Save the Earth?

Today is Earth Day. According to Wikipedia, “Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection.” I agree men and women should be good stewards of this planet. After all, the first two people on this earth were assigned to take care of the Garden of Eden.

Unfortunately, green activism has grown to ridiculous levels. While staying in hotel rooms, I’ve noticed signs encouraging guests to conserve vital resources such as water. By doing so we can supposedly “save our planet.” 

The Bible repeatedly reminds us God made the earth. He made sure it has plenty of natural resources. Psalm 65:9 says, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.” It also says in Ecclesiastes 1:4, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.” The earth is not in danger of dying. Yet, there are so-called experts claiming global warming is killing the Great Barrier Reef, melting polar ice caps, and causing other calamities. 

Last weekend, the Twin Cities area in Minnesota received over a foot of snow…in mid-April! For many days we experienced below normal temperatures. You’d think weather like that would dispel beliefs in a global warming gospel. Instead, some environmentalists now call it “climate change.” l believe in climate change. That’s been happening since creation.

Environmentalists should be more concerned with men being saved from eternal damnation. Colossians 3:2 commands, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” One time I witnessed to a Greenpeace activist who wouldn't receive a tract because he wanted to “save the trees.” Nikos still heard the gospel from me and prayed to get saved. After finding out he didn't have a Bible, I offered him one. Nikos willingly received the Bible, which used far more paper than the gospel tract.

When the Lord returns, He Himself will purify this planet from any harmful effects caused by man. 2 Peter 3:10 says, “...the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” Following the millennial reign of Christ and Judgment Day, Revelation 21:1 says there will be “...a new heaven and a new earth.” 

If your life ended right now, would you be ready to face “the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth”? (Isaiah 40:28) He won’t ask if you had saved trees, oceans, whales or other endangered species but if your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. From an eternal perspective, your soul is the most important thing worth saving.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” - Isaiah 65:17

Standing on the Wrong Rock

Despite living in Minnesota most of my life, I consider myself a North Dakota native having been born in Fargo. A recent oil boom has caused a marked increase of the Roughrider State’s population. It’s also resulted in a protest that has captured the world’s attention. The issue at hand is the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline that would run from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota to southern Illinois, crossing beneath the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, as well as part of Lake Oahe near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. 

Many people including a few celebrities are “standing with Standing Rock” by blocking construction of the pipeline. One reason is to protect the water from a possible oil spill (the phrase “water is life” is often used by protesters). What should be pointed out is another pipeline and other utilities have been previously built underneath the Missouri River. The chairman of the Standing Rock Tribal Council happens to own a gas station.

Another reason given for the protests is the pipeline supposedly affecting Native American sites. U. S. Army Corp officials offered to hold hearings that were largely ignored by the Standing Rock tribe. Still the pipeline is to be constructed miles away from their sacred grounds. 

Protesters misrepresenting other facts have added fuel to the fire. Despite claims of peaceful protests, law enforcement officials have been attacked with rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. One person taunted policemen by holding a dead pig’s head on a stick. On Black Friday about 100 Standing Rock protesters gathered at a shopping mall in North Dakota’s capital city of Bismarck. At least 33 of them were arrested for trespassing after disregarding repeated orders to disperse and stop blocking an entrance.

Nevertheless, some religious groups (and even a few of my Facebook friends) have sided with the protesters. The outreach director of one organization posted a YouTube video from Standing Rock in which he talked about “saving Mother Earth.” I must remind eco-protesters the earth isn’t our mother! It’s simply the planet we live on.

This conflict will hopefully end soon since an eviction notice has been issued to protesters camping illegally on private property. In the meantime, I advise all professing Christians “standing with Standing Rock” to refocus your priorities by standing with “the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1). Believers should be more concerned about saving the souls of men by telling them about Chief Cornerstone who’s part of the tribe of Judah. Protesting a pipeline doesn’t get people into heaven.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” - Matthew 7:24

Out on a Limb

English preacher John Scotland often says at his meetings, “For those of you taking notes…save the trees.” This is meant to be a humorous jab at people who jot down too many notes during church services. 

Sadly there are environmentalists who do ridiculous things like chain themselves to trees they don’t want chopped down. In this creepy YouTube clip, members of a radical advocacy group are hysterically bawling over dead trees…  

Tree huggers who really want to take their cause to the extreme shouldn’t read books, live in wooden houses with wooden furniture or use paper money, Kleenex and toilet paper. If God valued trees as much as humans, He wouldn’t have told Noah to built an ark out of gopher wood (Genesis 6:14) or instructed His people to use wood for various sacrifices.

