Prophecy 5. Ruining of the Earth

“[God will] bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”​—REVELATION 11:18.

● Mr. Pirri works as a palm-wine tapper in Kpor, Nigeria. His trade has been devastated by a massive oil spill in the Niger Delta. “It kills our fish, destroys our skin, spoils our streams,” he says. “I have no livelihood left.”

WHAT DO THE FACTS SHOW? According to some experts, 6.5 million tons of litter enter the world’s oceans each year. An estimated 50 percent of that litter is plastic that will drift for hundreds of years before it degrades. Besides polluting the earth, humans are depleting its natural resources at an alarming rate. Studies show that the earth needs one year and five months to regenerate what humans consume in a year. “If population and consumption trends continue, we will need the equivalent of two Earths by 2035,” reports the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald.

WHAT IS A COMMON OBJECTION? Humans are resourceful. We can reverse these problems and save the earth.

IS THAT OBJECTION VALID? Many hardworking individuals and groups have raised awareness of environmental issues. Yet, the earth continues to be polluted on a grand scale.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is there a need for God to intervene and save our planet from being ruined​—just as he has promised to do?

In addition to the five prophecies just considered, the Bible also foretold positive developments for the last days. Consider one example in the sixth prophecy.

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“I feel like I’ve gone from owning a piece of paradise to owning a toxic waste dump.”​—ERIN TAMBER, A RESIDENT OF THE GULF COAST, UNITED STATES, CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF THE 2010 OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.

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Is God Responsible?

Since the Bible predicted the bad conditions we see today, does that make God responsible for them? Does he cause us to suffer? You can find satisfying answers to those questions in chapter 11 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

[Picture Credit Line on page 8]

U.S. Coast Guard photo