Chapter 10 – The new creation

This chapter focuses on what I the new creation going to look like, there is much talk from Polkinghorne regarding the destiny for the whole universe not just for the humankind.
Polkinghorne suggests that the seminal event leading to the growth of Gods new creation is the resurrection of Jesus and indeed this new creation is not something that we need to wait to begin but is something that is already upon us beginning with this resurrection.
I agree with Polkinghorne when he suggests that when looking at new creation ;
“much has to be taken on trust, for it is clearly beyond our feeble powers to conceive exactly how a redeemed universe will function.”
He suggests that the new creation does not arise from a radically novel creation but that our old creation will be transformed into a creation that is perfect in the eyes of God through a redemptive act.
I do struggle with Polkinghorne suggestion that the new creation is a temporal world whose character is everlasting rather than a timeless world of “eternity” and did not see the point of his comment that it will contain music – perhaps I am missing the point ? I fail to see the need for humanity to be intrinsically temporal beings. Why if so much of the eschatology of the new testament speaks of spending eternity with God should we settle for a temporal existence with inevitable end. Are we limiting the nature and desire of God.
In closing the chapter Polkinghorne speaks of dimensionality of space-time and the possibility of the old and new creation running on different dimensions is a welcome solution to the problem and as Polkinghorne proposes offers a partial insight into the nature of the appearances of Christ as arising from limited intersections between these two worlds. However I disagree with the idea that if new creation follows on from old then God will have a very long wait if our universe is going to expand forever and refer back to the possibility that omega may be a transient value that God can make equal to 1 causing the universe to neither expand nor collapse. Resulting in a perfectly balanced universe in which new creation could dwell having been make perfect through the redemptive nature of God. In fact this could be what the new creation is referring to, a perfectly balanced universe balanced universe.
I liked the concept of using the idea of dimensions could replace a sence of pergatory or a waiting room for the soul. Providing a mapping of the soul between the two dimensions so that we would all arrive in the new creation dimension at the same time.
The idea of all creation having an eschatological future sat uneasily with me and although I can see that a God of love would love all his creation we have already established through the earlier chapters of this book that humans alone have a sence of knowing God therefore I fail to see the need for an eschatological future for organisms that do not know God. However if we accept that omega may be equal to 1 then there is no reason why organisms present on that day could not share in the new creation with humans.