Today I am going to speak on the topic of how it is that these types of laws that God has brought to all things nurture all of mankind. This is a rather large topic, so we can divide it into several parts and discuss them one at a time so that they can be clearly delineated for you. This way it will be easier for you to grasp and you can gradually understand it.
So, let us begin with the first part. When God created all things, He drew boundaries for mountains, plains, deserts, hills, rivers, and lakes. On the earth there are mountains, plains, deserts and hills, as well as various bodies of water. These constitute different types of terrain, do they not? Between them, God drew boundaries. When we speak of drawing boundaries, it means that mountains have their delineations, plains have their own delineations, deserts have certain limits, and hills have a fixed area. There is also a fixed quantity of bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. That is, when God created all things, He divided everything very clearly. God has already determined how many kilometers the radius of any given mountain should be and what its scope is. He has also determined how many kilometers the radius of any given plain should be and what its scope is. When creating all things, He also determined the limits of the deserts as well as the range of the hills and their proportions, and what they are bordered by—all of this was determined by Him. He determined the range of rivers and lakes during the act of creating them—they all have their boundaries. So what does it mean when we talk about “boundaries”? We just talked about how God rules over all things by establishing laws for all things. That is, the range and boundaries of mountains will not expand or decrease because of the rotation of the earth or the passing of time. They are fixed, unchanging, and it is God who dictates their unchangeability. As for the areas of the plains, what their range is, what they are bounded by—this has been set by God. They have their boundaries, and as such it would be impossible for a mound of earth to rise up at random from the ground of a plain. The plain cannot suddenly turn into a mountain—this would be impossible. This is the meaning of the laws and boundaries we just talked about. As for the deserts, we will not mention the specific functions of the deserts or any other type of terrain or geographical location here, only their boundaries. Under God’s rule, the limits of the desert will not expand either. This is because God has given it its law, its limits. How large its area is and what its function is, what it is bounded by, and where it is located—this has already been set by God. It will not exceed its limits or shift its position, and its area will not expand arbitrarily. Although the flows of waters such as rivers and lakes are all orderly and continuous, they will never move outside of their range or beyond their boundaries. They all flow in one direction, the direction in which they are supposed to flow, in an orderly way. So under the laws of God’s rule, no river or lake will dry up arbitrarily or arbitrarily change the direction or quantity of its flow due to the rotation of the earth or the passing of time. All this is within God’s control. That is to say, all things created by God in the midst of this mankind have their set places, areas, and limits. That is, when God created all things, their boundaries were established, and they cannot be arbitrarily altered, renewed, or changed. What does “arbitrarily” mean? It means that they will not randomly shift, expand, or change their original form due to the weather, temperature, or the rotational speed of the earth. For example, a mountain is of a certain height, its base is of a certain area, it has a certain altitude, and it has a certain amount of vegetation. This is all planned and calculated by God and it will not be arbitrarily changed. As for plains, the majority of humans reside in the plains, and no shifts in the climate will impact their areas or the value of their existence. Not even the things contained within these various terrains and geographical environments that were created by God will be arbitrarily changed. For example, the composition of the desert, types of underground mineral deposits, the amount of sand a desert contains and its color, the thickness of the desert—these will not arbitrarily change. Why is it that they will not arbitrarily change? It is because of God’s rule and His management. Within all of these different terrains and geographical environments created by God, He is managing everything in a planned and orderly way. So all of these geographical environments still exist and are still performing their functions thousands and even tens of thousands of years after they were created by God. Although there are certain periods when volcanoes erupt, and periods when earthquakes occur, and there are major shifts of the land, God absolutely will not allow any type of terrain to lose its original function. It is only because of this management by God, His rule and control over these laws, that all of this—all of this which is seen and enjoyed by mankind—can survive on the earth in an orderly way. So why does God manage all these various terrains that exist on the earth in this way? His purpose is so that the living things that survive in various geographical environments will all have a stable environment, and so that they are able to continue to live and multiply within that stable environment. All of these things—ones that are mobile and those that are immobile, those that breathe through their nostrils and those that do not—make up a unique environment for the survival of mankind. Only this kind of environment is able to nurture generation after generation of humans, and only this kind of environment can allow humans to continue to peacefully survive, generation after generation.
What I have just talked about is rather a large topic, so perhaps it seems somewhat removed from your lives, but I trust you can all understand it. That is to say, God’s laws in His dominion over all things are very important—very important indeed! What is the precondition for the growth of all beings under these laws? It is because of God’s rule. It is because of His rule that all things carry out their own functions within His rule. For example, the mountains nurture the forests and the forests in turn nurture and protect the various birds and beasts that live within them. The plains are a platform prepared for humans to plant crops as well as for various birds and beasts. They allow the majority of mankind to live on flat land and provide convenience in people’s lives. And the plains also include the grasslands—huge swaths of grassland. The grasslands provide plant cover for the earth’s floor. They protect the soil and nurture the cattle, sheep and horses that live on the grasslands. The desert also carries out its own function. It is not a place for humans to live; its role is to make humid climates drier. The flows of the rivers and lakes bring people drinking water in a convenient way. Wherever they flow, people will have water to drink and the needs of all things for water will be conveniently satisfied. These are the boundaries drawn by God for the various terrains.
—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX