What
a fantastic picture! Makes me miss the change of colors that I used
to see each fall in upstate New York. And then there is that cave,
with that beautiful and unusual colored blue water flowing from it!
WOW!
Then,
as I considered the beauty of the foreground, I thought of what lies
on the other side of that “tunnel”. From the brightness at the
top of the opening it appears to much brighter there.
It
made me think of the following passage from the last book of the
Bible...
Revelation
21 ( World
English
Bible
)
9
One
of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the
seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here.
I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.” 10 He
carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and
showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, 11 having
the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it
were a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 having
a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel. 13 On
the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the
south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 The
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of
the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. 15 He
who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the
city, its gates, and its walls. 16 The
city is square, and its length is as great as its breadth. He
measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia.
Its
length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Its
wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by
the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The
construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like
pure glass. 19 The
foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of
precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the
third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the
fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the
eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the
eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst. 21 The
twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of
one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent
glass. 22 I
saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb,
are its temple. 23 The
city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the
very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The
nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the
glory and honor of the nations into it. 25 Its
gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night
there), 26 and
they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so
that they may enter. 27 There
will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s
book of life.
Revelation
22 ( W
E B
)
1 He
showed me a*river
of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of
God and of the Lamb, 2 in
the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was
the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit
every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations. 3 There
will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be
in it, and his servants serve him. 4 They
will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There
will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will
illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
The
beauty we see in the here and now, will be as nothing as compared to
lies beyond our present existence! More than that, our relationship
with God will be something more beautiful than we can even imagine.
This brethren, is what we have to look forward to; it is our future,
our destiny and our hope!!!
I
can only describe it using the words of that great showman Lawrence
Welk: Wonderful, Wonderful !!!