“A SPARKLING BLUE AND WHITE JEWEL.” That is how astronaut Edgar Mitchell described our earth as he viewed it against the contrasting blackness of space.
God went to great lengths to prepare the earth as a home for man. Its creation moved the angels to shout “in applause.” (Job 38:7) After studying the wonders of this planet, we too have reason to applaud. There are many intricate ecosystems that enable life to thrive on earth. In one of the best-known systems, green vegetation uses sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water to make food. A by-product of this process is the release into the atmosphere of oxygen—vital to our existence.
The Bible shows that God entrusted man with the stewardship of the earth. (Genesis 1:28; 2:15) For earth’s ecology to remain in balance, however, man needed to have the right attitude. In fact, he needed to love his earthly home. He had to want to maintain it in a beautiful state. But man was endowed with free will, so the possibility existed that he might choose to exploit the earth and mismanage it. And that is exactly what he has done. The results of man’s carelessness and greed have been devastating.
To mention but some of the problems: (1) Deforestation is affecting earth’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which, in turn, may contribute to more extreme weather patterns. (2) Excessive pesticide usage is destroying insect populations that perform vital ecological roles, including the pollinating of crops. (3) Overfishing and pollution of seas and rivers are greatly decreasing the fish populations. (4) The greedy use of earth’s natural resources leaves little for future generations and is thought to be hastening global warming. Some environmentalists point to the retreating of glaciers and the calving of icebergs in the Arctic and Antarctic as evidence of global warming.
Faced with an increase of natural disasters, some might say that the earth is fighting back, causing misery for man. God gave us the earth without charge. Man was, in effect, given free tenancy. (Genesis 1:26-29)
However, current world events show that many people have no desire to maintain their beautiful earthly home. Instead, man is occupied with his own selfish desires and activities. He has, in fact, proved to be a bad tenant—“ruining the earth,” as foretold at Revelation 11:18.
Bible prophecy shows that Almighty God, Jehovah, the Creator of earth’s life-sustaining ecosystems, has decreed that the time has come to “evict” the bad tenants. (Zephaniah 1:14; Revelation 19:11-15) Before man can damage the earth irretrievably, God will act—sooner than we may expect. (Matthew 24:44) Truly, only God can save the earth.
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