What Groups Believe In The Paradise Earth???
There is a number of faith groups that embrace the believe in their hope being the restoration of this earth. Such groups would include, the Hopi, and MANY Native American groups, Tribe Tribe Rastas, Bahia, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians, The Advent Christian Church [NOT to be confussed with SDAs],and the Abraham Faith Church of God, sometimes also known as The Open Bible Church.
Job Ebenzer, director of Environmental Stewardship For The Evangelical Luthern Church of America said in the July 19, 1997 issue of the Ventura Star newspaper that, "Many times, heaven and not earth as been the churches' focus, but when you recite the Lord's Prayer, it actually says: "Thy will be done ON EARTH.as it is in heaven." He also explains how this theme of the earth is completely missing from the theological programs at the universities and religious colleges. Yet, the question is why?
Especially why the Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures are filled with such a wealth of information of this subject? Psalm 36:5, 6 tells us that God is concerned for animalkind and humankind alike. Psalm 145:15 and 37:29 speaks of God's plan that the earth is to "endure FOREVER."
The Bible in Both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures clearly speaks of the "meek hearted" from amoung humanity, as well as animals and nature living in peace and harmony forever.
2 Peter 37:9, 29 says that, "We are awaiting a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell." The Native American author Sun Bear wisley points out in his book Black Dawn, Bright Day that in the Bible where the Bible speaks of Jesus talking about "The end of the 'world'," the word here "World" is actually a mistranslation. The actually Greek word found here is suppose to be this "AGE", taken from the Greek word "AEON". See the footenotes in the Living Bible or Living Translation Chapter 9 and 24 of Matthew.
So Jesus is talking about the end of this present system of things and 'NOT' the end of this physical planet earth.
Restored Earth Christianity & Theology
The Age To Come Christian Movement in America
The start of the first Judeo-Christian movement in America to begin teaching the Bibical belief that God's Kingdom would come on earth was by Joseph Marsh in 1865. Joseph Marsh lived in New England and believed that the Bible taught NOT an end to this physical earth but rather and end of this present AGE, taken from the Greek word AEON. He and other life groups around him believed Christ would return to earth and restored it back to it's orginal Eden-glory and thus make "earth heavenly".
RUSSELL INSPIRED BY ADVENT CHRISTIANS
Charlse T. Russell was born in Allegheny, Pennsyvania in the United States on February 16, 1852. His perents were Presbyterians. One evening in 1869 he happened to come upon a recreation town hall which had a banner strung across the front of it announcing a free Bible prophecies seminar and discussion to the public. With much interest he decided to check it out. It was held by The Advent Christian Church.
He was greatly inspired and impressed with what he heard there and spoke of being especially impressed with a pastor there named Jonas Wendell. Here the Advents explain there belief that the Bible taught the coming on God's Kingdom on earth. This encounter, he said, re-established his faith in the Bible and help him be convinced that the prophecies of the Torah or Jewish Testament and New Testament DID fit together after all. This Advent Christian discussion, he said filled him with more zeal to go back and study the Bible with more interest and depth.
The Laymen's Home Missionary est. 1918
Jehovah's Witnesses est. 1931
Epiphany Bible Students est. 1953
Sun Bear
Sun Bear was born in 1929 on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, United States. He was of Chippewa Tribe and was of Ojibwa descent. His birth name was Vincent La Duke. He started the Bear Tribe. In 1992 Sun Bear wrote a book with fellow Native American Wabun Wind, intitled, "Black Dawn, Bright Day." This book, along with '2' other online Native American sources: "American Indian Prophecies", by Ira Kennedy, and, "Prophecies of the Hopi Indians: Looking Back", when gathered together give the best review on Native American beliefs in the coming renewl of our earth and all life.
In Sun Bear's book: "Black Dawn, Bright Day," as well as these other '2' online book resources explain that Native American's believe in God, the Creator that they often call, "The Great Spirit." The Hopi call The Great Spirit Taiowa, and interesting there is also a belief in Hopi that God created an offspring of himself called Sotunkang. Much like the Bible's Jesus, Sotunkang acts as co-creator to The Great Spirit, and through Sotunkang all things are created. There is also a spirit guardian fingure who falls from grace because of a lack of gratefuness who is much like Satan and his name is Masaw. In the Bear Clan at Songopovi, The Great Spirit is named Yahoya...which sounds very much like the Bible's name for God in Hebrew as Yahweh and Jehovah.
PROPHECY OF THE RAINBOW THE UNITY OF RACES
Also, the Hopi have the same sort of Great Flood story in which humankind bacame thankless in their hearts during the third age on earth and only 4 humans seek the Great Spirit and keep The Sacred Way. The Hopi believe that these 4 survivors of the Great Flood are the ones from which the 4 sacred colors of all humanity sprang: Red,Black,White and Yellow. Note how much this is like Twelve Tribe Rasta's Bibical teaching of Noah's 4 sons of which the 12 Tribe would sprout.
Since that time, the Hopi teach humanity has turned their hearts away from the Great Spirit and The Sacred Way again. Humans have become greedy, in which they keep taking from the earth, but never give anything back. Hopi say humans are sucking the life from the earth in much the way a flea sucks blood from it's vitim. The earth quakes and world problems going on now are prophecies coming true and are like a dog shaking flies from it's back. The Hopi believe that this is an age in which the majority live in spiritual darkness.
Many Native American's believe that we are living in an age that will come to an end and that a better one will follow it. This believe in the better age to come on earth is what Sun Bear calls "The Bright Day."