God is certainly not worried about earthly shortages. One time I was driving through Yellowstone National Park and saw a mountain range with a huge amount of trees. At that moment, the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me of how He has supplied the earth with an abundance of natural resources.  

Yet some folks have this idea that trees are an endangered species. While in elementary school during the 1970s, I was taught a poem that went something like this…

Oh, can’t you plainly see?

That we are running out of trees?

Chop! That was the last one.

It was also around this time I watched an animated TV special called “The Lorax”, based on a Dr. Seuss book of the same name. The title character kept saying he “speaks for the trees.” A motion picture based on the book later came out in 2012. It was one of the top grossing movies of that year.

For any environmentalists reading this, please note that the Son of God died on a tree but not for a tree. When you stand before His throne, He won’t ask about how many trees you saved but if you yourself are saved.

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.” - Acts 14:15

The Global Warming Gospel

Five years ago while I was walking through a business district in Bethesda, Maryland, a man from Greenpeace asked me to sign a petition to protest global warming. This man claimed the whole planet is getting warmer because of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. I responded by saying the global warming issue is a hoax and made reference to Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” The Greenpeace activist (who I found out knew the Lord) admitted he couldn’t contest that Scripture.

Still there are activists trying to pressure people into preaching a global warming gospel. Last year the state of Maryland passed what became known as the “Rain Tax.” One Maryland county went so far as to offer churches an exemption if they preach on global warming. Over 30 churches have applied for this exemption, which could save them an average of $744 per year. Some pastors have even agreed to begin “green ministries.” Fortunately Maryland Governor-elect Larry Hogan has promised to repeal this ridiculous law.

Now there will be a time during the Great Tribulation when the world experiences increased heat as a form of judgment. Revelation 16:9 says, “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” 2 Peter 3:10 also points out that when the Lord returns,  “…the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” As I heard one preacher say, “I don’t believe in global warming but I believe in global melting.”

On the other hand, Isaiah 49:10 says, “They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them.” Regardless of the present state of the world, God always protects His people.

I agree man should be a good steward of this earth’s resources. Nevertheless, I advise Christian environmentalists concerned about “saving the planet” to focus on a cause far more important from an eternal perspective: saving the souls of men. Or as one friend of mine suggested: “How about signing a petition against global sinning?”

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” - 2 Peter 3:13

Green Police

Last night I watched the second half of Super Bowl XLIV on TV. Originally I wasn’t interested in viewing it at all because the Minnesota Vikings (my favorite team) just missed advancing to the big game. But I changed my mind partially because I wanted to watch the Tim Tebow commercials that promoted a pro-life message. I didn’t see the commercials live because they aired during the pregame show and the first quarter. However, another memorable commercial came on near the end of the game. It was an Audi ad featured the “Green Police” (with background music by Cheap Trick which parodies their old song “Dream Police”).

This ad could be a sign of things to come. Laws are constantly being passed to appease environmentalists. Two months ago in Washington, DC, a new law went into effect requiring businesses to charge customers an extra 5 cents for giving out plastic bags. I found out about this just before I stopped into a Subway restaurant in the nation’s capital one day for lunch. I refused to buy a plastic bag for my sandwich and ate it inside.

As stated before in this blog, I agree that man should be a good steward of this planet and its resources. But I’m getting tired of the increasing amount of advertisements urging us to “go green.” Rather than focus on saving the planet, we should be more concerned with saving humans (both the unsaved and the unborn).

“O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from Me.” – Hosea 14:8

Mother Earth

Two days ago I stopped at Burger King for lunch. It wasn’t until after leaving the restaurant I noticed my water cup had the phrase "Be Good to Mother Earth" stamped on it. My first thought was, “Since when did this planet birth ‘little Earths’"?

I posted my reaction on Facebook and received some interesting feedback from my friends. One of them wrote, “The Church of England is getting gripped by this Save the Planet stuff, pray they will concentrate more on saving souls!” Another friend wrote, “Psalm 50:10 says for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. So, who's the real burger KING?”

Years ago at a Toastmasters meeting, I heard one speaker urging us to “love your mother” (referring to the earth). I’ve also seen bumper stickers saying the same thing. There’s one thing I need to make clear to all the environmentalists out there: The earth isn’t my mother!

Some of you may remember an old Chiffon Margarine commercial with the catchphrase, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” But Romans chapter 1 points out those who worship creation instead of the creator are the real fools…

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

I agree that man is responsible for being a good steward of this planet and its resources. But again we are commanded to worship God, not the planet or the things in it!

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” - Psalm 24:1