When man fell into sin via Adam in the garden of Eden he was cursed to a limited life of toil for his very existence. Not only was mankind cursed, but the ground including plant and animal life as well. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us that the entire material and physical realm was cursed. “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope: because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:19-22). The “whole creation” by definition means everything God created in the first six days including the entire cosmos or universe. This “bondage of corruption” that the universe is now subject to is described by the scientific term “entropy“. For a detailed look at entropy see my article “Entropy in the Bible” here: Entropy in the Bible – Google Docs.
Because of the curse and the imposition of entropy, our universe appears as an inhospitable chaotic place. Think supernovas, colliding galaxies, deadly gamma ray outbursts, black holes that gobble up anything that comes near, asteroid impacts, and any number destructive forces in play thru ought the cosmos. But this begs the question “did god create it that way?” Maybe. When God created the sun, moon, and the stars, and stretched out the heavens on the fourth day, He saw that His new creation was “good”. After He was done with the six days of creation He collectively called everything just created “very good”. Is the current state of our universe what God described as very good? Again, maybe. I think most likely not. According to Paul once the sons of God are revealed the destructive entropic curse will cease in all creation including the universe in all its vastness. If that truly is the case, as I believe, the cosmos will revert to its pre-fall state. We can only speculate what that may be like but suffice it to say the night sky will never look the same. Adam was the only man that ever saw it. Yes, “the creation itself will be delivered”.
We Christians can look forward to an awesome and amazing future. If we knew all that God has in store for us, it would likely be incomprehensible to our finite minds. Thinking on these things should evoke excitement in you-it does for me!
Maranatha, Jim