I have developed a love for HDR pictures! This one is especially beautiful to me, as it is so artfully done that for a moment it seemed hard to tell where heaven left off and the Earth began. However, that was only momentary, and soon the beautiful blue's and silver's blended in with the reflections became the focus. All this made me wonder; What if heaven and Earth were the same, if the beauty of the Heavens became one? This little thought led to my remembering the following passage from the book of Revelation.Rev 21:1-7
21 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.
2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away."
5 He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." He said, "Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."
6 He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.WEB
21 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.
2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away."
5 He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." He said, "Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."
6 He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.WEB
I think how wonderful it would be to actually see these things happen, to be there when things are restored to the way they were in the beginning (but better). In the grand scheme of things God has changed man's disobedience into complete fellowship and life will be forever completely new. But better than new, because he has really proved his love for us and the knowledge of that is better than just being blessed. For the time being, The Earth is but a mere reflection of what it should be, but the promise is there and the contract for our blessing has been paid for with the sacrifice of Jesus. So, the next time you see something beautiful like this picture, remember that the best is yet to come.