The Spiritual Journey 2024 - Day 16: Man’s Fall led to creation’s imprisonment.

”Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have shared with you the first two destinations of the dreaming vision portion of the spiritual journey. The first destination being the dilapidated arcade, and the second destination being Mardi Gras world. Today I will share with you the third destination, which would, indeed be the last destination in which I would feel as though I was simply an observer, not taking part, or being part of anything that I saw.

I will call the third destination in the spiritual journey, the “museum of natural history.”

As I entered this destination I first thought I was going into something like a zoo, a place where there would be live animals. But as I entered this place, rather than live animals, I saw animals as preserved “specimens,” much like you would see in our own National Museum of Natural History. I saw drawers full of bird specimens and shelves full of specimens of all sorts of animals. It was a dark place that felt like death.

Basically, that’s all there was to this very brief visit to this third destination in the spiritual journey.

As with the other two destinations, the meaning was not given to me until reflecting back over what I had been shown.

Again, the first destination illustrated the deceit upon which the whole world system is based, the deceit that began in the garden of Eden and continues to this day.

”Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."“

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Then, moving to Mardi Gras world, we see how this system of deceit maintains control over the masses, by the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life.

”Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.“

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Now, at first, this third destination seems to be totally unrelated to the first two. But, the Lord was showing me the juxtaposition of Mardi Gras world, where everyone was partying and animated, with this museum of specimens, where all of the animals were dead. You can see them, you know what they looked like, but there is no life in them.

Let’s take a trip back to the incident I alluded to earlier in the garden of Eden, just after Eve was deceived by the serpent, with Adam following her lead.

You see, the Lord turns and says something very significant to the man concerning the natural world.

”And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”“

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, God cursed the ground because of man’s disobedience. But, was it just the ground that was cursed? Take a look at what the Lord had said to the serpent through whom Eve had been deceived:

”Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.“

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Lord says to the serpent that it would be cursed more than all the other animals. In this, we see that all the animals were cursed.

In our opening scripture, we see that Paul is describing what happened to the creation as a result of the Fall of man. Yes, the creation was subjected to frustration and futility. Indeed, the creation became a slave to death and decay all because of man’s rebellion.

Although we look around and see countless beautiful created things in the natural world, the fact is that a curse is on the creation because of us. Indeed, the creation groans, waiting, anticipating the day when the sons of God will be revealed and fully restored to their position of dominion over the created order.

Friend, we share the anticipation of the creation. And, our hope will not be disappointed. One day soon, the sons of God will be revealed and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. All things will be as they should be; and the whole creation will share the liberty of the sons of God!

Moving forward, the spiritual journey is about to take a very personal turn. I would no longer be just an observer. This will be very difficult.

We’ll talk more about that tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

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