p. 4 | The Earth Waxed Old by J. O. Corliss

Pacific Press Publishing Association

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 23.

The Earth Waxed Old

By J. O. Corliss

Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.—Ps. 102:25-27.

EVERY seed-sowing meets its legitimate harvest. Because of this fact, the apostle exclaimed for our benefit: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gal. 6:7. As this is true of man and his work, it follows that the principle by which immutable results obtain from certain beginnings, has been fixed by the decrees of high Heaven.

When the infinite Creator brought forth the heavens and the earth by the potency of His word, and looked upon the production, He pronounced it "very good," because it was the emanation of His own life. As such, the world was competent to exist indefinitely, and that without the least diminution of its fruitful power. To co-exist with this infinite fertility, man was formed, and was endowed for his post of honor by the "breath of life" from the Almighty. Gen. 2:7.

The evident design of this perfect handiwork was the unending and unchanging enjoyment of the life of Jehovah among earth's inhabitants. But another seed-sowing followed, which was calculated to destroy the intended prosperity of the creation. Listening to the seductive words of an enemy, man violated the law of his well-being, and fell under the curse of sin, entailing the sad result of death upon his entire posterity. Gen. 2:17. This conclusion is clearly expressed by the apostle in these words: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men." Rom. 5:12.

Not only was the sentence of death pronounced upon the inheritor of earth and its bounties, but the effect reached even the inheritance itself. Following the first man's wrong-doing, God said, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. . . . In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground." Gen. 3:17-19.

Because of man's sin the earth was cursed. And why should it not be thus? To leave the earth in its virgin state, bearing only those things which reflect the goodness of God, would but encourage man to continue in rebellion against his Maker, because nothing in his surroundings would cause him to long for a better existence. It was therefore necessary to bring the earth into a parallel condition with its sinful tenant. In doing this, the earth also is made to participate in the [[FIGURE]] sentence pronounced against the sinner: "Dying, thou shalt die." See margin of Gen. 2:17.

By this literal rendering of the text, man is made to enter a dying state, and continue therein until actual dissolution is effected. That is to say, man was gradually to lose hold on life and physical power, from generation to generation, until all the original faculties should weaken and fail. It needs no extended argument to prove that in the descent of generations, man has become physically and morally weaker. Bashan of old was called "the land of giants." Deut. 3:13. Perizzites were also called giants then. Joshua 15:17. As a matter of course, the lad David could take a thieving lion by the beard and slay him single handed. 1 Sam. 17:34-36. But no one to-day, however shrewd in world craft, would dare undertake such an exercise, knowing that his strength would be inadequate to the task.

Goliath of Gath was more than ten feet in height. But according to the "Encyclopedia Britannica," art. "Giant," even in the days of that celebrated giant, it was the common opinion that "the human race had degenerated, the men of primeval ages having been of so far greater stature and

strength." It is, therefore, very evident that man has greatly dwindled in stature and vitality. Once he lived from three to nine centuries; now his average life is hardly forty years. More than this, it is also significant that insanity, pauperism, idiocy, and every kind of defect of the mind and body are on the increase. The steady growth of crime and vice only keeps pace with the general deterioration. How exactly have the words of the prophet concerning the human race been fulfilled: "The haughty people of the earth do languish [become weak]." Isa. 24:4.

But the same prophetic eye saw the earth waxing old, or wearing out, "like a garment." Isa. 51:6. A garment shows age because it becomes faded and threadbare, and no longer serves its original purpose. As the earth is occupied by sinners, and "filled with violence," it, too, grows seedy and assumes the aspect of a worn-out garment, which is ready to be cast aside.

To be sure, the earth, like its weakened human incumbent, is increasingly able to produce noxious weeds in proportion to its age and attendant infirmities. Not only briers and thorns of the original curse come forth, but every imaginable kind of pestiferous and poisonous plant pushes itself forward to choke out the scant product designed for man's nourishment. It is no uncommon thing now to see in print an announcement of some newly discovered pest infecting field or orchard. Forty years ago it was authoritatively stated that the average wheat crop in the Middle West had run down to twelve bushels (a little over seven hundred pounds) to the acre. We do not think the situation there is now improved. In a very short time, if not already, wheat culture in that region must be largely abandoned as unprofitable. This year a reported green bug has appeared which has done much damage to wheat in the Southwest, and brought considerable discouragement to farmers. What will appear next no one is able to tell, but many are predicting sad failure for the years to come.

There was a time, not long since, when fruit-growing, especially on the Pacific Coast, was counted highly remunerative. But of late little inducement is offered to continue in the business. Curl-leaf, blight, scale, and borers are doing enough to offset much of the labor bestowed upon the orchards, and the business threatens to go into decline. This is but a part of the general program of nature's failure to respond to man's wooing.

This is not all, however, for mother earth is of late indulging in some irregular pranks which cause grave apprehension in the strongest minds. Tornadoes on land, waterspouts at sea, and floods everywhere, are reported almost daily as causing great destruction of life and property. All these are but the fulfilment of the Saviour's words in describing the signs of the ripening harvest of earth, preparatory to the Master's coming to receive His own. Luke 21:25-27.

In the same discourse the Master said, in answer to the question as to what would be the sign of earth's growing infirmity and of the close of its varying history: "Nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and great earthquakes shall be in divers places." Verses 10, 11. It will be noticed that these "great" earthquakes were to occur in conjunction with nations and kingdoms preparing to make war one with another. This last described state was never more fully in process of fulfilment than at the present time. It is therefore singularly significant that with this very generation, "great" earthquakes in different places are in more forceful evidence, because of more frequent occurrence than at any other time of the past.

We are not now referring to those many slight, palsied tremors of old earth, which are scarcely noticeable, but of those extended nervous shakes, which suggest that "all the foundations of the earth are out of course" and are giving way to her everlasting destruction. Of such, only about two hundred are recorded to have taken place in the first eighteen hundred years of the Christian era, while, in only three years of more recent date, fifteen have been noted. The four most serious ones of latest record, San Francisco, Valparaiso, Kingston, and Mexico, have followed each other in quick succession, covering in time but a few months. These were more generally destructive of life and property than most previous ones, except that of Lisbon which occurred in 1755.

But old mother earth is yet to have another spasm more terrible than any which have preceded it. Those already past, are mere shadowy precursors of the one to come. While these created alarm because of the breaking up of some local area, that one will be more general and more disastrous than any before it. All the cities of the nations will be shaken down by the soon-coming one, while the islands of the sea will leave their places, and the mountains of earth will drop from sight. Rev. 16:17-21.

In the midst of such a convulsion, only those who have made the Most High their refuge will be sheltered. The Lord then will be the only hope of His people, because every other support will have failed. The foundations of the old and infirm earth will then be broken down (Eze. 30:4), and she will be shaken "out of her place" (Job 9:6) for lack of the revivifying power of the life of God to support her. But notwithstanding that, God arises to "shake terribly the earth" (Isa. 2:19-21), in order that "the wicked might be shaken out of it" (Job 38:13). He has "provided some better thing" for those who love and obey Him. For these He has laid in Zion a "sure foundation" which never can be moved. With feet planted on that eternal basis, no one need tremble at what is yet to befall the world in its present state, but may look with calm and confident expectation for the presence of God thru the impending storm, and eternal deliverance at last from all the results of sin.

Effect of Earthquake, Valparaiso, Aug. 16, 1905.