Have You Ever Wondered—
Will Man Destroy Himself and the Earth?
PERHAPS you’ve seen newspaper headlines such as “Doomsday Weapons,” “Enough Bombs to End World,” “Earthquake Bomb,” ‘Germ Warfare, the New Threat.’ Or, maybe you have heard world leaders say that ‘global war would mean global suicide’ and that “the human race is at stake.”
Are these reports mere exaggerations or . . .
CAN MAN NOW DESTROY HIMSELF AND THE EARTH?
An atomic bomb dropped 35 years ago in Japan blasted the world into the Nuclear Age. That one bomb eventually killed an estimated 140,000 persons. But that was a “mini-bomb” compared to those now available. Some today are over 4,600 times as powerful!
Stockpiled in just the arsenals of the United States and Russia is reportedly destructive force equal to five tons of dynamite for every person on earth! Man is truly capable of destroying himself many times over.
Some feel that man will soon use these “Doomsday Weapons” in another world war, bringing all life and this earth to a tragic end. Why do they feel this way? Because they think it is predicted in the Bible.
DOES THE BIBLE PREDICT THIS?
No. The Bible clearly says that God “has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” “The earth abideth for ever.”—Ps. 104:5; Eccl. 1:4, Authorized Version.
Jesus Christ said: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5, AV) How could the meek “inherit the earth” if it were destroyed or had been turned into a burned-out cinder?
However, some Bible readers say, But doesn’t the Bible speak about a coming “end of the world”?—See Matthew 24:3, AV.
WHAT DOES THE “END OF THE WORLD” REALLY MEAN?
It means the conclusion of the present system of things, culminating in destruction of a world of wicked people, not of the earth itself. The Bible compares the coming destruction to another historical event. Over 4,300 years ago the earth was likewise filled with violent people. God acted to preserve the earth and righteous Noah and his family. “The world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water,” records the Bible. It adds the warning: “But . . . the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.”—2 Pet. 3:6, 7; Gen. 6:5-12.
Naturally the literal ground was not destroyed. We’re still standing on it. It was a world of “ungodly” people that was removed. A world of violence that displeased God ended.
This makes sense. For instance, if you owned a fine house and let it out to tenants who proved to be rowdy and who damaged your property, would you destroy the whole place or simply oust the bad tenants? The answer is obvious. So now, God, the Owner of our “house,” this beautiful earth, will not destroy it simply because many of the “tenants” are “rowdy,” but will remove the “tenants.”
This will mean the end of a very dangerous world that stockpiles the most frightful weapons of mass destruction but fails to feed the starving or undernourished millions in many countries. A very dishonest world, full of hypocrisy. A very wasteful world that pollutes the earth and sky. Rather than letting man finally destroy the earth, God purposes to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” This shows that man will not completely ruin this earth!—Rev. 11:18.
WILL THERE BE ANY SURVIVORS?
Yes, there will be many. As a contrast to man’s wars, where both good persons and bad perish, God’s war will be selective. The Bible gives this comforting assurance: “Jehovah is guarding all those loving him, but all the wicked ones he will annihilate.” (Ps. 145:20) Notice that the survivors will be persons who ‘love God.’ Other verses indicate that these will be persons who are meek and obey God’s laws.—Ps. 37:10, 11, 34.
Would you not enjoy living in a world filled with people like that? Would it not be a time of security? Though “the world is passing away,” we can have the hope that those ‘that do the will of God remain forever.’—1 John 2:17.
Moreover, this glorious new order is now very near. To live in it we need to know and do God’s will now. Jehovah’s Witnesses will be glad to help you, free of charge, to learn what is God’s will and more about this marvelous hope.
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