by Barbara Buzzard
What on earth am I talking about?!
I am talking about the very dirt under our feet – i.e. the earth. I have over 40 Scriptures for you to check out. Not really – but there are well over 40 to confirm what I have to say about the earth.
The word earth has several synonyms or words with more or less the same meaning. We have soil, clay, turf, ground, sod, land, dust, and of course – dirt. And now as you see from my title dirt has taken on yet another meaning – meaning the scoop – the lowdown – the real facts – the dirt about something.
We use the word earth in different ways. If someone were to say he is the happiest man on earth – we know that he means on the globe – the planet. This would be similar to saying that our planet, earth is always in motion or the earth moves around the sun. Or another way of saying it – he seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. BUT: If we were to say, we filled the hole with earth or he filled his bucket with earth we are talking specifically about that substance we call dirt.
Let’s have a look at some of the mentions of earth or land in Scripture. And it is very interesting that all these Scriptures dealing with the earth also tell us about ourselves and our destiny.
- Gen. 1 tells us that man was made ON the earth.
- Gen. 2:7 also tells us that man was made OF earth.
- Gen. 1.28 Man was made to rule the earth.
- Rom. 4.13 And man was made to INHERIT the earth.
- Gen. 3.19 Man will die on the earth.
- Dan. 12.2 We will be buried in the earth.
- Prov. 11.31 We will be judged on earth.
- Rev. 22.12 We will be rewarded on the earth.
- Dan. 7.27 We will be reinstated as rulers over the earth.
- Gal. 3.29 We will inherit the earth.
If we were to pay close attention – every spring and summer – the restoration of the world is being played out. Jesus preached the restoration of all things in his preaching about the KOG (Mat. 4:23). Restoration means to restore to what it was meant to be. Everything that has been spoiled or is broken or damaged will be renewed to its new condition. As is said in what is called the Lord’s Prayer:
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God’s will be done on earth (as it is in heaven).
I think you will have heard of the explorers Lewis & Clark. Looking at their journals of journeys across the Western U.S. – what they saw sounds absolutely breathtaking. The Great Plains were crowded with wildlife and buffalo lived in herds of hundreds of thousands. When Clark saw what he called this paradise, he wrote this:
I had a most delightful view of the country—immense herds of buffalo, elk, deer and antelopes feeding in one common and boundless pasture. The buffalo, elk and antelope are so gentle that we pass near them while feeding, without appearing to excite any alarm among them, and when we attract their attention, they frequently approach us more to discover what we are…The country is beautiful in the extreme.
And so that was then – what about now? It is true that we have done great damage to this land through ignorance and greed. Many young people are very concerned about what men have done to the land…And of course, if you thought you were going to fly off to heaven – why take care of the earth?
Christians, in this regard can be some of the worst offenders. On the other hand – If this earth is to be our paradise then we should have respect for it and for its Maker. And so I have to ask – why is there such confusion about heaven and who will go there?
One very important guideline as we study the Bible is to start with very clear statements – sometimes we call them “thus saith the LORD” statements – key truths that allow us to understand God’s Plan. We have one of these crystal-clear statements about heaven. If we would always remember this – we would help ourselves and others.
Here it is: – your “go to” for understanding: “The heavens are the LORD’S heavens, but the earth He has given to humans.” (Ps. 115:16)
We also have to ask this very important question what about:
Our Fathers Who Aren’t in Heaven?
As you know we place great importance on men like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who believed God and obeyed Him. And yet we are told that David never ascended into heaven; instead – he died and was buried, as were all of the other faithful. Listen to this true statement: “All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them…” And it then explains that they knew and understood that it was not a broken promise – certainly not – but one that was to come true in the future. How? By resurrection! And that is our hope; not heaven, but the restoration of all things, and for us – resurrection.
Another key idea to remember: the Kingdom of God brings restoration. We can’t speak about the earth without speaking about its Restoration.
Paradise – unbelievable sights & amazing beauty – will be restored – perhaps we will even be given opportunities to help bring this about. The earth is our home. It always has been. It always will be. The earth and human beings were made for each other. So says the Creator of all things. That is God’s Plan. That is God’s Tomorrow. That is our hope and our Tomorrow.
