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The little planet we call home is an incredibly special place in the universe. Astronomers have not yet found life anywhere else, but life on our planet is under threat. In the past 200 years, earth’s population has grown from 1 billion to 7 billion and the United Nations predicts that we will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. An increased population brings increased problems. Social crises, crime, and international conflicts are becoming more frequent and violent. Earth’s inhabitants are rapidly consuming natural resources. Pollution is endangering wildlife. Scientists wonder whether this earth will be able to sustain 10 billion people. Will we ever be able to overcome all these problems?
Can Religion Help?
Each religion offers its own solutions. Some teach that this world will steadily improve, but we clearly see the opposite. Others offer a type of escape plan. They see this world as forever doomed and teach that God will rescue the good people when they die and take them to heaven. In the East, nirvana is believed to be the ultimate solution. It ends the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, but nirvana itself is not described.
The Christian Solution
The Christian holy writings, called the Bible, teach that this world is in a state of trouble and suffering because we have rebelled against our Creator (Genesis 6:5). But the Creator has promised to recreate this earth in its original perfection (Revelation 21:1). Those who have allowed God to heal their selfish motives and have left their immorality behind, will be welcomed into the new earth.
The Bible says that God the Creator “will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Suffering will be gone forever!
“The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap . . . , and the tongue of the dumb sing” (Isaiah 35:5-6). The physical imperfections we live with now will be gone! We will “run and not be weary, . . . walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
The natural world will also be restored. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 65:25). Can you imagine—vegetarian lions! How will this happen? The Bible says that God will come as a surprise (Matthew 24:36-42), but none will miss it because “He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). There will be lightning and thunder, and the earth will shake (Matthew 24:27; Revelation 16: 17-21).
A loud trumpet blast will sound. Those who have died believing the Creator’s promise will be restored to life. Together with the living believers, they will “be caught up together . . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). What a happy day—children and parents, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, are all reunited!
While God wants everyone to live in the new earth, ultimately the wicked will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:9-11). Afterward, God will recreate the world and welcome us into our new home free of pollution, suffering, and death.
Imagine walking on a carpet of cool grass with your loved ones at your side. You breathe in the pure, fragrant air as you settle down for a picnic beside a brook. From across the meadow, you see a majestic tiger with a puppy scampering playfully along behind it. You feel no fear and call them to you. The puppy happily licks you with his tongue while the tiger purrs contentedly. Little giggles fill the air as the animals lick sweet mango juice from the hands of your children.
Once a week, you join the great migration to the capital city where the Creator is enthrone (Isaiah 66:22-23). As you stroll upon the streets of gold, you are filled with joy and love for your Creator. You join your family and friends in singing your praise and love to God.
You will mark time by the passing of days and weeks, but no one will grow old, fall ill, or die. Joy and love will be complete!
Too Good to be True?
If you think so, you wouldn’t be the first! But even scientists believe they know of some mysteries on this earth that cannot be explained with science.
Famous astronomer Dr. Robert Jastrow wrote a book titled, God and the Astronomers. He is not a Christian, yet he finds strong evidence in the universe for a Creator God. He states, “Astronomers now find they . . . [are in] a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover. That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.”1
Speaking of the conflict between the findings of science and his belief that a Creator does not exist, Dr. Jastrow states, “I am in a completely hopeless bind. . . . I try to fit into my concept of the world the conclusion that there is a larger force of some kind which we can call God (or you can call it whatever). But I can’t accept that. . . . I’ve been a scientist all my life. . . . I feel I’m missing something.”2 Dr. Jastrow eventually died, still unable to accept the answers that the Bible offers despite what science proved to him to be true.
What About You?
If you are reading this pamphlet, you are still alive and have a choice to make. Will you explore the possibility that there is a Creator who has a solution to the problems of this world and our lives? If so, ask God to help you to know the truth. Just pray:
“Creator God, I want to believe that You can recreate this world but it seems too good to be true. Help me know if You are real and if You have a plan for me.”
If you would like to learn more, contact us. We are ready to help!
1 ”A Scientist Caught Between Two Faiths: Interview With Robert Jastrow,” Christianity Today, August 6, 1982.
2 The Privileged Planet, directed by Lad Allen. La Mirada, CA: Illustra Media, 2004. DVD.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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