THE LADDER PHILOSOPHY VS. THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
What prevents the majority from understanding the Bright Day Prophecy? Sun Bear explains that it is the Ladder Philosophy. The Ladder philosophy, Sun Bear explains, is how American Western society has come to view all God's creation from top to bottom, like a ladder. Naturally at the very top is The Great Spirit (God)and the co-creator (Jesus)...but next in rank and importance is man, then under him is women, then under her is children, then under them is dog and cat and so on. But the question is: All these creations are ranked in order of importance acording to WHO? God? No. Man.
That is why he places himself right under Jesus as if he is some sort of Divine King of Kings himself . But in Native American belief life is viewed as a circle where The Great Spirit and co-creator are still at the very top of the circle..but the rest of creation in not ranked by one being under the other or one over the other but instead the rest of all creation is side by side, next to one another in kinship, not over each other in rulership.
Note in the Ladder philosophy of American Western belief things are ranked according to what's important to MEN..and NOT according to what's important to God. But the churches would likely say otherwise.
GOD AND THE BIBLE SUPPORTS THE CIRCLE OF LIFE & NOT THE LADDER PHILOSOPHY
The Western tradition has convinced people that it is God's will that man rule over the woman instead of being equally yoked side by side with her. The Western tradition has convinced people that the Bible tells human beings that it is ok for them to rule and exploit one another, animals and the earth for their own benifit. In the Euro-American Western tradition of treating the opposite sex, and others races as inferior and exploiting them as well as animalkind and the earth, they have long justified these behaviors by claiming that the Bible teaches the domination over women and animalkind and the earth.
They say the Bible told Adam and Eve to "have dominion OVER the animals". Yet a Rabbi in a 1996 artical in Seirra Club magazine intiled, "Faith and the Environment", wisely explains that the actual Hebrew word was SHAMAR..which translates as "Care takers TOWARDS the animals" and NOT "RULERS or EXPLOITORS OVER THEM."
As for the earth, Jah says he will "destroy those who destroy the earth".Revevation 11:17,18. And as far as claiming one race is superior to another, or that theat one sex is superior to another, the Bible says: "There is is neither Jew nor Gentile,nor male nor female...but ALL become equals through Christ."-Galatians 3:28. Jesus also said: "The MEEK shall inherite the earth." Matthew 5:5.
Now if ones thinks of their self as superior to the opposite sex or other races, then that person is NOT "meek". There is a very famous Native American proverb that says: "What ever man does to the earth, he does to himself."
In the Bright Day book Sun Bear says: "Native people try to blend WITH nature, rather than trying to conquer it. Before we Native people look at adding anything to our life we pray over it. We ask, "How does this effect our life? How does this effect the rest of creation? How does this effect our relationship with the Creator?"...
THE END OF THIS WORLD OF THE END OF THIS AGE?
Upon reading Sun Bera's Bright Day book I was greatly impressed with his bibical wisdom and insight into understanding Greek and Hebrew. In a very wise manner, Sun Bear brings out in his Bright Day book that in the orginal manuscripts of the New Testament Jesus did not say: "End of the WORLD", but instead DID say: "End of THIs 'AGE'." The English word here 'AGE' is translated from the Greek word 'AEON'. This can be PROVEN by simply looking up the footenote in the Living Bible or Living Translation at Matthew Chapter 24, verses 3 and 34 and Chapter 6.
Here the footnotes verify this saying: "Here the word WORLD LITERALLY translates as 'AGE'"...Since it is verified that the orginal word age has been changed to world, the question is why?
BOTH NATIVE AMERICANS & THE BIBLE USES THE WORD 'FIRE' SYMBOLICALLY
However, in both Native American beliefs and in the Bible the use of the the phrases, "purification by fire", and "Cleansed by fire", is used SYMBOLICALLY. Why does I reason this? Take Matthew 3:11 for example where John the Baptists explains to the crowd that he baptises with "water", but then he tells of one coming who is greater than he (John) and that this one who is greater (Jesus) would "baptize with water,spirit and FIRE."
Logically, we know that this does not mean that Jesus would literally dunk people into real fire, but instead again fire is used symbolically to show that when one is baptized then this person's is changed by Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit "cleanses", or "purifies the heart", thus, in a spiritual sense, their hearts are renewed.
HOW THE HEAVENS & THE EARTH ARE RENEWED
So, likewise it is when the scriptures speak of a, "New Heavens and a New Earth"- 2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:5. Thus, why Jesus prayeed: "Thy Kingdom come...ON EARTH...as it IS (already) IN HEAVEN"...The Heavens have already been made NEW...when Satan and his fallen demons were kicked OUT of heaven. When he was kicked out of Heaven he and his demons came down here upon the earth. The Bible says they know they only have so much time before God renews the earth as well and when this happens the Bible says that the Devil and his demons will be cast away from humanity. So it also is with Native Americans.
However, in sum, what I see is at the heart of Sun Bear's message is:
(1) The earth will be cleansed...but NOT destroyed.
(2) The Sacred Path will lead us to the renewl of the earth..which is built on the respect for the Creator.
(3) To find this Sacred path we MUST start caring for the earth NOW, and THIS age. This means we must start caring about our natural world and stop viewing the animals as throw-away dixies cups.
(4) We MUST stop our hyprocrisy of proclaiming the Golden Rule..but then only implying it to those our group, race or gender. This will lead us to peace in this imperfect age and brings us the hope of the better age to come.
