In today’s post, we look at verses nineteen and twenty in Romans chapter 8 where Paul speaks of how the whole of creation is waiting for a special event, the manifestation of the Sons of God.

[Tweet “The sons of God will be manifested at the Second Coming of Jesus with their glorified bodies.”]

Romans 8:19–20 (KJV) 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Creation in Waiting

• The job of the first word ‘For’ in verse nineteen is to tie back to the ‘future glory’ referenced in verse 18.
• And so, ‘the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth.’
• The Greek word ‘earnest expectation’means eager expectation.
• The word ‘creature’ means what has been created, creation.
• The word ‘waiteth’ or rather waits means to await eagerly.
• In the phrase ‘the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth’, the words ‘earnest expectation’ and ‘waiteth’ both have in them the idea of eager expectancy.
• Creation, both animal and vegetable, itself has an expectation or a faith in a future event.
• The event?
• The ‘manifestation of the sons of God.’
• The Greek word manifestation is another word which bears definition.
• The word means revelation, to disclose, to bring to light, to make fully known.
• All of which brings us to this question.
• When will the sons of God manifest?
• The sons of God will be manifested at the Second Coming of Jesus with their glorified bodies.

Revelation 19:11–14 (KJV)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

• God’s Creation, nature, the animal and vegetable kingdoms are waiting patiently for the Second Coming of Jesus.
• If the creation can wait in faith, so can we.
• Paul now goes on to inform us as to the reason creation waits for the sons of God to be disclosed.
  • ‘For the creature was made subject to vanity.’
• The word ‘subject’ means to subordinate, to put under, bring under control.
• Vanity, one of Solomon’s well know words, means emptiness or futility.
  • It means lack of purpose.
• So, the creation was put into a state of emptiness.
• The scripture says everything has a purpose (Eccl. 3:1).
• When Adam sinned, creation came under a curse of futility.
• It’s central purpose was disabled.
• The very ground itself lacked the ability to perform as it had been designed to do (Genesis 3:3:17-18).
• A predatory food chain cycle was the result.
• The lamb and the lion were no longer friends.
• Creation could not do what it had been designed by God to do.
• The Good News Bible supports this rendering with these words ‘for creation was condemned to lose its purpose’.
• Creation became a second string player in the universal game of life.
• Paul says this didn’t happen by choice.
• It didn’t happen willingly.
• Creation did not make a choice to be sidelined without purpose.
• Creation slid into forced futility by way of the sin of Adam.
• This point should not be taken lightly.
• Sin doesn’t just affect the one so engaged.
• It affects everyone.
• Israel sinned by failing to believe the Lord concerning the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14).
• That failure affected not only those who did not believe but also hampered those who did.
• Joshua and Caleb served the same forty-year ‘wandering in the wilderness’ penalty along with the whole of rebellious Israel.

The Hope of Creation

• Into all this futility walks the Creator God with hope.
• Paul continues with these words, ‘but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.
• The earth was subjected to futility, to a curse, but at the same time, the Father God subjected it to the hope of restoration.
• Why does the Lord want us to know this?
• The Lord wants you to know that the way things are today will not be forever.
• A lifting of the curse dawns on the horizon.
• So, when you turn on the TV and see the reports of the famines and hunger and poverty, He wants you to understand that these things have an end.
• Why was the earth cursed, though?
  • Man had already received the sentence of death in himself.
  • He died spiritually.
• The sin nature and all its grief were born and gained an entrance into the realm of man.
• Untold misery has been the result ever since.
• Remember that man’s sin came in the area of ‘eating’.
• Judgment came in the same realm.
• It’s the law of sowing and reaping.
• You don’t sow apples and get oranges.
• You sow and reap in the same area.
• The sin sowed was in the realm of food.
• The reaping or judgment came in the same area.

Genesis 3:17–19 (KJV)
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

• Notice in these verses how much ‘eating’ is referenced.
• Three times in verse seventeen; and once each in verses eighteen and nineteen.
• Notice also in verse nineteen, the unending nature of the curse.
• The only relief from it comes from death.
• You cannot ‘retire’ from the curse.
• Personal savings accounts or 401k’s won’t solve the curse.
• One needs only look at the daily news to see the impact of the curse on human existence.
• The cure for the curse comes through the working of God the Father who will purge the entire planet with fire.
• Literally, God will burn the curse out of the earth.
• But what about prosperity at Gods’ hand?
• Doesn’t God’s prosperity overcome the curse?
• In one sense yes, in another sense no.
• After you have believed God, after you have sowed in faith, the curse still exists in the earth.
• You are going to have to believe again and sow again.
• Adam did not have to sow anything.
• He was placed in a garden which already had everything.
• He didn’t do one bit of sowing to make the orange trees bloom.
• They were already there.
• Adam didn’t have to do one thing in order to make the pear tree bring forth pears.
• It was already there. Adam didn’t have to believe anything to make the apple trees appear.
• They were already there.
• You are going to have to believe and work in faith to reap.
• You are going to have to trust God for contacts and contracts, favor and opportunity.
• The work of God can only be wrought through the agency of believing.

John 6:29 (KJV)
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

• Adam had to believe only one thing, that God was right about the tree.
• Let no doubt exist on this matter.
• The person who believes God will always do better than the person who does not.
• It’s a Bible fact.

________

References: