The excited helper from Yellowstone National Park with the great tan continued talking without hardly taking time to breathe! She said, “I found another God-Connection in Yellowstone National Park!” There are four rivers that have their beginnings in the park. The beginning of a river is called the ‘headwaters’ of the river. The Lamar River, the Gardner River, the Snake River, and the Foxhole River all have their headwaters in Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone River has its headwaters just outside the park. The scenery around the rivers is beautiful.
It made the helper think about how beautiful the Garden of Eden was when God first created this world. In the Bible in the book of Genesis chapter 2 we are told that there was a river that had its headwaters in the Garden of Eden and that this river divided into four rivers. Two of these rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates still exist today.
Application for you and me:
Even though the rivers of Yellowstone National Park are beautiful, they cannot really be compared to the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was created perfect by God, and Yellowstone National Park is not perfect! Below the surface of the ground of Yellowstone Park there is a lot of activity.
The hot water and steam that come up from deep underground and cause the hot springs, geysers and the other hydrothermal features can be very dangerous! The Bible teaches us that when Adam and Eve sinned, all of creation was cursed at that time, and God’s perfect creation was ruined. Even though Yellowstone National Park has a lot beauty, the land is cursed and longs for the day when the curse of sin will be removed.
In the Bible in Romans 8:18-25 it says:
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
This world is quickly headed toward the end of history. With all the natural disasters that are occurring and climate change, the we can easily see that all of creation is ‘groaning’ under the curse of sin. The history of this world will end judgment and eternal punishment for all unbelievers and eternal rest and reward for all who have believed in Jesus and given their life to Him. At that time, the curse of sin will be done, and creation will be remade. This is summed up in some verses in the book of Revelation at the very end of the Bible.
In Revelation 20:15 it says:
And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the destination of everyone who does not accept Jesus! Everyone who has accepted Jesus has a very different future to look forward to.
In Revelation 21:3-7 it says:
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. 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.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then He said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And He also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”
Choose Jesus! Know for sure where you will spend eternity!