Pollution Stopped—Dead in Its Tracks!
“THE conclusion cannot be avoided that the environment is much less safe than is commonly supposed.” If these words were true back in 1970 when best-selling author G. R. Taylor wrote them, how much more so today! The chances that humans can clear the hurdles that stand in the way of a permanent solution to pollution are diminishing. The obvious truth is that men need divine help.
When God created humans, he instructed them to care for the earth. (Genesis 1:28; 2:15) Instead, in ignorance and in arrogance, they have polluted it. But the Creator has promised “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” Once willful polluters of the earth have been brought to ruin by God’s Kingdom government, the causes of pollution can be eliminated.—Revelation 11:18.
Suggesting how this will be accomplished, Isaiah 11:9 says: “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.” No doubt the Creator will teach humans everything about the earth and its environment that they need to know in order to act as its loving caretakers who will avoid doing it any harm or causing any ruin.
God will restore humans to perfection, the state in which he created the first humans. Perfect minds, filled with accurate knowledge and controlled by perfect judgment, will not be prone to human error. Negligence and other frailties of the flesh as we now know them will be removed. Divine protection will rule out freak accidents. Even the elements will be kept in perfect control.—Compare Mark 4:39.
“The knowledge of Jehovah” will also instill in humans a loving concern for others and a respect and appreciation for God’s creations that will restrain individuals from wanting to pollute. In fact, it is already producing this kind of people, people who have stripped off “the old personality with its practices” and who are striving to live by Christian principles. “You must love your neighbor as yourself,” for example. Or, “Let your manner of life be free of the love of money.” Another: “Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.”—Colossians 3:9, 10; Mark 12:31; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Corinthians 10:24.
The Relentless Killer Stopped at Last!
Till now no mention has been made of pollution’s chief promoter. He is an invisible killer, God’s great Adversary, the Devil. (John 8:44; Hebrews 2:14) Satan’s perverted mind is ingenious at thinking up ways to discredit God and to ruin God’s creation. A polluted and filthy earth brings no honor to the Creator, who designed it to be radiantly clean and beautiful; nor do humans created in God’s image who allow the Devil to mislead them into doing his bidding. (Ephesians 2:2) As long as Satan exists, the fight against pollution will continue to lose ground. But wait!
God’s promise is: “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven . . . And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years . . . that he might not mislead the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.” (Revelation 20:1-3) That angel is the Lord Jesus Christ, who will bind Satan and thereby rid the universe of his influence for a thousand years, thus removing the chief barrier to a pollution-free world.
During Christ’s Thousand Year Reign, planet Earth will have sufficient time to recover from pollution’s inroads. God’s Kingdom can easily undo the damage already done. Meanwhile, in view of pollution’s deadly harvest, we may wisely protect ourselves from its inroads as best we can. Of course, ways of doing this are limited, and it is hardly practical to take Tom Lehrer’s tongue-in-cheek advice: ‘Don’t drink the water and don’t breathe the air.’ But other measures can be taken. (See box on page 9.)
While taking such measures, we should remember that the best protection against pollution’s inroads is to put our trust in God’s Kingdom. It alone will solve the problem permanently. Last year Jehovah’s Witnesses conducted over three million weekly Bible studies with people desirous of learning God’s requirements for living in his pollution-free new world. Would you like to take advantage of this service, which is offered without charge?
What a joy to know that our fight against pollution—the relentless killer—will soon be over! Likewise our struggle to cope with pollution’s deadly harvest. Pollution and its chief promoter, Satan the Devil, both of them killers, will have finally been stopped—dead in their tracks!
[Box on page 9]
Personal Protection Against Pollution
◼ Watch your general health, getting sufficient exercise and rest on a regular basis
◼ Avoid smoking, abuse of alcohol and drugs, or other habits that weaken the body’s defensive mechanisms
◼ Avoid excessive exposure to the sun
◼ Use a water filter if the danger of contaminated water exists in your locality
◼ Avoid as far as reasonably possible foodstuffs that contain chemical additives
◼ Avoid unnecessary medication, since almost all medicaments have side effects
◼ Cooperate with legal regulations designed to curb pollution
[Picture on page 10]
There will be nothing deceptive about the pollution-free beauty of God’s new world