Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

On Scripture - The Bible

Home

Home
Progressive Christian
What on Earth? Earth Day, God, and the Apocalypse (Rev. 21:1-6)

What on Earth? Earth Day, God, and the Apocalypse (Rev. 21:1-6)

Last updated on: April 25, 2013 at 3:07 pm by Odyssey Networks

What on Earth? Earth Day, God, and the Apocalypse (Rev. 21:1-6) 2013-04-25T15:07:45+00:00 Odyssey Networks

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Rev. Adam J. Copeland

How Religious Leaders Are Taking Charge of the Environmental

Congregations should be leading the environmental movement, says the Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, president of the Regeneration Project. Interfaith Power & Light, which mobilizes a religious response to global warming, promotes energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Have you ever heard someone described as, “So heavenly minded, he was no earthly good?” This phrase suggests one danger of interpreting the book of Revelation. Sadly, when it comes to considering the natural world and Revelation, heavenly-mindedness often undermines care for our environment. Some Christians have a tendency to think, “Well, if I’m off to heaven, I shouldn’t care much about this silly earth of ours. It’s just a temporary home, after all.”

In fact, Revelation suggests the opposite: the earth isn’t truly “left behind,” but renewed, becoming the very dwelling place of God. Revelation 21 calls people to be, well, “earthly good,” caring for creation as we prepare for God to come home.

Climate change

The latest on climate change and our environmental crisis is pretty harrowing. As Earth Day celebrations on Monday reminded us: the clock is running out on life as we know it.

Last week, Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, penned an Op-Ed suggesting despite our efforts, “the average unit of energy produced today is basically as dirty as it was 20 years ago.” Recent data on the lack of clean energy, she argued, must “serve as a wake-up call” for the international community.

Sadly, some have already been made to wake up. Australia’s main advisory committee on refugees recently urged their government to grant refugee status to those displaced by climate change.

Closer to the U.S., writer, Sunday School teacher, and environmental activist Bill McKibben has led the movement against the Keystone Pipeline which, if approved and the Alberta Tar Sands extracted, McKibben and others say could be “game over” for the planet.

Is hope still possible?

Ideally, this week’s Earth Day events remind us of the need for earth care, but I’m afraid many are losing hope entirely. When battling the wealth of oil companies, the stubbornness of entrenched energy systems, and our usual unsustainable ways of living, it’s easy to hold up one’s hands—or fall to one’s knees—and shout, “God, I’ve had enough!”

In Revelation 21 we find hope for all the world, and assurance that God cares deeply for both the people and the earth God has fashioned.

Of course, the language of Revelation is famously hard to interpret (or, easy to misinterpret, as the case may be). It’s written in a funny style for us 21st century types—not a gospel or letter, but a work of “apocalyptic literature.” (We might think of Revelation’s genre as across between John Stewart’s Daily Show satire and a Stephen King novel.) Such writing is meant to pull back the veil, to expose the truth, opening life up to a new and deeper understanding.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Revelation’s writer, John, received visions when on Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea. Revelation employs symbolism to expose the great power of the time: the Roman Empire. John’s visions challenge an imperialist view of the world suggesting a lamb, rather than the emperor, is on the true throne. For us today, it challenges the same: powers and systems that claim a carbon-heavy lifestyle is the only way to live.

God renews the earth with love

By chapter 21, Revelation is describing a rejuvenated, holy city—the “new Jerusalem”—which proceeds from God. Heaven descends to earth, renewing humanity and the earth with a bustling, holy city.

The Bible opens in Genesis with a garden. It ends in Revelation with a more urban feel. City life is lived close together. Compared to sprawling suburbia, cities offer a more sustainable way to live with diverse food, culture, art, and necessary dependence on one another.

Note also that Revelation 21 shows God not plucking us off to some magical planet far away; instead, God comes home.

“See, the home of God is among mortals,” the voice tells John (21:3 NRSV). God hangs out with us creatures on our turf, God’s earth. Humanity, with our messy, fleshy, beautiful, problematic selves shares the renewed earth with God Godself.

The earth isn’t leased to us short-term. Revelation says God moves in, forever our eternal, earthly, roommate.

Even with the language of the holy city connecting heaven to the urban, the natural is also integrated into sustaining life. This passage ends with the promise: “To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life” (21:6 NRSV).

So what?

Many reasons exist for Christians to be committed to care of the earth. The traditional notion of stewardship is compelling—that God has made humans to be careful stewards of creation (esp. Gen. 1:29-31; 2:15). Increasingly, we’ve become aware that expressing love for our neighbors requires careful attention to environmental concerns.
Groups like Interfaith Power and Light support faith communities—and our elected officials—in this important work. People of faith are particularly concerned that environmental degradation disproportionally affects the poor and the marginalized.

While traditional notions of stewardship are well and good, Revelation suggests another reason to care since, at the end of the world, God comes home to live on earth.

Revelation impresses on us God’s care for this earth, this world, since, after all, God made it in the first place and will return to it. Following God, and reading Revelation, calls us to hopeful earthly good here and now.

Additional Resources:

• Barbara Rossing, The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, Basic Books: 2005.
• Rebecca Barnes-Davies, 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth: How You and Your Church Can Make a Difference, Westminster John Knox: 2009.
• TheThoughtfulChristian.com downloadable group study, “Revelation” by Susan R. Garret.

Learn more about the ON Scripture Editorial Board Click here

Learn more about ON Scripture Click here

Like ON Scripture Click here

Follow ON Scripture Click here

ON Scripture is possible by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment

On Scripture

Adam J. Copeland

Climate Change

Faith and the Environment

Global Warming

Interfaith Power and Light

odyssey networks

On Scripture

ON Scripture the Bible

Revelation The Bible

Previous Post

April 19, 2013

Why I Pray that April Tragedies Bring May Justice (Acts 9:36-43)

Next Post

June 7, 2013 Women, Work, and the Word: Luke 7:11-17

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category On Scripture Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz