we know about God is what he has revealed to us in the recorded pages of Scripture. Because God is divine, His words are sacred. Because he is truth, his word is trustworthy. Read the following Bible verses:

II Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All scripture was given by inspiration of God.” II Peter 1:21 says that holy men were “moved by the Holy Ghost.” God says that his words are “pure words” and he will “preserve them forever.” (Psalm 12:6,7) Romans 10:17 says that “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  

Each person has must base his faith on some kind of authority. Many depend on their ancestor’s traditions, others on their own opinions. But eternal truth must have an eternal authority. This is only possible if you have an eternal author. When we learn what God says in the Holy Scriptures, we find the only true path of life. God's word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105)

Who made the mountains, stars, and animals? Where did people come from? Who is God?

Everything around us has a design. For example, look closely at the grain on wood, veins on a leaf, and your fingerprints. To have a design, you must first recognize there is a designer. For instance, in order to have a watch, there must be a watch maker. If there is a painting, you must have an artist. If there is a building, you must have an architect. Since there is creation, there must be a Creator. This means there must be an intelligent Designer!

Before there was anything, there was the Most high God. God created everything visible and invisible. He is without age because he lived before time. The true living God is from everlasting to everlasting, and is the beginning and the end. God has all power and can do anything. A God who can make the world, also made a way to tell people about Himself. The book he gave us is called the Bible. The first words say, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

In six days, God created this world, including light, air, land, water, the sun, moon, and stars, animals, and man. God simply spoke and it happened. Everything God made was good. God took the dirt and made man: then He breathed life into him. God made man in His own image. This means that man can think, speak, and love. No animal can know God and respond to His love. Only man has three parts like God. God is one, yet the Godhead is made up by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Man also has three parts, Body, Soul, and Spirit. After death, the spirit of man will live forever.

Then God made woman from a rib of man. God gave them both names – Adam and Eve. God loved them and talked with them every day.

God desires to have a relationship with all people today, including you. God made mankind with a mind to choose and a heart to love Him. Because God is the Creator of all life, He has the right to make the rules. He told the first man Adam to take care of the Garden and to name all the animals. He told him that he could eat of any food from the trees except for one! Would Adam and Eve obey God? We will learn how this decision would affect the path of not just the remainder of their life, but the course of the rest of the world.

Who determines right and wrong? Why do people die?

The Creator God in Heaven said that everything He had made was very good. He told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree except one, or they would die. God who created the world determines what is right and what is wrong. Man’s responsibility is to worship the Most High God and obey His rules.

But not everybody likes to follow God’s rules. Satan originally was a beautiful angel in heaven. But because of his pride, he wanted to be worshiped like the most High God. Because there is only one true God, Satan was cast out of heaven. Many other angels followed him and are known today as demons. These evil spirits keep men in fear.

In the beautiful Garden where God made the first man and woman, Satan appeared in the form of a snake. Satan deceived Eve, and questioned God’s Word. Eve took the forbidden fruit. Adam also ate it and thus, disobeyed God. This was the first sin on earth.

Because Adam rebelled against the authority of the most High God, he had to die. Instead of killing man, God killed an animal in his place. Adam and Eve immediately realized they were now naked and were ashamed. They ran from God’s presence and tried to cover themselves with leaves. But this was inadequate, so God clothed them with the skins from the animal he had killed. Now God had to cast Adam and Eve out of the beautiful Garden because of their sin. Satan’s lies and deceit had successfully destroyed the beautiful relationship between God and man.

God later gave a list of 10 commands to man. He says not to have any other God and only to worship him. We are to love our neighbors and not tell lies, steal, or covet. We should not murder or commit adultery. Since Adam’s first sin of disobedience, everybody born from him would also be a sinner by nature and therefore would die. In Romans 5:12, it is written, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”  

Today everyone attempts to hide his sin and make himself look good to others. We are very good at deceiving others. Some cover themselves with religion and good works. But God sees all things, and knows our hearts. He says in Jeremiah 17:9, 10, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart…” By nature, we are all going away from God: a path that leads to a dead end! Only God can make our path right.

How would a holy God judge man’s sin? Would God show mercy?

The first man and woman went from a place of perfection and safety where everything was good to being ashamed and guilty because of their disobedience to God. They had to leave the Garden God had made for them. Now they had experienced spiritual death as a result of their sin. This means they were separated from God’s presence. Everybody born hereafter would be born a sinner. We have all rebelled and broken God’s rules. That is why we will all die one day.

