1. The Story of God’s Explosive Grace

2. The Curse of Earth Reversed Romans 8.19-22

3. There exists in the heart of man an immense feeling that the world is not the way it is suppose to be. Death, natural disasters, war, disease, despair, evil, and hopelessness may be explained in logical terms. But deep down in man’s soul, at the very deepest emotional level, we cry out, “Oh God, if You do exist when will you fix all that is broken, wrong, and which destroys our happiness? Please Lord, when?

4. God’s threefold reversal of the effects of sin Romans 8.18-25

5. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

7. It was more than an apple bite, it was the fall of mankind in Genesis 3 when everything changed. Often however, one overlooks God’s alteration to the physical universe. The universe now becomes hostile to mankind’s existence. As man begins the dying process, so does his home planet Earth and the universe (second law of thermodynamics). In Romans 8.19-22, Paul personifies all creation by representing the universe as person like longing and groaning for its rebirth of Revelation 21.1 where God creates the new heaven and new earth.

8. From the creation account of Genesis 1-2, we as humans stand as the pinnacle of God’s creation. It seems most likely that the universe was created specifically as mankind’s host home and without man the universe would not have been created. When man fell, the earth and universe fell also changing as it were to parallel man’s fallen spiritual condition. In the future, when God makes all things right, the universe being man’s home will be made right again also.

9. The entire universe is given a living human like quality

10. Personification is to attribute human traits and feelings to things that are not human like animals or objects.

12. Paul uses creation to mean everything that God created in the material world in Genesis 1.1 outside of man and the angels. Modern science would call this the material universe and would include man. Paul personifies creation as follows: 1. Anxious longings and waits eagerly (19) 2. Subjected to futility (without purpose) (20) 3. Creation will be set free from slavery to corruption into freedom (21) 4. Creation groans and suffers labor pains (22)

13.  Creation can hardly wait until Christ comes and the Lord reveals His bride the Church. (19)  The universe became cursed and hostile to man because of Adam and Eve’s willfully sinning and in effect divorcing mankind from God. (20)  God’s redemption of man also extends to the universe. When God’s children are freed in heaven’s glory, then creation’s curse will be reversed and it also will be set free. (21)  For now like a mother in labor, creation continues to groan and suffer as it awaits God’s ultimate reversal at the end of the millennium in Revelation 21.1. (22)

14. The curse that changed the earth and heavens from being man’s safe cradle into a hostile universe

16. Adam and Eve’s apple bite was a declaration to the universe that God would no longer be Lord of their lives. The result was horrific.

19. Simply put, it means to have divine judgment and harm pronounced and executed upon something.

20.  It represents specifically the hardship in food production. But by implication it extends to man’s new struggle to survive the hostilities of nature. The earth and universe would no longer be a safe place cooperating with man’s physical needs. But rather a harsh environment consuming him for his very existence. (17-19a)  It represents specifically man’s physical death and the body decomposing back into the earth. By implication it extends to sickness, infirmities, harm from nature, and pain and suffering. (19b)

21. More fallout from the fall

22. 1. Droughts 2. Hurricanes 3. Tornados 4. Tsunami 5. Volcano 6. Blizzard 7. Floods 8. Earthquakes 9. Severe weather 10. Fire storms

23. After Noah’s flood, God states… 3 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Genesis 9 Note: Scripture does not state when animals became carnivores

24. It is apparent that before Genesis 3, that man was not susceptible to death from an accident. Perhaps not even injury.

25. Insects can make havoc over farmland and can destroy the food supply for a given population.

26. With death entering the world, the human body became susceptible to contagious diseases that in some cases could spread world wide.

27. The Curse of Earth Reversed Romans 8.19-22

28. Science on three possible ways the universe may end

29. Basically if the universe exploded into existence, then it continues moving away from ground zero. It may then continue until the subatomic particles can no longer hold it all together and it is literally ripped apart.

30. Similar in a way to the Big Rip but with another cause. In this scenario, matter stays together but decays into radiation as the universe decays.

31. In short, this is an implosion theory. Gravity becomes the most powerful force in the universe. Ultimately the universe ceases to expand and then begins to collapse on itself.

32. Because we gleam from Scripture that God will interrupt the natural science timeline before the universe self-destructs, and then refashion the universe into what the Bible calls the new heavens and earth.

33. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. II Peter 3

34.  The re-creation of the heavens and earth will transpire quickly. (10a)  It seems that earth may not be annihilated but rather refashioned like it was at the time of the flood. (6)  The basic building blocks of the material world will be destroyed by intense heat. This possibly could refer to a global atomic fission reaction. (10b)

35. 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. Revelation 21

37. Maybe the Lord made Spring time to remind us of the coming new heavens and the new earth. That is, coming out of the winter of man’s rebellion against his God and into the glory of heaven.