I just thought I would share with you some thoughts I have had, while traveling from NC to Niagara Falls, both sides, Vermont, Maine and many other beautiful spots. Maybe you can elaborate on the Biblical aspects?
As I have been traveling and admiring the handy works, of God’s creation, I began to think about the scripture in Genesis that says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. I believe God made heaven and earth just like He wanted, but I began to think on His words, about going to PREPARE a place for us found in John 14. Can you help me understand, if you think God was saying that He was going to make Heaven even more beautiful than it was, when He created it? Just an interesting thought I had?
When looking upon earth’s beauty with both my eyes and yet single-eye-focus on God I wonder how could it get more beautiful! What is Jesus preparing for those that love Him?
cell photo while visiting Niagara Falls that I took
thedailylily.com 
Needles, it does seem hard imagining higher and higher levels of beauty. The first heavens God created will pass away and there will be a new heaven and earth (Rev 21) with God’s glory illuminating it. Maybe by the sheer fact that it is new, never before seen, that it will be more beautiful.
Looking at your photo, this part of earth’s beauty sure looks breathtaking.
Hey, Debi, Rev. 21 is what I was reading before you posted this. vs. 3 “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”And, look at vs. 4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
John 14 as Needles references here; let’s me know that Jesus is never, ever going to leave us. He never ever has and He is involved in our journey both now and forever more. These things are great mysteries yet so encouraging and wonderful to think on and about. Therefore, when Needles asked,” if you think God was saying that He was going to make Heaven even more beautiful than it was, when He created it?” Yes, beauty without sin, suffering, death and sorrow. We will work with God and not against Him. Now, this is a subject bigger than the falls of Niagara, the natural wonders of Yellowstone Park or the wonders of Yosemite Falls.
“…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward”
(Genesis 13:14, AMP) Just think how much we need to stretch our Faith even now!
Looking forward to reading others that look into this great mystery Needles has placed before us!
Amazingly that was one of my devotionals for today.
“And we shall see His face just as we look upon one another in this world. He will come to us instead of our going to Him.”__G. Shaw
And we shall see Him as He is and we shall be like Him, in a phenomenal NEW, bejeweled Jerusalem.
That’s a really good point Sara about beauty without sin, etc. It lets us know what real beauty is all about anyway.
And with regard to Jesus going to prepare a place…I read in John 16:7 that Jesus told us if He didn’t go away, the Holy Spirit couldn’t come. And we sure need the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Counselor to get us ready to go to Heaven. Maybe that is part of Jesus’ preparation for us.
In the days of Jesus walking upon the earth people lived in tents, caves and stone houses. In Hebrew, stone houses were called beith (beth). The Hebrew word beth means a place of shelter with love, protection, sharing, peace, fellowship hospitality and friendship. This reminds me of when I was expecting my children from the womb to the world, they were here (while in my womb) and I had their rooms ready as I prepared with necessities of love. To the best of my ability I had a mansion for them. I was ahead of them and they would follow and they did. I hope I provided all that beth means.
This again takes me to the place when Jesus said to us, “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus is always providing a place of rest and care for us. And, He will welcome us into His presence. I take this, again, when my children went off to college I couldn’t wait to bring them back to beth….Even today as we fellowship with one another that is the hope we have built into these houses of living stones. Beth!
Hey, guys, this is good, I could go on and on as I dwell close to Jesus and share His Word.
In the OT the Scriptures tell of the people who tried to build a tower to Heaven. I guess mankind has been doing that for eons and eras of the universe. Trying to figure out how to get to heaven by their own mechanical means, by the work of their hands. But God’s plan is to bring Heaven to us as John saw a foretaste of the New Jerusalem, all glorious and bedecked as a bride, a crystal shining jewel, coming down FROM the Heavens….bring Heaven to God’s people. And His dwelling place will be with man. Now Jesus Lives in our hearts by the Holy Spirit but then He will live with and among us physically, spiritually and emotionally and we will gaze into His eyes. And who knows what new Niagaras, Matsu Picchus,
Adirondack Mountains and Amazon Rivers He will create and we will be with Him as He does His handiworks.
