November 1, 2021 | By Jay Ashbaucher
A lot is being said these days about saving our planet earth. Phrases like “go green” or “we must stop global warming” have become common warnings. It is true, taking care of the earth is essential for us to do because we rely on it to sustain our lives. It is also true that the earth is decaying. This fact was declared long before our modern global warming. God has stated plainly that the earth is wearing out like a garment (Isaiah 51:6; Psalm 102:25-26) and must be set free from its slavery to corruption (Romans 8:21). Jesus himself said that “the earth will pass away” (Luke 21:33).
Scientific observations confirm what the Bible and Jesus are saying. For example, science claims the earth’s sun is losing its energy so that one day, eons of years in the future, it and earth as we know it will be no more. We may say that this is so far in the future we needn’t worry about it. However, we can find lots of articles on the internet warning us that our earth, and possibly human life, could end very soon. The 2019-21 pandemic taught us how quickly, by unknown or caused viruses, human life throughout the earth could be threatened. We have experienced the fear of death. But, there are other possible ways the earth and human life could end. For example, nuclear war, biological and chemical warfare, asteroids hitting the earth, super-volcanic eruptions, and last, but not least, global warming and climate change. It’s funny how we humans think our world is safe and that we can ignore all warnings.
Because of the Christian belief that the earth is dying anyway, Christians are sometimes accused of not joining government programs designed to take care of our planet. It is true that some may think, why bother? God is going to make a new earth. However, we Christians should bother because God says in the Bible that he created the earth to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18), that he gave it to us (Psalm 115:16), and that we are in charge of its care (Genesis 1:26; 2:15). Just because the present earth will decay and a new one will be made by God does not mean we should not take care of this one. We don’t feel this way about our human bodies, do we? We don’t think, since my body is aging and will die, and because God will someday give me a new body, I will let my health go unattended. No, that is not our attitude, nor should it be our attitude toward the earth. God tells us to take care of our bodies because they are created in his image, and if we are believers, our bodies are inhabited by his Spirit. We take care of our bodies because God wants us to use them to do good in this world by helping others, including our own family. The same is true about planet earth. God made it, and in spite of what we believe about global warming claims, he expects us to care for this planet because it is what sustains our lives until the new earth comes.
On media channels, we get lots of news stories about all the corrupt and evil events going on in the world. Even bad things the earth does get reported, things like storms, accidents, or fires that destroy and take lives. These reports give us the idea that the world is getting worse (which it is), and it can be very depressing, especially if we are experiencing some of those evils. On the other hand, in magazines, movies, and on TV and internet, we are also treated to stories of human greatness and goodness, stories of heroes and their acts of heroism, stories of survival over sufferings and difficult obstacles, stories of love and happy endings, stories of successfully gaining wealth in business, stories of fun-filled pleasures available to us, and hopeful stories about living a healthy life through various forms of dieting, exercise, and new medical discoveries. These stories give us confidence in human goodness and make us feel life will go on forever. Along with the bad news, these feel-good stories are also true.
The question is, are the good stories only band-aids to cover the bad stuff, band-aids giving us false hopes? Can these stories of human goodness and achievements win over the evils of the world? Or do we need something more, something deeper and more hopeful, something this world cannot give us—for example, an evil-free world of joy and peace that will last forever. Granted, many people believe such a world is only the subject of fairy tales. These tales are the way we wish life could be, but it cannot happen in real life. Superheroes needed to make such things happen only exist in fairy tales. Who says, “there are no superheroes who can make it all happen”? There is a book in the world that tells us that a God exists who is different from all other gods. God sent a real human into the world (the man Jesus), who represented God and showed us what God is like and what he can do. He demonstrated God’s love and grace and showed us something of a new world promised by God, a world of peace and joy, a world where all evil and fear is defeated, including death, a world that lasts forever. Jesus demonstrated God’s superhuman power by being raised from the dead and possessing a restored eternal body.
What is God’s intention for our planet earth? Both Old and New Testaments of the Bible tell us that the earth is indeed wearing out, and prophesies declare that God’s plan is to make new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). From the time humans allowed evil into the good world God made for them, the earth has been cursed and corrupted, awaiting its redemption along with the redemption of believers in God and his Messiah (Romans 8:18-25). When Jesus returns to earth (Acts 1:11), he will bring fulfillment to all of God’s promises (Acts 3:20-21).
Many have discovered that this person is real and has changed their lives. They are being newly created by his power and are being fitted for life on the new earth God will create. All the promises he has made in his book will be fulfilled in the next ages of human life on planet earth. For all who repent of their life gone astray from God, and who believe in him, and who are being made new through faith, love, and hope, this fairy tale sounding adventure comes true. As Jesus said, “this world is passing away”, but he promises that a new world is coming. He is the superhero, offering God’s grace to redeem and save all who believe and trust in him. Believers know (Job 19:25-27; Psalm 73:26 and Psalm 23:1-6) that a new body, living on a new earth, in an eternal righteous kingdom that is filled with peace and joy, awaits them on the other side of death’s door.
