This is the picture of the world we live in today; the world is not what it should be. In Romans 8:22, the Bible says the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth. The pain extends beyond creation and to the children of God and even the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26). Creation has been personified in these verses to be like a person yearning and groaning for deliverance. They are pining, longing for the day the world will be like paradise again. The Bible teaches that the whole of creation today, from mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, to lions and lambs, is pining for paradise. A paradise that is free from sorrow, corruption, and sin, restored to what it was intended to be.

The Earth today is judged by God because of the curse pronounced against man’s sin. Thus the world cannot escape from the reality of decay. Everything around us breaks down eventually, things will rot and rust. Everywhere we are surrounded by the evidence of the curse that is brought about by sin. But this was not what God intended, he intended for it to be good.

Colossians 3:4 comforts and points us to a time when Christ will appear, unveiling His glory and the glory of the children of God. Although today it may not be apparent to the world that ordinary-looking believers like you and me are children of God, a day is coming when it will be completely obvious and the glory of Jesus will be seen in us. That day will bring about the total restoration of the Earth and the universe. The damage, the broken, the suffering we live in today is not a hopeless situation. There is a day of great hope that is coming, a day of unimaginable joy and deliverance.