The first son of Adam and Eve was named Cain. He became angry with his brother Abel and killed him. As more people were born, their wickedness increased. In fact, the sin of mankind was so great, God determined to destroy the earth he had made with a big flood. But one man found favor in God’s eyes. His name was Noah. God told Noah to build a large boat that his family and the animals might be spared from judgment. While Noah and his sons built the boat, he warned the people about the coming judgment. He was a preacher of righteousness, but the people did not care and mocked him. They loved their wickedness more than the Holy God who made them.

God destroyed the earth with a great flood of water. In almost every civilization around the world, there is a story of this cataclysmic flood that covered the whole earth. During this world-wide flood, even the Himalayas were under water. Fish were rapidly buried. This explains why there are fish fossils buried on Mount Everest! This occurred when the water under the earth came upward. Because the earth’s surface was broken apart, we experience earthquakes today. There are at least 200 different legends world-wide, according to most historians on the subject.

After Noah and his family came off the ark, they worshipped God. God made Noah a promise never to flood the entire earth again. God put a rainbow in the sky to remind him of this promise.

God said that in the last days there would be mockers who would doubt that He will judge their sin. “But the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) God always must judge sin; but He wants to show His mercy because He still loves man. That is why there are Bible preachers who show the path of righteousness back to God.

What would happen after the great flood? Would people return to the path of life God desired for them?

After the Great Flood, Noah’s family multiplied and began to repopulate the earth as God had commanded them. Through Noah’s three sons, the world would be inhabited and the nations divided. The descendants of Shem would inhabit Asia; those of Ham would be in Africa, and the children of Japheth would be in Europe.

At this time, there was only one language. The people travelled and lived together. They settled in the land of Shinar, modern day Iraq. One of Ham’s grandsons, Nimrod, was a mighty man. He built the city of Babel, which would become Babylon. He rebelled against God and led the construction of a tall tower in attempt to reach heaven. The people wanted to build a city and a tower to reach to heaven. They wanted to make a name for themselves and not spread over the earth. This was in direct defiance of God’s command. This was where the false religions of the world originated. But God, who sees all things, saw what they were doing. How did He stop them from building this tower? Instead of punishing the people’s rebellion with death, he mixed their languages, forcing them to spread throughout the earth. This is the origin of diverse cultures and languages on earth.

We see throughout history the effect of Babylonian religion on all civilizations. People want to do something to attain heaven. False religions teach people to worship the sun, moon, stars, or trees, stone, and animals! They want God’s knowledge, but they don’t want God Himself. They want to make a name for themselves, instead of giving glory to God. Self-effort, self-sacrifice, and self-glory are the bases of all man-centered religions. But no amount of dharma or karma (religion or works) can take away your sin. God Himself must provide the solution.

Soon after God had mixed the people’s languages, God chose a man through whom he could have a people to make himself known to the world. God promised Abraham, one of Shem’s descendants, that through his seed all other nations of the world would be blessed. This special people became a very important nation named Israel. God gave Israel a special list of commands so they would remember to only worship Him. In Exodus 20:4,5, God said, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing…Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God. Many years later, there was a Jewish king named David. God said that through his seed there would be an everlasting kingdom. God had a plan to personally come to earth so He could deliver mankind who had deliberately strayed from the true path of life. 

How would God fulfill His promises to His people? How would he bring deliverance to mankind? Can a sinner be made right with God?

 Though the first man Adam had made a terrible choice to disobey God, Satan would not have the final victory. God still loved man, even though He had to punish his sin of rebellion. God made a way to deliver man from sin. As the the animal that was slain for Adam and Eve, God chose to become a man and die in his place. God’s only Son Jesus came to this world and was known as the “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

But just how would He bring deliverance? Most conquerors are known for their ability to conquer through the use of a sword. But Jesus said that his Kingdom was not of this world, otherwise, his servants would fight for it. The King who would deliver mankind would come from Heaven. He would be holy and pure, for only a perfect Deliverer can bring forgiveness. He would offer His own life a ransom for many.

There is only one who would meet the qualifications of making sinful men right with a righteous God. God had spoken to His Prophets telling his people that one day He would come to earth as a man. He was called Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” This promised Deliverer would be born of a virgin in a small town in Israel called Bethlehem.

Jesus was born about 2,000 years ago by the virgin Mary. Because the sin nature is passed on through the seed of man, Jesus was sinless. The Holy Spirit had enabled Mary to conceive and give birth to Jesus. Jesus means “Saviour, for he would save his people from their sins.”

Jesus proved he had the authority and power of God. He showed his power over the weather when he calmed the wind. He had power to heal sickness and even raised the dead back to life. He was able to cast evil spirits out of people. But he made people angry when he said that He was God and that He could forgive sin.

Jesus willingly became our substitute, suffering for our sin on the cross. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus showed His Divine power in not just dying for us, but also rising again three days later, according to prophecy.  

