Tuesday, February 07, 2006

A New Heaven and a New Earth

CNN is reporting a recently discovered pristine rainforest on the Island of Papua New Guinea. Researchers from the United States identified 20 new species of frog, four new species of butterfly and five new species of palms. They also spotted the first new species of bird on the island in sixty years, "a new type of honeyeater bird with a bright orange patch on its face."

The Rhode Island sized forest is unexplored, and scientists have only scratched the surface with the two small trails they cut into the wilderness. In describing the jungle, Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the expedition, said, "It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on earth." What is more, researchers revealed that the animals they encountered had no fear of humans, having never seen them before. Sounds a little like the "new heaven and new earth" that God promised the Apostle John in the book of Revelation, and the "lion lying down with the lamb" that God revealed to Isaiah.

The Bible says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." Considering the amazing Papuan paradise just now being explored, imagine the incomparable beauty of the new Heaven and new Earth that God is preparing for those who love Him!

No comments: