Question:
“How do we know that the devil did not cause the climate crisis?”
We know that the adversary did not cause the climate crisis because it will bring an end to his authority.
He is still active today. Over the centuries he has both induced the nations of Israel and Judah to leave Jehovah’s ways and the religions of Christendom to portray God as harsh with a terrible afterlife in store for us when we die.
His rulership is safe for as long as Mankind remains alive and independent. It does not matter how bad conditions become; so long as the human race is viable the adversary retains his rulership. The only thing which threatens his position is Jehovah’s justice on the issue of Mankind’s rebellion. The adversary told Adam that he would not die, that he could be like God – so when that word has been proved to be false - and when Mankind declares its agreement - the adversary’s reign will come to an end.
Although the crisis is indeed frightening, at least we need not imagine anything sinister behind it as befell Job (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-7). This is the greatest tribulation the world will ever see, truly global, truly immense. But it causes real fear in the heart of the adversary too, because whereas there is a rescue from the Heavens at the end of it for Mankind, for the adversary there is an end to his rulership.
Stolen Authority
The motivation for the first man Adam to rebel from God came from the adversary. He couldn’t simply take the earth for himself, but if he could induce Adam and Eve to rebel he knew that Mankind would be removed from Eden – Jehovah’s protected status - leaving him to influence them (2nd to the Corinthians 4:4; 1st
of Peter 5:8). Once accomplished, he would be ruler – “god” – over the only planet on which there was life made in God’s image.
He is still active today. Over the centuries he has both induced the nations of Israel and Judah to leave Jehovah’s ways and the religions of Christendom to portray God as harsh with a terrible afterlife in store for us when we die.
His rulership is safe for as long as Mankind remains alive and independent. It does not matter how bad conditions become; so long as the human race is viable the adversary retains his rulership. The only thing which threatens his position is Jehovah’s justice on the issue of Mankind’s rebellion. The adversary told Adam that he would not die, that he could be like God – so when that word has been proved to be false - and when Mankind declares its agreement - the adversary’s reign will come to an end.
Architect of its Own Demise
The climate crisis has that potential. Unlike financial crises and wars – even nuclear wars – the climate crisis could destroy all Mankind, just as the flood did in the days of Noah. As malicious as the adversary is, he would not bring his own reign to ruin. Nor would Almighty God bring the climate crisis – such intervention would not prove the issue at-all. Nor would it be a natural event, since God made the earth to be our safe and trusted home. Rather, the climate crisis had
it’s seeds sown by Mankind itself during the Industrial Revolution.
In truth, when people began to spread far and wide, it was inevitable that some civilisation would eventually develop the seeds of global devastation.
Thus the issue of the Bible will be proved - with Mankind’s own independent hand the cause of it’s demise, clear proof of our need for God’s far-sightedness in order to live.
God’s Far-Sightedness is Unique
A further aspect is that were the adversary able to halt the crisis, he would do so in order to preserve his reign. So the judgment on Mankind’s ability to rule itself is also a judgment on the adversary’s ability to rule a planet – God and God alone is needed.
Although the crisis is indeed frightening, at least we need not imagine anything sinister behind it as befell Job (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-7). This is the greatest tribulation the world will ever see, truly global, truly immense. But it causes real fear in the heart of the adversary too, because whereas there is a rescue from the Heavens at the end of it for Mankind, for the adversary there is an end to his rulership.