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Scripture
Comment: EEN's approach to "the environment" is
based on the Bible. That's why we call what we do "creation-care,"
because from a biblical perspective "the environment" is actually a part
of God's creation - of which humanity is also a part. This is important to
stress. As many of the scriptures below will demonstrate, the Bible
teaches that both "nature" or "the environment" and humanity are part of
creation. Both are inextricably linked to one another, have been ever
since God formed us from the earth (Gen. 2:7; 3:19; Ps. 104:27-30), and
will continue to be in God's future when we will exist as resurrected
bodies on a new earth (I Cor. 15:35-44; Rom. 8:19-23; Isa. 65:17; Rev.
21:1). In other words, humanity and the rest of creation are part of all
of creation. Therefore, creation-care does not just mean caring for
"nature," nor does it just mean caring for humanity; it means caring for
both. A biblical creation-care ethic is a holistic ethic.
Humanity's relationship to creation needs to be based on a
biblical understanding of God's relationship to creation. Here at EEN we
confess Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord. Thus, when we ask
what our relationship is to all of creation, our first task is to
understand Christ's relationship to creation since he is our Lord. Our
relationship with all of creation must be in keeping with Christ's
relationship with all of creation. When we explore what the Bible says
about creation, we interpret each text in light of our relationship to
Christ and his relationship to all of creation. If the Bible teaches us
that Christ has created the universe, gives it life and sustains it, and
has reconciled everything to God, then our actions should participate in
Christ's creating, sustaining, and reconciling work. We certainly
shouldn't be doing things that thwart this work! Thus, we begin our
offering of scriptural passages with some key texts that help us begin to
understand the most important creation-care relationship - the
relationship of Christ to all of creation. All texts are from the
New International Version of Scripture, published by the International
Bible Society, an EEN Partner.
Jesus Christ's
Relationship to All of Creation: Creator, Sustainer, Reconciler,
Consumator, true Imago Dei, Heir of all things, Lord
Col.
1:15-20: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the
body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the
dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in
heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
Jn.
1:1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him
was life, and that life was the light of all people."
Heb. 1:2-3:
"in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir
of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the
radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word."
I Cor. 8:6b: "There is
but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom
we live."
Eph. 1:10: "He (God the Father) made known to us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their
fulfillment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under
one head, even Christ."
Creation Declares the Glory of
God
Psalm 19:1-4: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth
speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or
language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the
earth, their words to the ends of the world."
Psalm 96:1, 11-12:
"Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth . . . Let
the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all
that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then
all the trees of the forest will sing for joy."
Rom. 1: 20-23: "For
since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal
power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although
they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,
but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like
mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."
Rev. 4:11 "You are
worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you
created all things, and by your will they were created and have their
being."
The Old Testament Proclaims God as
Creator
Ps. 104: "Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God,
you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He
wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens
like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He
makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He
makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the
earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the
deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your
rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the
place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never
again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into
the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the
beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds
of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He
waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by
the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for
man to cultivate-- bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens
the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his
heart. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that
he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in
the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the
crags are a refuge for the coneys. The moon marks off the seasons, and the
sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all
the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and
seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return
and lie down in their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor
until evening. How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them
all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and
spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-- living things both large
and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which
you formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their
food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it
up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their
breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they
are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of
the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works--he who looks
at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long
as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the
LORD. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no
more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD."
Genesis 1 and
2:1-4: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now
the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God
said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light
was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called
the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was
evening, and there was morning--the first day. And God said, 'Let
there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from
water.' So God made the expanse and separated the water under the
expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the
expanse 'sky.' And there was evening, and there was morning--the second
day. And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,
and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. God called the dry ground
'land,' and the gathered waters he called 'seas.' And God saw that it was
good. Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing
plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to
their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants
bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in
it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there
was evening, and there was morning--the third day. And God said, 'Let
there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the
night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and
let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the
earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights--the greater
light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also
made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on
the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from
darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and
there was morning--the fourth day. And God said, 'Let the water teem
with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the
expanse of the sky.' So God created the great creatures of the sea and
every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to
their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that
it was good. God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the
earth.' And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. And
God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds:
livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each
according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild
animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds,
and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.
