| Highlights of Dawn | July 1970 |
Paradise Without Pollution
“And God created the man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,—and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the bird of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth on the land. And God said—Lo! I have given to you—every herb yielding seed which is on the face of all the land, and every tree wherein is the fruit of a tree yielding seed,—to you shall it be for food; and to every living thing of the land —and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that moveth on the land wherein is a living soul, every green herb for food.” —Genesis 1:27-29, Rotherham
IN THE opening paragraph of an article entitled, “The Ravaged Environment,” which appeared in Newsweek, the writer observed:
“It seems the curse of modern man continually to confront new possibilities of self-destruction. He emerged from World War II armed with nuclear weaponry that soon gave him power to obliterate all human life. His population has since grown at a rate that could threaten disaster on a global scale. And now he has come face to face with a new manmade peril, the poisoning of his natural environment with noxious doses of chemicals, garbage, fumes, sewage, heat, ugliness and urban overcrowding. Nearly unnoticed, the scourge of pollution has already spread so far that a few scientists say only a drastic cure can prevent devastation as thorough as that of nuclear holocaust. Even to less doleful prophets, the danger seems sufficient to warrant a sudden boom in the science of ecology, which examines the precarious relationships between living things and their surroundings.”
We are living in a chaotic and suffering world. For years it has been a well-known fact that the two leading nations of the world—the United States and Russia—have it in their power to unleash sufficient nuclear weapons of destruction to kill the entire human race many times over. For a number of years the human race has been warned of the dangers of the current population explosion—that the quantity of food and its distribution will become less and less adequate for the needs of a population which is doubling every thirty or forty years.
And now we have the grave danger of environmental pollution thrust upon us, which, regardless of what efforts man may be able to make to alleviate it, is constantly being made worse by the rapidly increasing population. Some scientists are fearful that even now our poisoned environment is planting potentials of destruction within humans which will reveal themselves in later generations when it will be too late to do anything about it.
The news media of the world are constantly calling our attention to the already baneful results of environmental pollution and the efforts which are being made to combat it. There is nothing which we could hope to add to this information which is not already known. Our chief interest in the subject is the manner in which this further failure of man may be related to the outworking of the divine plan for the redemption and recovery of man from sin and death.
Indeed, man has miserably failed in working out the destiny designed for him by his Creator. This is because, in the very beginning of his experience, man chose to disobey his Creator’s laws. It was then that selfishness became the motivating power in human activity, and throughout the ages selfishness has continued to lead humanity into all sorts of dilemmas fraught with frustration, suffering, and death. There has hardly been a time when wars did not rage in some part of the earth. Man’s inhumanity to man has made countless millions mourn. Through it all, those who have maintained a semblance of faith in God have kept hoping for a better time to come, which up to now has not come.
The Earth Being Filled
God’s command to multiply and fill the earth has progressed throughout the centuries, and now that the earth is nearly fully populated it is under conditions which are causing mankind to look ahead with fear as to what the results may be. Man was commanded to subdue the earth, but now, in the final analysis, it would seem, the best he can do is to pollute it to the point where it might well be incapable of sustaining life of any kind.
God provided every necessary food-producing tree to sustain his human creation, but man is killing them off with poison fumes spewed forth from his inventions, and by other poisons, such as insecticides. After more than six thousand years of existing on the earth, man has not only failed to subdue it, but has defiled it to the point where, unless a sudden turnabout is accomplished, the race could become poisoned and die in the very place that was originally designed to be a beautiful paradise home for him forever.
Minerals
Although no special mention is made in the Bible that God provided mineral deposits in the earth for man’s use, we believe that this was the case, and man has been using these minerals, at Least to a limited degree, almost from the beginning of his existence. Tubalcain, one of the close descendants of Adam, is spoken of as “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron.” Here, apparently, was the first mineralogist.
The use of minerals is referred to considerably in the Bible. Much gold, and copper, and silver were used in the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness and its furnishings. Even larger quantities were employed later in the building of Solomon’s temple. Solomon had his copper and iron mines, and shipped these metals to various parts of the then known world. In return, he imported gold. But in those remote days no one dreamed of the industrial age which would be made possible by the use of metals stored in the earth at the time of creation.
Nor is there anything in the Bible to indicate that the ancients had knowledge of the gas, coal, and oil deposits which are such vital factors in our industrial age. A few ancients had dim knowledge of the existence of electricity, but did not know how to harness it for the use of man. This has come about in modern times, and has a very important part in the technology of our times. There is reason to believe that the widespread use of metals, coal, oil, and electricity was reserved by the Creator for the very time in which we are now living, which is described in the prophecies as “the time of the end”—not the end of time, nor the end of human experience on the earth, but the end of man’s futile efforts to rule himself, and to bring the earth under control for his peace, happiness, health, and life.—Dan. 12:4
As Daniel reveals, the prophetic “time of the end” was to be characterized by a great increase of knowledge, and running to and fro—much and rapid travel. It is in this same time period in the divine plan that, as Daniel’s prophecy reveals, there was to be “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) This “trouble” was to result from the standing up of “Michael,” one of the titles which the Bible ascribes to Jesus as the divine Christ. In this prophecy Michael “stands up,” which is a symbol of divine intervention in the affairs of men.
