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?
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).
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