A foretaste of Paradise
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.
And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 21:5
Gazing out my open kitchen window, I hear birds chirping and singing, and I hear and see the wind gently blowing in the trees in the valley. Bales of hay dot around my neighbour’s newly mowed field, and large, white clouds stand out in contrast to the brilliant blue, sun filled sky.
I am enjoying a little bit of paradise. I use the word paradise lightly because though our world was once completely good, it no longer is. When humanity sinned, we were expelled from the garden of Eden and the ground was “cursed” (Gen 3). Since then, the Earth and everything in it has been in “bondage to decay.” Suffering, disease, and our own deaths are all a result of humankind’s fall into sin (Rom 8:18–23).
Yet, God is making everything new. One day His dwelling place will be among His people in a renewed and restored creation, “a new heaven and a new earth,” where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:1–4). Until that day, we can enjoy the bright splashes and sometimes wide expanses of breathtaking beauty we see around us in this world, which is just a small foretaste of the “paradise” that will be.
Read
Romans 8:18–23; Revelation 21:1–5.
Prayer
Dear Creator God, thank You that in this world that can seem ugly with sin and decay You allow us to see glimpses of beauty, and foretastes of Paradise in what You have created. In Christ's wonderful name, I thank You. Amen.
Comments