 The first mention of our planet in the Bible is in Genesis 1:1-2: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness.” This planet was not a pleasant place nor could it sustain life. God transformed it into a perfect paradise teeming with life and vistas of beauty. Once again the creation is troubled. Paul describes it this way; “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22) Peter predicts a destruction of the present planet and “a new heaven and a new earth.” (1 Peter 3:10-13) God’s plan is to renovate and recreate the entire cosmos to accommodate an eternal kingdom for the righteous and redeemed. The entire heavens and atmosphere will be cleansed and renewed. There will be no more storms or destructive “acts of God”. Earth will have no more seas (currently about three-fourths of the surface is water). There be no need for herbicides and pesticides because the natural enemies of all plant life and animal life have passed away. The ground will produce bountifully once again and in the animal kingdom “nothing shall kill or destroy.” Humans will live in harmony. There will be peace on earth and good will towards men. God’s plan the planet will soon become a reality. It was His plan even from the time of man’s fall from grace to redeem and restore His creation to His great eternal purpose.
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 God’s ultimate plan for our planet will a total renovation. John the Revelator calls it “a new heaven and a new earth” but as with all renovations, there will be some destruction before the construction. The Book of Revelation details three judgments of God, each containing seven elements. The first series of judgments is the breaking of seven seals on a scroll. As each seal is opened in heaven an event occurs on the earth (Revelation 6:1-8:1). The seventh seal reveals seven angels with seven trumpets. As each angel blows his trumpet a catastrophe strikes the earth and the populace (Revelation 8:6 – 11:19). The last series of judgments results from seven angels emptying seven bowls out upon the earth (Revelation 16:1-21). These judgments will greatly affect the heavens and the earth. The sun at times will be “darkened” and at other times will flare and cause extreme heat. As the moon and the stars are affected it will result in longer nights and shorter days. A great earthquake will cause mountains to crumble, islands to disappear. and cities to be turned into ruble. The oceans, seas and rivers will be polluted, and all sea life will die. Famine and diseases will kill one fourth of the population and war will result in the death an additional one third of the remaining population. These somber and catastrophic events are not the end of God’s plan for the planet. Next week we will explore the “new heavens and the new earth”.
 Many people from around the world are fearful of "climate change" and the destruction of the earth and its ecosystem as we currently know them. They believe we must make drastic and immediate changes in the interest of preserving the planet. They say humans have caused the changes and only humans can solve the problems -- that universal problems call for universal solutions. They claim that every nation and every person must sacrifice and cooperate, as our very future is at stake. The Bible predicts a world government and a world leader. Could "climate change" be the cause around which the nations rally -- even at the expense of national sovereignty? In light of the present mania in the media, among governmental leaders, among the general populace, and among many "climate scientists," it seems very plausible. The Bible goes on to state that there will arise a charismatic and powerful man to whom kings and world leaders will accede their powers. He will appear to have the answers to humanity's problems and for a time he will seem to succeed. However, after a time there will be civil war, famine, natural disasters, world-wide war, destruction, and death. The populace and the planet will suffer universally and catastrophically. The Bible calls this charismatic world leader "the Beast," because of the ultimate havoc and destruction his reign brings upon the church and the world. In part four of this series we will look at God's plan for the planet.
 One school of thought concerning the future of the earth is that God is in control and all things are working together according to His plan. Another view is man’s plan – that it is totally up to humanity to save the planet. The United Nations has created a plan called “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development.” The plan proposes seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals:”
These all appear to be worthy and noble goals. However, to implement these desirable goals on a global level would call for vast global concessions. In order to achieve this equality, the wealthy and powerful nations would have to diminish and help the poorer and weaker nations to increase. National sovereignties would have to surrender to global partnerships. Who would govern and control this new global entity? Who would decide how to equally share the wealth and power? Who would ensure equality and justice for all? The Bible predicts just such a government with a global leader. We are watching Biblical prophecies unfold just as the ancient prophets foretold. These are indeed interesting and momentous times.
 There is much concern about the future of our planet and its people but there is a great divide as to what must be done and how to accomplish it. The next few articles in this space will explore two very different schools of thought concerning our world and its future. One plan is man’s plan and the other is God’s plan. On June 13, 1992 a consortium of 178 nations met in Brazil to consider the future of the planet. A plan for “Global Sustainable Development” was formed and approved. It was called Agenda 21 in consideration of the fast approaching 21st century. More meetings were held in 1997, 2002, 2012 and the plan was revised and updated as new realities were encountered. The United Nations building in New York City hosted a meeting on September 25-27, 2015 to further refine the plan. Seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” were approved for the benefit of the “people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.” The new expanded plan called Agenda 2030 is admirable and ambitious and the goal is the to be fully operational by the year 2030. The ambitious “Green New Deal” recently introduced to our House of Representatives and Congress basically follows the same path as Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 proposed by the United Nations. Though these plans contain some good and worthy goals, the problem lies in how to implement them. In order to comply by 2030, these programs can only be implemented by drastic intervention by global heads of government. In our next article we will discuss how the Bible predicts just such a global government.
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