Heaven Knows Nothing of Darwin

Marrying Darwin to Scripture is to promote an extra-marital affirm. Both entail unfaithfulness and the destruction of any harmony. For example, when Jesus returns, He will restore the earth to how it had been before the Fall, just as the Apostle Peter had preached:

• He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21)

Jesus’ return is the object of great hope. Therefore, His “restoration” will not involve a return to the initiation of the Darwinian life and death struggle of the survival-of-the-fittest. Instead, it will be a glorious restoration to a world where there had been no sin and death – to the way God had always intended things to be, in which all God’s “very good” creatures had been herbivores:

• I have given you every plant-yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree that has fruit-yielding seed; it shall be food for you…and to everything that moves…I have given every green plant for food. (Rev. 1:29-30)

The theory of evolution presents an entirely different worldview, in which God’s “very good” creation (Gen. 1:31) depended on sin and death to evolve us from single-celled life-forms.  From this perspective, death isn’t the result of sin and the Fall but of God’s Darwinian plan. Therefore, death isn’t a curse but God’s chosen instrument to guarantee the survival of the fittest genes.

Such a worldview turns morality on its head. If death and the Darwinian competition for life is a good thing, then who can blame Adam and Eve for attempting to gain a competitive edge by eating the forbidden fruit? Who can blame Cain for killing his naïve, unsuspecting, and less fit brother, Abel?

The biblical teachings of heaven are equally opposed to Darwin’s marriage to the Bible. The last chapters of the Book of Revelation contain the most thorough portrait of heaven – a portrait that fails to extend even the slightest invitation to Darwin. Instead, these chapters serve to bring closure to the first three chapters of Genesis.

Genesis commences with the creation of “heaven and earth” (Gen. 1:1). Revelation addresses this beginning with its own “beginning” – a new (or renewed) “heaven and earth” (Rev. 21:1). It also addresses other teachings of the creation account. While God creates night and day in Genesis 1:5, in Revelation, He dispenses with both the night (Rev. 2:25) and the objects God had created for light (Gen. 1:16) – the sun and the moon (21:25).

Genesis 3:1 identifies the “serpent” as the agent of sin and deception, not God’s for natural selection, while Revelation brings closure to this subject. God will bring an end to this serpent – a Devil surrogate (Rev. 20:2,10).

Revelation also addresses the effects of the Fall. Instead of the flimsy fig leaves that Adam and Eve used to cover their sin (Gen. 3:7), God will clothe His people most exquisitely. An angel informed John that he would show him “the wife of the lamb” – the people of God. However, in doing this, the angel showed John the city of Jerusalem coming down from God, clothed in the most costly stones (Rev. 21:9-10) instead of fig leaves and even skins.

Heaven does not represent a remedy to natural selection, but to the effects of the Fall! Once Adam and Eve sinned, they no longer could endure the light of the presence of God (John 3:19-20) and therefore hid from His presence (Gen. 3:8). In Revelation we are shown that this condition would be reversed. Whereas before, humanity attempted to escape the light, they would now come to the light: “The nations will walk by its [Christ’s] light” (Rev. 21:24).

Because of their disobedience and failure to confess their sin, Adam and Eve were cursed along with the rest of creation (Gen. 3:17). However, in heaven, the curse will be banished (Rev. 22:3).

However, according to evolution, the problem hadn’t been a curse, but the death and suffering, which had always been a part of life. But, according to the Bible, the problem hadn’t been instituted by God; it was of our own doing! We would die because of our sin: “for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17).

Because of their sin, God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden (Gen. 3:23), from the presence of God, where they had enjoyed unbroken fellowship with their Maker. However, Revelation promises that this fellowship will be restored: The dwelling of God would again be with humankind (Rev. 21:3) and:

• He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:4)
  
  

The effects of sin and the Fall will become history. Clearly, the focus of the Book of Revelation and of heaven isn’t upon undoing God’s evil plan of natural selection but our evil! It also regards the Fall as historical unlike Christian evolutionists.

Lest humanity would try to undo the effects of the Fall by sneaking back into the Garden to eat from the Tree of Life, God blocked their way with angelic sentries (Gen. 3:24). However, God will re-introduce this Tree (Rev. 22:2-5) for the healing of the nations and return to His original plan of immortality.

Where is Darwin in this heavenly portrait? He is entirely absent, even worse, he is entirely unwelcome. He doesn’t belong. He has no eyes for the mysteries of our God or His divine harmonies. Darwin is an intruder who breaks the theological flow of Genesis through Revelation. Instead, by the grace of our God, those who have eyes to see will reign with Christ (Rev. 22:5) and render judgments over the nations (1 Cor. 6:2-3; Jer. 3:16-17; Isaiah 2:2-4).