Genesis 3 and the Fallen Creation

[sardegnr]

Why is it that storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. exist? Is it because of the fall of man? My reading of Genesis 3 is that a fallen man could not exist in a perfect world. A fallen world was needed for the fallen man. But plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volanism are how the Earth in its current state were created. Did all that stuff stop once man was created and then start up again after the fall? Or did it always go on everywhere except for Eden? Both answers seem contrived to me. Or is there another explanation?

 

[Verbum]

Hi Sard,

No harm could come to Adam and Eve in their original state. This does not mean that earthquakes etc were “suspended”. It just mean that they could not harm them. It is hard to say what the mechanics of this protection might have been, but apparently the protection was needed only for a short time.

In the same way, our life after the resurrection could take place on this earth, and we would enjoy glorified bodies (which did not seem to be the case for Adam and Eve). Just as Jesus could go through walls and move from one place to another instantly, so would we enjoy special powers that would allow us to avoid all harm. However, Revelation speaks of a new heaven and a new earth. Would this be a “stabilized” earth? We can only speculate.

Verbum