What can possibly make us pure in God’s eyes? Our religion cannot save us, and our good works cannot help us. What the Law could not accomplish, Jesus offered through the gift of grace. This gift of eternal life cannot be earned, only received. This brings glory to the God who provided the way to eternal salvation.

How can you receive God’s gift of eternal life? How can you be sure you are on the narrow path to eternal life?

There are two places where the spirit of man goes after he dies: Heaven where God lives, or the Hell where Satan will be punished forever. Heaven is beautiful: there is no sickness or sadness there. Hell is a place of suffering in fire. We all deserve to be punished for our sin in hell. But God wants us to be with him in Heaven.

Eternal life with God in heaven cannot be earned. It is a gift only an eternal God can give. Though God has done so much to show his love toward man, each person must make a choice with what He will do with the gift God. Every gift of value has a high price. The gift of eternal life cost God the life of His only Son Jesus Christ. It is the shed blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin. You can be forgiven by God!

Three days after Jesus died on the cross, He came back to life as he had predicted. This signified that he had power over sin, death, and our enemy the Devil. Through his death in your place, he paid the penalty for your sin. Through his resurrection, he enables eternal life to the sinner that turns from his own rebellious way to believe on Jesus. It is necessary to admit that as a sinner, you are going the wrong way. You deserve death and judgment in the lake of fire for your sin and you cannot save yourself.

Believe that God offers an alternative to eternal punishment. By turning from your own way and trusting in Jesus alone as your only way of deliverance, you may have eternal life! You must receive the righteousness of God by believing on Jesus Christ as your Saviour. This is what faith is. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

We each have a choice to make. Do not believe the lie of the devil who says, “You are a good person, keep trying to be better. Your religion will be enough for God.” Satan is a deceiver and keeps people in fear and darkness. But Jesus says, “Come unto me, and I will give you  rest.” He is the light of the world. Are you willing to abandon your own self-righteousness and quit trusting in your religion and works? Are you willing to submit yourself to God and acknowledge him as your only Lord and Saviour? God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. His mercy is longsuffering, but there will come a time when He no longer withholds his wrath. Come to him today: He gives grace to the humble. Trust in God’s promise to save you. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:13                      

What are God’s future plans? How is God going to complete this path of life for all of mankind?

After Jesus Christ had risen from the grave, he showed himself  to many people. At one setting, there were more than 500 people who saw him. He told his disciples that He would go back to heaven, but His Holy Spirit would come be with them. They would be his witnesses here in this world. He promised to return for His believers, then ascended into heaven.

The hope of every Christian is that at any moment, Christ will appear to take us home to heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive will be caught up to be with the Lord! We will have a celebration wedding feast, as the bride (the church) and the groom (Christ) will finally be united forever! Christ is now preparing a mansion in heaven.

These words are to comfort and challenge each Christian follower! We are not to be content knowing truth, but must be busy helping warn the lost of coming judgment. We will have a day of judgment where we will be given rewards for our faithfulness to Christ. We will be able to cast these crowns at Jesus feet out of love and worship for Him!

But the unbeliever has no hope. After the believers are caught away to heaven, there will be seven years of tribulation and suffering on earth. During this time, the Anti-Christ will unite the world in rebellion of God and his followers. Jesus will return on a white horse and kill thousands in a bloody battle.  Jesus will set up his physical kingdom to rule as King of Kings for a thousand years.

Ultimately, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever. All unbelievers will stand before the great white throne of God. They will see that their works condemn  them  before a holy God, and they also will be cast into the lake of fire.

God will proceed to make a new earth. God will now be able to dwell in peace with mankind forever in perfect unity. All tears, suffering, and death will be gone forever. There will be no need for a temple, sun, moon, or stars, because we will always be in the presence of Jesus Christ, who is the true Light.

The final picture God gives us in the Bible is that of the pure river of water of life coming from God’s throne. There is the tree of life from which we will finally be allowed to eat. Only the one who accepts Jesus alone as God and personal Saviour may enter here. This is God’s desired destination for the path of every person He has created. He takes pleasure in you and wants you to enjoy His presence forever. Please consider where you are on the path of life.

If you believe Jesus is the only true way to eternal life, you may receive him as your Saviour now. By faith call on Him now.

You may pray to God:

“Dear God in Heaven, I admit that I am a sinner and helpless to change myself. I am sorry for rebelling against your authority. I believe Jesus died for my sin and rose again to give me eternal life. I now receive your forgiveness that you offer. Please come into my life and save me.          In Jesus name,  Amen.”

All Scriptures are taken from the King James Bible 

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Bible, please email the author at PilgrimofTruth@yahoo.com