Creation's Anticipation
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God….Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” - Romans 8:18-21.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Roman believers, talks about the creation as though it was able to see and feel, as a creature. He depicts it with head erect and neck outstretched, waiting for deliverance. Why such anticipation? Why is the creation so interested in the revealing of the sons of God? Why this mysterious harmony and empathy between the creation and the creature?
The Apostle is telling us that nature has shared in the curse brought about by man’s fall. Nature, though blameless, waits and groans. All is not well, all is not as it should be. Praise God all is not as it will be!
The mechanics of creation’s moving parts swell and creak, sometimes exploding as though in frustrated anger: earthquakes, erupting volcanoes, typhoons, hurricanes, etc. The Bible word for ‘corruption’ is now modernised and called ‘pollution’. A prominent politician recently referred to this planet as an ‘environmental nightmare’. The cancer cell is only one by-product of a polluted world. Man talks, in worried tones, about protection from radioactivity and the danger from holes in the ozone layer.
We could think, too, of moral pollution. This planet is a cesspool of iniquity. The sun shines on the wicked as well as on the just; the rain waters the crops of the rebel as well as those of the righteous.
But soon all will change. And it will happen when the Lord Jesus returns as Messiah and King. There will be a rapid reversal of the present world system. There will be a time of unparalleled prosperity, the restoration of nature to its pristine condition and the reintroduction of longevity.
The King will reign in righteousness and peace - Psalm 72.
Drew Craig