Another name given to the particular period in “the time of the end” in which we are now living is “the day of the Lord [Jehovah].” (Isa. 13:6,9) It is also the day of God’s preparation for the establishment of the long-promised messianic kingdom. (Nahum 2:3,4) It is a time in the plan of God associated with the return and early years of the presence of Christ, the ultimate object of his return being to establish the kingdom of promise which will bring universal and everlasting peace to all mankind.
Signs of His Presence
When Jesus was on earth at the time of his first advent, and just a short time before his crucifixion as man’s Redeemer, his disciples asked him what would be the signs of his second presence, and the end of the world, or age. The question they asked was, “Tell us, when these things will be?” and “What will be the sign of thy presence, and of the consummation of the age?” (Matt. 24:3, Diaglott) In response to these questions Jesus gave a number of outstanding “signs” which would mark the fact of his presence, and of the end of the age.
One of these signs was, “Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” In I Thessalonians 5:1 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child.”
The Greek word here translated “travail” is the same one that is translated “sorrows” in Jesus’ prophecy that the rising of nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, would be the beginning of sorrows. And, as Paul indicates, these pains of travail in the day of the Lord would lead to the sudden, or unexpected destruction, not of the earth, but of man’s selfish social order.
We believe that World War I was one of these spasms of destructive trouble. World War II was another. It is a sad commentary on the unwisdom and selfishness of man that the treasures of God caused to be stored up in the earth should be employed in the works of destruction instead of as instruments of peace. True, they have been used widely for peaceful pursuits, but to the total disregard of the manner in which their side effects were polluting the air we breathe, and the water we drink, destroying plant and vegetable life, as well as bird life, and the fish of our rivers, lakes, and oceans.
These side effects were probably not realized to any great extent by the technicians until recent years, but now the terrible harvest of poisons is rapidly catching up with us, and is contributing to yet another spasm of destruction upon man’s world. In presenting the signs of his presence, Jesus quoted Daniel’s prophecy (12:1) concerning the “time of trouble,” and he indicated that a further sign of his presence and of the end of the age would be a time of “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”—Matt. 24:21,22
Here is a prophetic sign which is more far-reaching than simply the matter of nation rising against nation. Here the tribulation is said to be so devastating that should it be permitted to continue, no human flesh would survive. As the article in Newsweek pointed out, we now have this possibility confronting us on three fronts—through nuclear weaponry; the pollution of our environment, and the population explosion. There are those who claim that unless the population increase can be brought under control, all efforts to clean up the environment will fail.
It is now estimated that by the close of the twentieth century earth’s population will reach the six billion mark. This will greatly increase the hazards of pollution. Even today, half the population of the earth is without adequate food supplies. Scientists are expressing the fear that the millions of undernourished mothers will bring a generation of weaklings into the world, and that as the population increases and hunger becomes more and more wide-spread and acute this danger will be compounded. Man is multiplying and filling the earth all right, just as God commanded, but what a colossal failure he is making of properly providing for his ever-increasing offspring!
Without doubt the food-supplying potentials of the earth are great enough to provide an abundance for a population that fills the earth completely, in harmony with God’s arrangements; but man, in his selfishness, is incapable of making proper use of these potentials, and the earth is becoming increasingly polluted. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Creator has permitted this situation to develop for the purpose of teaching man in this final lesson on the permission of evil that he cannot continue on his own selfish way and expect to survive as a species.
Only the Creator has the solutions for the crisis conditions which now face troubled man. Truly we are living in a time of “great tribulation,” just as Jesus foretold when presenting the signs of his presence and the end of the age. And just as Jesus said, it is tribulation which ultimately could well destroy the human race entirely; but he has given us the assurance that this will not be permitted. As Jesus explained, this time of destructive tribulation will be cut short before all flesh is destroyed.
The Elect
According to the Common Version translation of Jesus’ prophecy, he said that “for the elect’s sake” the days of tribulation would be shortened, but this is not a good translation. The word “sake” is not in the original Greek text at all, so what Jesus said was that for, or by, the elect the tribulation would be shortened. What did he mean by this? The Scriptures give us a very definite answer to this question. The “elect” are those whom the Creator has chosen to be the rulers in his long-promised messianic kingdom.
Jesus is the preeminent One among these, the great “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Jesus proved his worthiness of this high position in his Heavenly Father’s plan by laying down his life to redeem mankind from sin and death. When Jesus was on trial for his life he was asked by Pilate if he were a king, and his reply was, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.”—John 18:37
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, one of the thieves who was being crucified with him, asked, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) Jesus replied to him, saying, “Verily I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Jesus knew that the purpose of his kingdom would be to establish paradise conditions worldwide, and that in that blessed future time of his kingdom the thief would be awakened from death and have the opportunity of enjoying the blessings of paradise with the other billions of the human race who would likewise then be restored to life and to harmony with the Creator.
