God's Garden Take 2

I love that the major site of God's original creation was a garden. God enjoys enjoying what He has made. He must really like food. Should I say I must be a girl after His heart, in that way? ;) Think about it...He promises us a huge banquet meal when the earth is made new. He put His first children in a garden and told them it was there for them to enjoy it. He walked with them, so it seems natural that He would have hung out with Adam and Eve, plucking berries, slurping on honeysuckle, and biting apples so succulent that the juices must have run down His chin. (Note: The Bible says the infamous fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was "fruit," not specifically an apple. I think it's a shame that apples get a bad rap for that scandal.)

In Isaiah 27, there are some yummy verses about "that day."

"In that day--'Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it'" (Is. 27:2-3). Maybe we're the vineyard. Maybe He's preparing the vineyard for us. Either way, I like that God is tending it in anticipation of our homecoming.

God goes on to describe how things will be at the end of earthly time.

"'I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me'" (Is. 27:4-5). I'm not sure what exactly is going on here, but I'll take a stab at it. It seems to me that God is saying it would be easier if the problem of evil were simply briers threatening His creation. But unfortunately, souls are involved, so He has to provide for reconciliation. We are the briers. Specifically, our sinful, fallen nature is the briers. We must come to Him and make peace. God must be against sin because of His pure nature of holiness. And fortunately, He is a loving God, so He gave up His Son to die for us, to make our peace with God and His peace with us possible.

Other neat-o verses:

"In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit" (Is. 27:6). I think this further supports that heaven will actually be heaven on earth.

"And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem" (Is. 27:13).