Now notice “the creation waits eagerly”. (Rom 8:20)
For the creation was subjected to futility…
The word “futility” in Greek is more like “depravity”. Not of its own will…
but because of him who subjected it in hope…
…”elpo”…
… 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. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
The analogy it is making in maternal labor with the contractions, you’re waiting for a baby to come out. In this earthquake it’s like the resurrection. Revelation 12 – you’re waiting for the people to come out. Is it a boy or a girl? You’re waiting. You know, who’s it going to be? Where are they, the true believers?
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
We’ve already been justified, we’re waiting for redemption.
For in hope…
…”elpo”…
…we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
When someone is expecting out to here, out to here, out to here. Junko is having a baby, I just saw her in Ireland in Belfast last week. She looks real cute. Junko is a Japanese believer, her husband is Irish. (The kid’s going to grow up on sukiyaki and Guinness®.) She knows the baby’s coming; she knows it’s going to happen; something’s going on. Something’s going to happen.
Jean lost Arthur – I was abroad at the time – I couldn’t make it to the funeral, I was in Australia somewhere or New Zealand. I couldn’t make it. I rang up, gave her my condolences for not being able to make the funeral. I would have liked to have been there, Arthur was a good brother, but there is a hope. I’ve seen it. One of the things God uses bereavement for is to stir up this hope so we won’t trust in this world. (We talked about that on the “Thanantology” tape.) In other words, this word “elpo” – “hope” is a future fact. The same as it is a future fact that the baby is going to be born, it’s a future fact there’s going to be a resurrection, we’re going to be reunited with our loved ones, and the sons of God will be revealed. “Hope” is a future fact
Now let's look at what this text tells us. When man fell, the universe fell. That throws things like “Gap Theory” out the window. There are some Christians who try to make Evolution compatible with Christianity; it doesn't work. There was some kind of cosmic catastrophe, that’s pretty clear from Genesis 1, but the idea there was death before?
I was just in a hurricane in Florida a few weeks ago with my mother. It was unbelievable. I never saw something so frightening in my life, and I’m thinking that stuff happens because of the fall of man. When man fell, the creation fell. It throws out, obviously, these intents by Evangelicals to compromise Darwinism with the Creationism. It just doesn't work. It just doesn't work. The creation fell when man fell. I didn’t used to believe in Darwinism but I do now. The reason I didn’t used to believe in it is that I couldn’t find any scientific evidence for it, but I’ve since found some. Anybody who believes in that stuff must be related to a baboon.
Let’s look. The creation itself in verse 23 is “waiting eagerly for our adoptions as sons”. Why would the creation wait for us to be revealed as the sons and daughters of God? Why? “The meek shall inherit the earth”. (Mat 5:5) How are you going to inherit the earth if there isn’t one? There is a millennial reign of Jesus. Not only will we be with our loved ones in eternity, we will be with our loved ones here, only in a place where there are no more mosques, no more hurricanes, and no more death or all the things that cause it. Again, this hope is something God says is a future fact. It’s a future fact. Yes, it’s bad and it’s going to get worse. Well, of course contractions get worse before the baby’s born. What do you expect? Of course it’s going to get worse before Jesus comes. What should we expect? What did Jesus say? He endured the cross only considering the reward that was before Him. (Heb 12:2)