Job Ebenzer, director of Environmental Stewardship For The Evangelical Luthern Church of America said in the July 19, 1997 issue of the Ventura Star newspaper that, "Many times, heaven and not earth as been the churches' focus, but when you recite the Lord's Prayer, it actually says: "Thy will be done ON EARTH.as it is in heaven." He also explains how this theme of the earth is completely missing from the theological programs at the universities and religious colleges. Yet, the question is why? Especially why the Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures are filled with such a wealth of information of this subject?
Psalm 36:5, 6 tells us that God is concerned for animalkind and humankind alike. Psalm 145:15 and 37:29 speaks of God's plan that the earth is to "endure FOREVER." The Bible in Both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures clearly speaks of the "meek hearted" from amoung humanity, as well as animals and nature living in peace and harmony forever.
*My personal strong belief that animals WILL live forever on the New Earth. See my Topic on "Animals."
2 Peter 37:9, 29 says that, "We are awaiting a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell." The Native American author Sun Bear wisley points out in his book Black Dawn, Bright Day that in the Bible where the Bible speaks of Jesus talking about "The end of the 'world'," the word here "World" is actually a mistranslation. The actually Greek word found here is suppose to be this "AGE", taken from the Greek word "AEON". See the footenotes in the Living Bible or Living Translation Chapter 9 and 24 of Matthew. So Jesus is talking about the end of this present system of things and 'NOT' the end of this physical planet earth, as the vast majority of Evangelical/Fundamental Protestants teach.
A Dissagreement Towards Paganism...A Reason To Teach A Anti-Earth Theology???
Because of the Evangelical churches' focus on heaven being their eternal home and their strong disagreement towards the Pagen religion and it's worship of the creation rather than the Creator an unforuant side effect in this zeal has resulted in the vast majority of Protestant churches preaching an anti-earth theology. So what what we have is the vast majority of Evangelicals preaching a Kingdom message that is devoid of of the key message Jesus preached of , "Thy Kingdom COME ON EARTH..." Also concern over the ancient theme of the Cananite cult and it's immoral and violant philosophies and practices that were against ther God of the Bible, an extreamist parnoia of the femine type attributes of God such as compassion and empathy have resulted.
God Has BOTH Fatherly AND Motherly Attributes
The fact is that the Bible does speaks very clearly that though God is Spirit and therefore is neither male nor female physically in gender, still God has the perfect blend of both fatherly and motherly qualities. After all, let us remember that in the Beginning God said to Jesus: "Let us created them (the humans) in OUR image. " And so, it says that "God created them both male and female." See Gensis 1:2.
Demoniation of the Earth & Nature Goes hand And Hand With Domination of Women As Well Fellow Man
Sean McDonough in his book, "A Call For Green Theology" speaks in his book how it has been tragic for women, for the church and for the wider earth community as a whole that the vast majority of churches have chose to based their their additudes on the earth and woman and those not in their groups on the social customs and traditions of the dominate views of their society instead of follow the example and creative lead and Gospel of Jesus.
Historians of women's equality rightly have pointed out how history proves that additudes that belittle and degrade women seems to come from the precise seem sources who also exploite the earth and hunt animals for mere cruel sport. Does the future salvation of our earth and it's preservation lie souly on imperfect humankind's effort? While we as individuals, and collectively do our part, Revelation 11:18 says that: "GOD WILL bring to and end those who are ruining the earth." Psalm 104:5,24 reads: "The earth IS to endure FOREVER." This is a partnership between us and God and yet you don't have to belong to a denominational club.
Our understanding of the earth and all life upon it and the visualization of it's coming renewl and restoration and it's connection to God could and should inspire a call for a renewed earth-based spirituality appropriate for our time.
Looking to the future, the Bible tells of a "new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to [God's] promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell."—2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17.
These "new heavens" and "new earth," according to the Bible, are not a new material heavens or new literal earth. The physical earth and heavens were made perfect, and the Bible shows they will remain forever. (Psalm 89:36, 37; 104:5) The "new earth" will be a righteous society of people living on earth, and the "new heavens" will be a perfect heavenly kingdom, or government, that will rule over this earthly society of people. But is it realistic to believe that "a new earth," or glorious new world, is possible?
Well, consider the fact that such ideal conditions were part of God's original purpose for this earth. God placed the first human couple in the earthly Paradise of Eden and gave them a marvelous assignment: "Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28) Yes, God's purpose was for them to have children and eventually to spread their Paradise over all the earth. Although they later chose to disobey God, God's original purpose did not change. And it must be fulfilled in a new world!—Isaiah 55:11.
In fact, when you pray the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father, asking for God's Kingdom to come, you are praying for his heavenly government to rid the earth of wickedness and to rule over this new world. (Matthew 6:9, 10) And we can be confident that God will answer that prayer, since his Word promises: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it."—Psalm 37:29.
God's Kingdom will bring earthly benefits beyond compare, accomplishing everything good that God originally purposed for his people to enjoy on earth. Hatreds and prejudices will cease to exist, and eventually everyone on earth will be a true friend of everyone else. In the Bible, God promises that he will 'make wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.' "Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore."—Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 2:4.
The whole earth will eventually be brought to a gardenlike paradise state. The Bible says: "The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. . . . For in the wilderness waters will have burst out, and torrents in the desert plain. And the heat-parched ground will have become as a reedy pool, and the thirsty ground as springs of water."—Isaiah 35:1, 6, 7.
There will be every reason to be happy in the Paradise earth. Never again will people hunger for lack of food. "The earth itself will certainly give its produce," the Bible says. (Psalm 67:6; 72:16) All will enjoy the fruits of their own labor, as our Creator promises: "They will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. . . . they will not plant and someone else do the eating."—Isaiah 65:21, 22.
In God's new world, no longer will people be crammed into huge apartment buildings or run-down slums, for God has purposed: "They will certainly build houses and have occupancy . . . They will not build and someone else have occupancy." The Bible also promises: "They will not toil for nothing." (Isaiah 65:21-23) Thus people will have productive, satisfying work. Life will not be boring.
God's Kingdom will even restore the peaceful relations that existed in the garden of Eden between animals, and between animals and humans. The Bible says: "The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them."—Isaiah 11:6-9; Hosea 2:18.
Just imagine, in the Paradise earth all sicknesses and physical infirmities will also be healed! God's Word assures us: "No resident will say: 'I am sick.'" (Isaiah 33:24) "[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."—Revelation 21:4.
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