It is written in the book of Genesis that God pronounced everything that He had created to be good, indeed very good:
And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31
There could have been no disharmonious note in this new creation, and according to the Scriptures, this creation was also not subject to death. Man was created in the image of God, and he was to be the ruler over everything that God had created.
And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His [own] image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26-28
The creation of man was thus the crowning act of God’s creation, and God endowed man with nobility and honor by granting him dominion of the newly created world. Of all the creatures God had created, man was different from all the other animals in that he was created in the image of God. To man was granted the gift of intellectual capacity, a creative spirit, and a sense of morality. He was also created a free agent in that he was endowed with a freedom of choice. The creation of man was to bring glory to God throughout eternity.
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; [Even] every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:6-7
These verses show that the children of men are called sons and daughters of God (heavenly princes), and that they were cre- ated for the glory of God. Man was to reflect the glory of God and to ever increase in knowledge and wisdom, and to ever reflect the glory of God. In the book of Hebrews, Paul picks up the theme of the creation of man and sheds some interesting light on this subject.
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Hebrews 2:7
The Greek word brachus (for a little) literally means ‘for a little while’ or ‘short time’ and this implies that the full meaning of the text is actually ‘for a little while lower than the angels’. Man was thus to grow in stature, and in the restored world it would not be the angels that would rule upon the earth restored, but restored man would be granted the privilege of sitting with Christ in His throne. This implies even greater glory, since Christ is the ruler of the universe.
For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. Hebrews 2:5
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.
Revelation 3:21
Before being restored, there is, however, some overcoming to be done, for man has forfeited his great privilege through sin, and has lost that glory with which he was originally endowed.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
The Scriptures teach that the change of status and the suffer- ing which this planet and mankind have had to endure since the fall of man would, however, be transformed back to the original through the purchase of the blood of Christ. Through Christ and in Him, man can overcome and be conquerors together with Him. What was lost in Eden can and will be restored through Christ through justification and sanctification to the glorification of those who accept the gift of
His purchase, and then only will the full potential of man be realized.
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. Romans 8:18
And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory. Romans 9:23
The earth is also to be restored to its original status and sin will be eradicated from the universe.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Isaiah 65:17
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. Isaiah 66:22
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13
The Scriptures also teach that the whole creation is groan- ing whilst we wait for the restoration that has been promised. It is at this point that the sons of God will be revealed and that the bondage to corruption (death) will come to an end. Not only is man suffering from the consequences of sin, but the entire creation is also groaning under the burden of decay.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Romans 8:19-22
The Genesis account of the creation and the fall is the exact opposite of the naturalistic view of origins. Genesis portrays a de- cline from perfection to degeneration and decay, and the naturalistic approach propagates an advance from chaos to order and perfection. Genesis gives explicit details as to the consequences of sin and fall, all of which are denied by the naturalistic approach, and these de- tails are, in fact, reversed and used as the very means to create the advance from imperfection to perfection. Death is used to ‘create’ better-adapted forms, and the cycles of death, which are enacted on the planet through prey and predator relationships, are the nurturing ground for adaptive radiation. According to the Scriptures, however, this was not so from the beginning and prey predator relation- ships originally never existed and will also not exist in the earth made new.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:6-9
These verses portray an order of things, which is totally different to what we currently experience on the planet. Firstly, there will be no carnivores and the current predators will thus revert to vegetarian diets, and secondly, all harmful creatures which sting or are venomous will revert to non harmful forms. Moreover, even a child will be able to lead the now dangerous predators, so all aggressiveness will be removed from the natures of these animals and man will once more have total control over the animal kingdom. This restoration is in line with what the book of Genesis portrays about the beginning and about the original diet of all the creatures on the planet.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30
According to this verse, all creatures were thus vegetarian, and man’s diet consisted of seeds and fruits and all animals ate the plants of the fields. There could have been no harmful bacteria, no parasites, in fact, no creatures with harmful effects at all. What happened then to mar this perfection? The Scriptures teach that sin entered in and that as a consequence, the order of nature was radically changed. Without the sustaining power of God (for He ‘upholds all things’), the second law of thermodynamics would henceforth ensure that only by the sweat of one’s brow could order and harmony be obtained. Disorder, according to the Scriptures, is the work of the enemy. According to the parable of the sower, it was the enemy that sowed the bad seed among the good.