Eternal Destination: Earth

There is a difference between heaven and the kingdom of heaven on earth. There are many who will actually see heaven. They will be those who meet the Lord in the air during what is known as the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) as well as any who have died (granted, of course, that they are saved). These will see heaven (Matthew 24:31). But never are we told that we will remain forever in heaven. That's because heaven is not our eternal destination: earth is. Ruling and having dominion over the earth WAS God's plan for man….and the Bible says nothing about that plan having changed.

After the battle of Armageddon, the Lord will remain on earth (the earth we know now) for 1,000 years, known as the millennial period (Rev. 20). After that 1,000 year reign, God will destroy the earth and re-create it: a new heaven and a new earth.

And on that new earth will be the continuation of the kingdom of "the God of heaven" that was begun at the first coming of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, a kingdom which will never end:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)

Thus it is known as the kingdom of heaven, meaning it came FROM heaven, or more specifically from the God OF heaven, not that it is IN heaven.

Many want to see heaven, but the kingdom of heaven that will continue in a city called the New Jerusalem (Revelation chapter 21) will have God in it always with us here on earth, with no sun or moon needed as the glory of Jesus will be the only light. Can anything be better than that for those who love the Lord? There are books written that attempt to biblically describe what "heaven" will be like, but what we need to remember is that "heaven" will be the "kingdom of heaven" established forever more on this earth.

Knowing that earth is our destination what should our response be in terms of caring for the earth? Do we "go green"? Do we recycle and reclaim and re-create the current world into one that is a far better world for our children and grandchildren to live in?

Well, the answer to that is simple: "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)

In order to do that we must be sure that we "trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths," (Proverbs 3:5-6). In other words….we must find out what God has to say about the earth and what He commands us to do regarding the earth, and then do whatever that is.

So let's start with a promise of God given after the flood:

Genesis 8:22 "while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."

Before global warming was found to be only the creation of man's vain imagination, the Word of God had already declared it to be false. Nothing can be true that any scientist or politician or anyone else can come up with that refutes the Word of God. It's very simple. There is nothing that man can do (or not do) that will cause the earth to not have changing seasons and changing temperatures. Unfortunately for those who still cling to the global warming agenda, the earth will not cooperate with them….not according to the Word of God….which is true and can be trusted…unlike other things in this world.

Now let's look at a command of God given to Noah and his sons (therefore their descendants also which is us) concerning the earth:

Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah and his sons and said 'Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth."

The second scripture gives us our mandate concerning the earth…..we are to replenish it. Now, this does not mean replenish the earth's resources. It means replenish the earth's population….something that many nations of the world (including our own) want to decrease….for the sake of the earth. Harness the people, unleash Mother Earth!

I don't think so….not according to the Most High God whom we Christians serve.

The earth that folks are trying to save is one that has been cursed by God because of man's sin:

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

The earth that folks are trying to save is the one that is destined, according to the Word of God, to die or pass away:

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."(Revelation 21:1)

"Green" laws will be passed on earth by a certain one who seeks his own kingdom on this earth and dominion over it:

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they [the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they [the saints] shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." (Daniel 7:25-26)

But when the Most High God is done, it will be only the saints of God (the saved ones) who will have dominion forever:

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." (Daniel 7:27)

I see the "green" agenda as an opportunity to speak forth the Word of God…stating the situation from God's perspective….an opportunity to do what we have been commanded to do way before "green" became the agenda. And that is to be witnesses of the truth of the Word of God in every situation and to every man, woman and child; the most important being the thing that was preached about at my church on Sunday last, that:

"God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:11-12)

That's the agenda we have been set free to follow….I will not be quickly or easily bound to another just to "conform" to the social politics that are encamped around me. I need more proof that it is God's command to me.

So what DOES the Word say specifically about "creation care", as it is called by one Christian theologian and author, Dr. John. R. W. Stott? I haven't finished researching the Word for myself on this matter (there are over 900 passages that contain the word earth – I've only gotten halfway through those and so far the scriptures above are all that have had any bearing on whether to "save the earth" or not. Perhaps "stewardship" would be a better word to research. I would truly like to hear from you with scriptures that you believe tell us that we are, indeed, to "go green." Whatever your thoughts are, make sure you've backed them up with scriptures for me to see, as all of us good Bereans must try our best to do!