Sara, your statement, ” I was ahead of them and they would follow …” makes me think that Jesus told us His sheep know His voice and follow. In order to get to the ‘beth’ we must have to listen, know His voice and then respect that voice, obey that voice and follow. Must be how we get to our mansion also.
Thanks for all the Biblical input! In reviewing this blog, I can’t resist including the following scripture and footnotes. Read with me, (1Corinthians 2:9) “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him’. Footnotes: “We cannot imagine all that God has in store for us, both in this life and for eternity. He will create a new heaven and a new earth. (Isaiah 65: 17; Revelation 21:1), and we will live with him forever. Until then, his Holy Spirit comforts and guides us. Knowing the wonderful and eternal future that awaits us gives us hope and courage to press on in this life, to endure hardship, and to avoid giving in to temptation. This world is not all there is. The best is yet to come.”
What encouragement!!
I have heard the teaching that indeed Jesus is preparing a mansion for us in His Father’s house and the construction material we send up to Him by our actions, deed, attitudes,conversation, labor in His fields, use of our giftings…all these are the building materials with which He is using in construction of our mansion. I do so want to send up the very best materials, costly and durable, lovely and of great quality. The way I live my life as a Christian will be displayed in the mansion which I will occupy for all eternity in the Holy City. It will be an insignia of my walk with Christ on earth.
I want to sing with Sara’s Mother’s song…
“I want to live in that city they say is so fair and so bright. Where angels are certainly treading and the Lamb furnishes the light.”__Ada Craddock.
Me, too! On the song and the materials.
I have often heard the same teachings. I wonder if no deeds or good works if my house is going to look shabby and unkept?
Yeah, I think about that at times. Will I have a “lean-to” and a carport with my chariot up on cinder blocks in the front yard with broken wheels? I need to get busy and start sending up to the Father and Jesus, the “im-material ” products of a holy life and walk and work so that when my mansion is finished and furnished, I will not be reticent to invite my lovely Lord Jesus in for baked ziti.
It seems like ther will be a correlation between our deeds and good works and what our house looks like. When I read I Cor 13, I understand that we have choices with how we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ and what kind of building materials we use and vs 13 says…”each one’s work will become clear”. No enduring work gets burned up. We may find ourselves living in a gutted house if this is the case.
Hope you had a great vacation. Would love to see some pictures.
“heaven and earth will pass away.” Needles, what do you think the new will look like and where will it be? There is a book by Randy Alcorn about “Heaven” that I heard gives a lot of insight into this very subject.”… the most comprehensive and definitive book on Heaven to date, Randy invites you to picture Heaven the way Scripture describes it.” Has anyone read it? If not and would like to you can order off line if you book store does not have it.
Hey, girls, did I just give you something important by telling you about Randy? If so, take his quote to heart:
“Randy shares that if God’s grace is at work in our lives, it should be evidenced by our giving, because God’s grace is lightning, and our giving is thunder.”
Hey, more lightening and thunder:
“Here we look over the hedge and see the flowers in Heaven’s garden; there we shall walk between the flower beds of delight. We shall pluck fresh flowers at each step”. —Charles Spurgeon,
Yes you did give us something important…you connected us to and shared an author and a topic with us that could encourage, exhort, inspire and inform. You help us understand that gifts are not a gift until they are given to someone. Thank you.
We learned a lot about thunder and lightening in service this morning. For we ARE in the season of GRACE given to us by Almighty God through the auspices of His Son, Jesus Christ. But the Bible says that the Lord God says, “My Spirit shall not ALWAYS strive with man….” (Gen 6:3) And so we were exhorted, encouraged, warned, this morning, to be salt and thunder and take the LIGHTENING of the GRACE of the MERCY and SALVATION of GOD and go and tell.
Tell what great things God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Will we have thunderous testimonies to GIVE AWAY of the grace of God while there is still time? Or will we be a whimper on the wind? A wisp of fluff…
Gary taught from Romans that we are all sinners and no one can save himself. It takes the grace of a merciful God. God desires that we go tell it on the mountain and the hills and fields and valleys. Wherever we go, will we have the courage of heart to tell someone? Do I hear a distant thunder or is that the sound of the footsteps of Christians, like me, running the other way?