Topical Bible: The Earth: Subject to God's Judgments

◄ The Earth: Subject to God's Judgments ►

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The concept of the Earth being subject to God's judgments is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, reflecting the belief that the physical world is under the sovereign authority of God and is affected by His divine decrees. This theme underscores the relationship between human sin, divine justice, and the natural world.

Creation and Sovereignty

The Bible begins with the affirmation of God's sovereignty over the Earth. Genesis 1:1 states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This foundational verse establishes God's authority as Creator, implying His right to judge His creation. Psalm 24:1 further declares, "The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein."

The Fall and Its Consequences

The entrance of sin into the world through Adam and Eve's disobedience brought about a curse upon the Earth. Genesis 3:17-19 records God's words to Adam: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This passage illustrates the direct impact of human sin on the natural world, resulting in hardship and decay.

The Flood as Judgment

One of the most significant examples of the Earth being subject to God's judgment is the account of the Flood in Genesis 6-9. Due to the widespread wickedness of humanity, God decided to cleanse the Earth with a flood. Genesis 6:13 states, "Then God said to Noah, 'The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is filled with violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.'" The Flood narrative demonstrates God's willingness to use natural means to execute His judgment, while also providing a means of salvation for the righteous through Noah's ark.

Judgments on Nations

Throughout the Old Testament, God uses natural disasters and other phenomena as instruments of judgment against nations. The plagues of Egypt, as described in Exodus 7-12, serve as a prime example. These plagues, which included the Nile turning to blood, infestations of frogs and locusts, and darkness, were direct judgments from God against Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. Exodus 7:5 declares, "And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them."

Prophetic Warnings

The prophets frequently warned of impending judgments on the Earth due to the sins of the people. Isaiah 24:1 proclaims, "Behold, the LORD lays waste to the earth and leaves it in ruins; He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants." Such warnings were intended to call people to repentance and to remind them of God's control over the natural order.

The Earth in Eschatological Judgment

The New Testament continues the theme of the Earth being subject to God's judgments, particularly in eschatological contexts. In the Book of Revelation, a series of judgments are unleashed upon the Earth as part of the end times. Revelation 6:12-14 describes a great earthquake, the sun turning black, and the stars falling from the sky, symbolizing cosmic disturbances as part of God's final judgment.

Redemption and Restoration

Despite the judgments, the Bible also speaks of a future restoration of the Earth. Romans 8:19-21 offers hope: "The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." This passage points to a time when the Earth will be renewed and freed from the effects of sin.

In summary, the Earth is depicted in the Bible as being under God's sovereign judgment, affected by human sin, and ultimately destined for redemption. The scriptural narrative emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity, the natural world, and divine justice.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 46:8
Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he has made in the earth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 11:4
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Sky, Earth, and Sea: a Parable of God
... as these to the more immediate subject of my ... and know that 'the Judge of all the
earth doeth right ... put it into other and briefer words, God's judgments are the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/sky earth and sea a.htm

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Present Degradation ...
... and the believer in Christ who is subject to God's ... servants of God that are left
on earth are boycotted ... the fact that the severest of God's judgments have not ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/vii the redeemers return is.htm

The Second vision "On Earth"
... If God could "open the mouth" of the one, so He can of ... The Locusts coming upon the
earth. This structure shows that three things form the subject of this Fifth ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the second vision on earth.htm

Whether Judiciary Power Belongs to Christ with Respect to all ...
... is given to Me in heaven and in earth." But as ... of this power, all things are not
yet subject to Him ... His Incarnation, inasmuch as He is the Word of God: and the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether judiciary power belongs to 2.htm

The Third vision "In Heaven"
... also be called the "last," relatively to another subject. ... the "last" with reference
to the church of God. ... shall close our connection with the earth; it will ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the third vision in heaven.htm

We Arrive Now at a Branch of Our Subject Upon which the Lord's ...
... is, for those who desire to be subject to God's ... sufficient reason why heaven and
earth, and all ... given by past visitations of God's judgments " without hiding ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/we arrive now at a.htm

That in the Mingled Web of Human Affairs God's Judgment is Present ...
... to which even good men are subject, and to ... men won the transitory prosperity of earth,
while only ... rather on this account are God's judgments unsearchable, and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 2 that in the mingled.htm

The Millennium in Relation to the World.
... All nations will be subject to His rule, and the ... will be left to inhabit the earth
during the ... at the Rapture will be subsequently destroyed by God's judgments. ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/5 the millennium in relation.htm

The Enchiridion
... Raise a Very Difficult, and Not Very Useful, Subject of Discussion ... and Peace is Made
Between Earth and Heaven ... Chapter 95.--God's Judgments Shall Then Be Explained ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/the enchiridion/

That we must Avoid all Curiosity, and Humbly Acquiesce in God's ...
... composed of corruptible judges, of the earth and earthly ... speaking of sinners, some
of whom God leaves in ... the most holy way of philosophising on this subject. ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter vii that we must.htm