Grace and Truth
Bible Ministries

Aspects of the curse on the creation


In our study of Gen 3; where we see Satan's propaganda that leads to the deception of the woman and the fall of mankind last time in Gen 3:17-18; we saw the judgment of the man that also involved the creation itself.

That took us to Paul's discussion of the fall of the creation in Rom 8:19-22; We left off in Rom 8:21 with the Greek word "phthora" that is translated as "corruption or decay".

We then started a brief discussion of this "slavery of corruption and decay" that is currently encountered by the universe as the result of a curse that takes the form of the second law of thermodynamics and manifested by the principle of entropy.

Energy takes on two forms: potential, called matter, and kinetic, called energy.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics or the Law of Energy Decay states that every system left to its own devices always tends to move from order to disorder, its energy tending to be transformed into lower levels of availability, finally reaching the state of complete randomness and unavailability for further work.

The tendency to move from order to disorder and the tendency of energy to move to lower levels of availability is the principle of entropy, defined by:

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, "entropy": The measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system; a measure of disorder of a closed thermodynamic system; the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity; the steady degradation or disorganization of a system.

For example: Natural gas, oil and coal were produced over extremely long periods of time by the corruption and decay of the kinetic energy of plant and animal life under the heat and pressure of more and more layers of earth.

The weight of the layers caused pressure and heat to transform the decaying organisms into one of the various phases of hydrocarbon (natural gas, crude oil or coal) but not all of the energy was stored because there were losses in the process. These losses are called entropy.

When we reuse this same energy as for example as gasoline that is refined from oil it is matter or potential energy as it sits in the fuel tank of your car. But when it is burned in the engine it is converted into heat that is the kinetic energy that produces the power that moves the car but there are losses in this process. These losses are also called entropy.

Every time matter is turned to energy or energy into matter or energy is changed from one form to another there are losses that occur in the conversion process. These losses are called entropy. This is why there is no such thing as perpetual motion.

Over the course of time matter moves from potential to kinetic and back until all available energy is equally distributed and there is not enough energy left to over come the entropy at which time all motion will cease and universal death will result.

The Environmentalists are right when they say that there is a finite amount of natural resources on planet Earth and if there is no God at some point out in the future that supply will be exhausted.

But we know that God does exist and he will return so the entropy problem is limited by the fact that it will end at the Second Advent and in the mean time he gave us the natural gas, oil and coal to use as part of his logistical grace.

Our failure to use it is a satanically inspired rejection of God's grace and blasphemes God because He pre-positioned these resources for use by his people at this time in history. This means the attitude of the people regarding the use of natural resources is representative of their attitude toward God and His grace.

Rom 8:22; For we know that the entire universe groans along with us and suffers the pains of childbirth together with us until now.

The universe has been placed in a status of undeserved suffering. It was designed to provide perfect provision for perfect people but when Adam fell then the universe also fell.

Both the creation and man groan as a result of the fall and the corruption and decay it initiated. The sufferings of the present period of time involve the corruption and decay of both the human body and the universe between the fall of Adam and the Second Advent of Christ.

The universe has been placed in a status of undeserved suffering. It was designed to provide perfect logistics for perfect people but when Adam fell then the universe also fell.

The verb "groans" is translated from the present active indicative of the Greek word "sustenazo". It is an hapax legomenon taken by Paul from the Classical Greek and its best definition is "to lament."

Lament is defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition: "to mourn aloud; to express sorrow, mourning, or regret; to cry out in grief." This demonstrable aspect of lament is described in some dictionaries as "sighing."

Both nature and mankind look back to the fall and the corruption and decay it initiated and lament the sin that caused it all. This is expressed metaphorically as "groaning" or sighing."

The present tense is static and indicates that the creation and mankind perpetually lament the fall until the Second Advent. Both nature and man look forward to the liberation of the Second Advent when the sufferings of this time are over.

