EARTH FOREVER OUR HOME

Jesus Christ in his famous Sermon on the Mount said:  "Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) Later in that same sermon, Jesus revealed the means by which the earth would be rescued from ruin.  He instructed his followers to pray:  "Let Thy Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Yes, God's Kingdom, or government, will accomplish God's purpose for the earth. -Matthew 6:10. 

Regarding the remarkable changes the Kingdom will bring, God declares:  "Look! I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:5) Does this mean that God will replace the earth with a new one?  No, for there is really nothing inherently wrong with our planet.  Rather, God will do away with those responsible for the planetary crisis, "those ruining the earth," that is, the present-day human system with its governmental structure.  This will be replaced by "a new heaven and a new earth"-a heavenly government, God's Kingdom, ruling over a new earthly society. -Revelation 21:2.

To eliminate the ecological debt caused by man, God will rebalance the ecological budget, so to speak. Describing what God will do, the psalmist was inspired to write: "You care for the earth, making it abundantly fruitful and very rich."  With a regulated climate and, above all, God's blessing, the earth will become a paradise yielding plenty of food. -Psalm 65:9-13. 

According to his secretary Pyarelal, Mohandas Ghandi, the late spiritual leader of India, observed:  "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed."  God's Kingdom will address the root cause of earth's problems by bringing about a change in people's hearts.  The prophet Isaiah foretold that under Kingdom rule,  people "will not cause  any harm or any ruin" to one another or to the earth.  (Isaiah 11:9) In fact, millions of people today from all walks of life are already learning about God's elevated standards.  They are being taught  to love God and neighbor, to show a thankful spirit, to care  for the environment, to conserve natural resources, and to lead a life supportive of the Creator's purpose. They are being prepared for life in a paradise earth. -Ecclesiastes 12:13; Matthew 22:37-39; Colossians 3:15. 

The creation account in Genesis concludes with the words:  "God saw everything he had made, and look! It was good." (Genesis 131) Truly, the earth is far too precious to end up in environmental bankruptcy. We are comforted in knowing that our planet's future rests safely in the hands of our loving Creator, Jehovah God.  He promises:  "The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever in it." (Psalm 7:29) May you be counted among "the righteous," who will call earth their eternal home. 

Next time: Was God's Law to Israel Just and Fair?

From the Watchtower magazine, 2014