But first it was essential that Jesus give his flesh for the life of the world. (John 6:51) The Prophet Isaiah foretold that Jesus would “pour out his soul unto death,” and that his soul, or his life, would be made “an offering for sin.” (Isa. 53:6-12) The Apostle Paul wrote concerning Jesus, “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Tim. 2:5,6) The Greek word here translated “ransom” means “a price to correspond.”
The reference is to the fact that Jesus’ perfect human life corresponded with the perfect man Adam, who willfully transgressed divine law and brought upon himself and upon his offspring the condemnation of death. Man has been falling deeper and deeper into the quagmire of sin and death ever since Adam’s transgression, and nothing he could do, nothing he can do now, can save him from the ultimate result of transgression, which would be the destruction of the human species itself.
But God, in his love, made a plan whereby this collision course of mankind was to be turned around, and that plan was that Jesus should be made flesh, and give his life as a ransom to redeem Adam and his race from death. Jesus voluntarily entered into this arrangement, and that is why he virtually surrendered to his enemies and allowed them to crucify him. Yes, they killed the future King of earth. From the human standpoint this might well seem to spell defeat for God’s messianic kingdom plan. It did not, however, because the mighty power of the Creator raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to glory and power, not as a human, but as a divine being. After his resurrection Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”—Matt. 28:18
Associate Kings
Shortly before he was crucified Jesus said to his disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go … I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:3) This promise by Jesus is usually taken to mean simply that his followers will spend eternity in heaven with him. But it means more than this, for the Scriptures reveal that his faithful followers, those who suffer and die with him, when restored to life and exalted glory with him, will be associate rulers with him in the messianic kingdom. Paul wrote, “It is a faithful saying: for it we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”—II Tim. 2:11,12
These are pictured in Revelation 20:6 as coming forth from death in what is described as “the first resurrection,” and the purpose of their thus being raised from the dead, the text declares, is that “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” The work of God ever since the first advent of Christ, so far as his plan of salvation is concerned, has been the calling from the world, and the preparation, of this group to reign with Christ. It has already taken nearly two thousand years, and the work is still going on.
This group, like Jesus, are referred to in the Scriptures as the “elect” of God. The Apostle Peter, writing to these faithful ones in his day, addressed them as being “elect according to the foreknowledge of God … through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience.” (I Pet. 1:2) This is not an arbitrary election of individuals, but a calling out from the world of those willing and anxious to be conformed to the image of Christ. Paul wrote, “For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.”—Rom. 8:29
This little company of faithful followers of Christ, as we have noted, is not yet completed, but when it is, and all are brought forth in “the first resurrection” and united with Jesus as the new, spiritual rulers of the world, one of their first functions will be, as Jesus has indicated, to bring to a halt the time of “great tribulation” which is now threatening to destroy the human species. The Bible does not reveal how this will be accomplished. It simply assures us that it will be. And our faith is not strained to believe Jesus’ promise when we remember that the “elect” will be capable of employing the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead, and that brings forth his associate rulers from death and exalts them to live and reign with him.
We do not know how the great nations of earth will be caused to withdraw the threat of nuclear destruction. We do not know how the messianic kingdom agencies will clean the air and the water and the soil, so they can function as they were intended, to give life to man. We do not know how the failure of man to subdue the earth will be turned into a glorious accomplishment under the direction of the divine Christ—but we know that these things will be accomplished.
The Mountain Kingdom
One of the Bible’s symbols of the messianic kingdom is a “mountain,” and Isaiah 11:9 reads, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” No pollutants will then be allowed to poison the air, the water, and the land, causing disease and death. The Lord will know how to accomplish this great boon for humanity.
Again we quote from Isaiah: “In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:6-9
The “salvation” which will reach mankind in general during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom will be restoration to perfection of human life here on earth. Only those exalted to be associated with Jesus in the spiritual rulership phase of his kingdom will have spirit life.
Nor will there be lack of room on the earth for those now living and for all who have died, despite the present population explosion. The great Creator who commanded our first parents to multiply and fill the earth will be abundantly able to bring that aspect of his design to a conclusion when the proper time comes, and he will know when that proper time has arrived. Today man is being frightened by what his own efforts are producing. One writer asks, “Where has man failed?” The answer to that question is that human selfishness has led to failure on every hand.
But during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom man will learn the advantages of love as against selfishness, and this alone will solve many of the problems which have perplexed the human race during the reign of sin and death. But the learning of this lesson will be possible only under the governmental arrangements of the kingdom of Christ. The names “Zion” and “Jerusalem” are used in the Bible to symbolize the kingdom and its arrangements, and in Micah 4:2 we read, “Many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Yes, there will be righteous laws in that kingdom, and the Word of the Lord will circulate freely among the people; and through obedience to that Word, and under the influence of the Holy Spirit which then will be poured out upon all flesh, selfishness will be eradicated from the hearts of the people. Thus not only will the pollution of the air, water, and soil be brought to an end, but the pollution of human hearts and minds by selfishness will also be removed from the willing and obedient in that glorious earthly paradise of promise.