And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase
in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and
the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the
ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the
face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all
the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the
ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green
plant for food.' And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was
very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth
day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast
array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been
doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all
the work of creating that he had done."
Isa. 40:12, 26: "Who has
measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his
hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a
basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
. . . Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by
name."
Isa. 42:5-7: "This is what God the LORD says--he who
created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and
all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to
those who walk on it: 'I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I
will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a
covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that
are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon
those who sit in darkness.'"
The Earth is the
Lord's
Col. 1:16b: "all things were created by him (Christ) and
for him."
Heb. 1:2: "In these last days He has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the
universe."
I Cor. 10:26: "'The earth is the Lord's, and everything
in it.'"
Ps. 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in
it."
Lev. 25:23 "'The land must not be sold permanently, because
the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.'"
Deut.
10:14: "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens,
the earth and everything in it."
I Chron. 29:11-12: "Yours, O LORD,
is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the
splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is
the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come
from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and
power to exalt and give strength to all."
Neh. 9:6: "You
alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and
all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all
that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven
worship you."
Isa. 66:1-2: "This is what the LORD says: 'Heaven is
my throne, and the earth is my footstool . . . Has not my hand made all
these things, and so they came into being?' declares the
LORD."
The Relationship Between "Environmental Problems"
and Christian Love and Justice
Comment:
Most major environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution,
and the threat of global warming hurt people. These problems fight against
Christ's reconciliation of all of creation. In many instances they
hit the poor, the children, and the elderly the hardest. In this light,
here are a few of the many biblical texts appropriate for reflection.
Col. 1:20: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness
dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood,
shed on the cross."
2 Cor. 5: 14-21: "For Christ's love compels us,
because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So
from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once
regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through
Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins
against them. And he has committed to us the message of
reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God
were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be
reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Phil.
2:4-8: "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also
to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that
of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality
with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even
death on a cross!"
Lk. 4:18-19: Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord
is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight
for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the
Lord's favor."
Jn. 13:34: "A new command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
I Jn. 4:7-8: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love
comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows
God . . . because God is love."
Mt. 25:34-45: "Then the King will
say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the
world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me
in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will
answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you
in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in
prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the
truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me,
you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me
in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison
and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when
did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick
or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the
truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not
do for me.'"
Lk. 6:31: "Do to others as you would have them
do to you."
Micah 6:1-4, 7-8: " Listen to what the LORD says:
'Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what
you have to say. Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen,
you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against
his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. My people, what
have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up
out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to
lead you, also Aaron and Miriam' . . . Will the LORD be pleased with
thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my
firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my
soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD
require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with
your God."
Jer. 22:3: "Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the
fatherless or the widow . . ."
Ps. 72:1, 12-14a: "Endow the king
with your justice, O God . . . he will deliver the needy who cry out, the
afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and
the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from
oppression and violence . . ."
Mt. 22:37-40: "Jesus replied, 'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the Prophets hang
on these two commandments.'"
God Provides for and Desire's
Sufficiency and Contentment for the Rest of Creation
Ps.
104:10-30: God "makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows
between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the
wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper
chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass
grow for the cattle, and plants for humans to cultivate--bringing forth
food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his
face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the LORD
are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds
make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high
mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.
The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You
bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest
prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from
God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in
their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until
evening. How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them
all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and
spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large
and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you
formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their
food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it
up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their
breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they
are created, and you renew the face of the earth."
Gen. 1:20-25:
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds
fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.' So God created
the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with
which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed
them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in
the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' And there was evening,
and there was morning--the fifth day. And God said, 'Let the land produce
living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move
along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And
it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the
livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along
the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."