The present sufferings are compared to that of a pregnancy. The word that is translated "suffers the pains of childbirth" is yet another hapax legomenon, the present active indicative of the Greek verb, " sunodino".

The present tense is customary and indicates that the circumstance of looking toward the deliverance of the Second Advent can be compared to the labor pains associated with childbirth. The customary present also indicates that these pains will continue with increasing intensity until the "delivery" occurs at the Lord's Second Advent.

Paul uses these two hapax legomina to illustrate the undeserved suffering that has been imposed on the environment by the fall of man.

Human volition is the cause of sin and sin is the cause of the suffering of the universe. Nature is designed by God to be the glory of man; therefore when man fell, nature also fell but it's fall was undeserved.

The present corruption and decay will all come to an end when the Lord returns. All believers will be in glory and all nature will be restored to its pristine perfection.

We can now appreciate the first verse of this paragraph. Rom 8:18; For I conclude that the sufferings of the present period of time are not comparable to the glory which is destined to be revealed to us.

Rom 8:23; Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Both nature and man look forward to the liberation of the Second Advent when the sufferings of this time are over. The present corruption and decay will all come to an end when the Lord returns. All believers will be in glory and all nature will be restored to its former perfection.

1Cor 15:50; Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable ( phthora: the corrupted and decayed) inherit the imperishable ( aphtharsia: incorrupt and eternal )

These definitions along with our context in Romans 8:19-22; bring us to several conclusions:

The earth was once in a status of perfection described in Scripture as the garden of Eden. This perfection was transformed into an ongoing process of corruption and decay at the point of Adam's original sin.

This process of corruption and decay will be the status of the universe until the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. At the Second Advent all believers of every dispensation prior to the millennium will be in a body of incorruption and eternal life in the status of ultimate sanctification.

This will enable the Lord to return the earth to its pristine perfection that was last enjoyed by our original parents in the garden of Eden. Since our Lord is perfect, He is not the Creator of anything imperfect, corruptible, or decadent.

We must therefore conclude that the original creation as well as the restored earth following Satan's rebellion was perfect, incorrupt, and free of decay. The fact that our original parents had perfect life in perfect bodies indicates that the system in place in Eden was designed to maintain its perfect environment indefinitely.

The tree of life was available to maintain their physical perfection for as long as they remained in status quo perfection in their spiritual lives. As long as Adam and the woman maintained spiritual perfection, natural perfection was maintained in the universe but as soon as spiritual perfection was lost due to original sin it resulted in the fall of our original parents as well as the fall of their environment.

Adam and the woman entered into the status quo of spiritual death manifest by the corruption of the sinful nature and the decay associated with the aging process of the body leading to physical death.

Simultaneously the perfect environment entered into the status quo of entropic death manifest by its involuntary slavery to corruption and involvement in ever-increasing disorder and decay.

Rom 8:21; tells us that the universe is in the " slavery of corruption and decay."

This "slavery of corruption and decay" that is currently encountered by the universe is the result of a curse imposed by Jesus Christ, an aspect of which is defined in the second law of thermodynamics and demonstrated under he principle of "phthoras" or entropy.

Gen 3:17; "Then to Adam He said, `Because you listened to the voice of your wife, and you have eaten from the tree concerning which I commanded you, saying, `You shall not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in sorrow you shall eat from it all the days of your life.'"

All the days of your life" means that physical life will come to an end. This indicates that physical death is the result of spiritual death. Human life on this planet begins with spiritual death and ends with physical death.

Gen 3:18; It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field.

We see here that the ground brings forth thorns and thistles in addition to the grain that is planted rather than freely giving of its production so man has to contend with them in his work.

The Bible refers to thorns as being an impediment or something that hinders. In the fall of man thorns are associated with the curse of both mankind and nature.

In Jer 12:13; thorns are related to economic depression and disaster. Sound familiar?

Thorns are used to describe the results of the administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to a client nation in Isa 34:12;

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 9/5/2012