Times of Refreshing

Do you ever feel entrapped by urban sprawl? Do you long for the peace and tranquility of a panoramic scene of natural beauty, without the rumble, roar, and clang of traffic noises? Think, perhaps, of a glacier-fed lake at the foot of snow-covered mountains, and cool, crisp, air filling your lungs. Would fresh trout on the banks of a flowing stream make a delicious supper as a day in the out-of-doors comes to a close? I think most of us would relish spending time in that environment. There is a gnawing emptiness in most people that can be filled, if only temporarily, by spending some time in a part of God’s unspoiled creation.

More than two centuries ago, as settlers in the United States began their westward press in earnest, many could foresee that the beauty of nature in some of the most spectacular places on earth would soon be spoiled by settlement or commercial development. People of vision brought pressure to bear on states and the federal government to set aside some of these pristine areas for posterity. This pressure spurred the U.S. Congress and President Abraham Lincoln to put the Yosemite Valley area under the protection of California in 1864.

In the course of time, the U.S. National Park System was authorized to preserve these beautiful areas that are now national treasures. In 1872, Yellowstone was the first to be declared a national park. The National Park Service was created in 1916, with authority to guide the use and development of National Park System properties. Many breathtaking, scenic, and unique areas were added and have been a source of national pride and great enjoyment for generations of Americans and millions of international visitors.

Paradise, Past and Future

Mankind began its existence in an incredibly beautiful and prosperous place. It was a garden named Eden, planted by the Creator for the first human beings. You know the story: Under the influence of an evil being we know as Satan, Adam and Eve rejected God’s plain instructions and were evicted from Eden. Since that time, mankind has again and again trashed once-beautiful parts of the earth. Soil-degrading farming practices, deforestation, pollution of the environment, and overdevelopment have scarred the landscape and brought ruin to vast areas of the earth.

While Americans can be very thankful for the vision and fortitude of those who have preserved the beautiful National Park areas for their enjoyment and inspiration, much of mankind does not have access to them. But this will not always be the case. “Times of refreshing” are coming, bringing “the restoration of all things” (Act 3:19–21). The prophets of old spoke often of this wonderful transformation of desolate areas, which will begin with the return of the Messiah. Isaiah has much to say about it. We read that “waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes” (Isaiah 35:6–7).

Isaiah also foretells a great change of the environment in which mankind lives:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:6–9).

Even as we see vast areas of the earth devastated by war, misuse, and exploitation, we can have hope and look forward to the restoration of these Eden-like conditions described in Scripture. To find out more, you can read The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?  or request your own free copy.