Grace Thoughts
Coronavirus – Mother Nature’s Revenge?
I wondered how long it would take for someone to connect the current global Coronavirus pandemic to climate change. As it turns out, not too long.
Moore and ‘Mother Earth’
Well-known filmmaker and climate activist Michael Moore said this week that the pandemic “is simply acting as a gentle warning from Mother Nature.” He called the pandemic a “serious, multilevel planetary emergency” and said people should treat the pandemic “as if nature is trying to tell our species to back off, slow down and change your ways.” He also said we should take the virus “as Earth’s slap on our collective face.”
Moore, speaking on his Rumble Podcast, asked an interesting question.
“You do understand that this planet can remove all of us in the snap of its fingers?”
Moore described the earth’s ability to take revenge against us.
“For many years, we have been in the middle of what scientists call the world’s Sixth Extinction Event. This planet can remove us all in a snap of its fingers. Thank god it doesn’t have fingers. Nonetheless, if you think Covid-19 has been a bummer, well, trust me, you literally can’t imagine just how awful Earth’s revenge is going to be against us for trying to choke it to (expletive) death.” Michael Moore, Rumble Podcast
Moore has done what many people do – personify nature. They don’t acknowledge God as Creator, but they do speak of nature as ‘Mother’ and worship ‘her’ ability to bless and curse humans for how they treat nature.
That’s been a problem for thousands of years – people’s worship of nature instead of the God who created it –
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is [e]manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:18-25
Greek mythology had a name for ‘Mother Nature’ – Gaia. Roman mythology called ‘Mother Nature’ – Tellus Mater or Terra Mater. That’s one way ancient Greeks and Romans worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.
People today worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator through similar concepts to ancient people. The creature, ‘Mother Earth,’ blesses those who treat her well and curses those who don’t. Moore and others view the current coronavirus pandemic as a curse – a “slap on our collective face: nature telling our species to back off, slow down and change your ways.”
Michael Moore may fear the ‘revenge’ of ‘Mother Earth,’ but the beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of Almighty God. That should be his concern and the concern of everyone living on ‘Planet Earth’ – God’s Wrath, God’s Revenge, for how people have treated Him and His Creation.
God and Creation
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
God loves the heavens and the earth! He is the Creator of both.
Genesis chapters 1 and 2 tell us a lot about how much God loves the world. Genesis 3 tells us what’s wrong with the world.
“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19
God ‘cursed’ the ground (earth) because of Adam. God created Adam in His image and likeness to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26). It is the sin of Adam that brought God’s curse upon Planet Earth – not the whim of some mythical goddess.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:18-25
The Greek word translated ‘groan’ is στενάζω and means “to groan inwardly because of pressure exerted forward.” It has the idea of the kind of forward pressure involved in childbirth. That’s why Paul used the term and wrote – “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Adam’s sin subjected creation “to futility, not willingly.” Our planet and the creatures who live on it were negatively impacted by Adam’s sin.
Fortunately, there’s hope.
“… because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin, but also promised ‘hope.’
“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15
Our planet has been through a lot because of Adam’s sin, but relief is coming. Creation itself “will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” God has a plan to ‘deliver’ the Earth from the current “bondage of corruption.” That will happen when God finishes His eternal plan to liberate the children of God.
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4
Creation is groaning now, but God will make it all new when He liberates His children from the “bondage of corruption.”
Can ‘Mother Nature’ (a non-existent entity) do that, Michael? I don’t think so. Submit to the will of the God who saves.
“… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10
Thinking About Climate Change
You can read more about how God has dealt with ‘climate change’ in the past and what He plans to do in the future by reading an article we wrote last year. It’s available here – Thinking About Climate Change.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by gracelifethoughts
Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