Gen. 6:19-21: "'You are to bring into the ark two of all living
creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind
of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves
along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take
every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you
and for them.' Noah did everything just as God commanded him."
Gen. 9:8-17: 9 "'I now establish my covenant with you and with
your descendants after you and with every living creature that was
with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those
that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. I
establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by
the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the
earth.' And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making
between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all
generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be
the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring
clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will
remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every
kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all
life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and
remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of
every kind on the earth.' So God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of
the covenant I have established between me and all life on the
earth.'"
Exodus 23:12: "Six days do your work, but on the seventh
day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave
born in your household, and the alien as well, may be
refreshed."
Leviticus 25:1-7: "The LORD said to Moses on Mount
Sinai, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land
I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the
LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your
vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to
have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or
prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest
the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year will be food for you--for
yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and
temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and
the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.'"
Job 38:39-41: "Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy
the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a
thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to
God and wander about for lack of food?"
Job 39: 5-8: "Who let the
wild donkey go free? Who untied his ropes? I gave him the wasteland as his
home, the salt flats as his habitat. He laughs at the commotion in
the town; he does not hear a driver's shout. He ranges the hills for
his pasture and searches for any green thing."
The
Interrelationship Between Humanity and the Rest of Creation
Ps.
65:1, 9-13: "Praise awaits you, O God . . . You care for the land
and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with
water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers
and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your
carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the
hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and
sing."
Ps. 104:13-15, 21-24: "He (God) waters the mountains
from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for humans to
cultivate--bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the
heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his
heart. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their
dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until
evening. How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them
all; the earth is full of your creatures." (See above for full
text.)
Gen. 1:25-31; 2:1: "God made the wild animals according to
their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures
that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it
was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over
the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move
along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed
them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth
and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and
over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I
give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every
tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all
the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of
life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all
that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there
was morning--the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were
completed in all their vast array."
Gen. 2:7-9a, 15, 19-20a: "The
LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the
LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the
man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of
the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food . . .
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and
take care of it . . . Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all
the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to
the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each
living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the
livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field."
2 Chron. 7:13-14: "When I shut up the heavens so that there
is no rain . . . if my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then
will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land."
The Rest of Creation Harmed by Humanity's
Sin
Gen. 1:17: "To Adam he said . . . 'Cursed is the ground
because of you' . . ."
Isa. 24:5-6: "The earth is defiled by its
people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the
everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people
must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up,
and very few are left."
Hosea 4:1-3: "Hear the word of the LORD,
you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who
live in the land: 'There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of
God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and
adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because
of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of
the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying."
Jer. 4:18-28: "'Your own conduct and actions have brought this
upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the
heart!' . . . Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins . .
. 'My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children;
they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not
how to do good.' I looked at the earth, and it was formless and
empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the
mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I
looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown
away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns
lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. This is what the
LORD says: 'The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it
completely. Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow
dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will
not turn back.'"
Rev. 11:18: "The nations were angry; and your
wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding
your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your
name, both small and great--and for destroying those who destroy the
earth."
God's Future Kingdom: a New Creation
Rom. 8:
19-23: "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be
revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its
own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought
into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the
whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to
the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies."
Isa. 11:1-9: "A shoot will come up
from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the LORD--and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he
hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with
justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will
strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he
will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the
sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will
lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their
young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The
infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his
hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on
all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the
LORD as the waters cover the sea."
Isa. 35:1-2, 6: "The
desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and
blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice
greatly and shout for joy . . . Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert."
Isa. 55:12-13: "'You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song
before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead
of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle
will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.'"
Isa. 65: 17-23: "Behold, I
will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be
remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice
forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight
in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no
more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be
considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will
plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and
others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works
of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed
to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and
their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while
they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed
together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the
serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy
mountain," says the LORD.
Rev. 21:1, 5: "Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth . . . He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am
making everything new!'" |
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