Bear With Me

 

This powerful mural of three bears at the West Palm Beach Zoo in Florida makes a neat backdrop for Larry to check out how tall he is -- a mere 6 feet compared to these big guys.  I was really surprised how tall the polar bear stands.  At nearly 11 feet, he is HUGE! 

 

The black bear might not look so big, but he could do some major damage, and if the 8-foot Grizzly was coming at you in the forest, he would be one hulking bundle of fur and claws and teeth that you would totally want to avoid.  These bears are beautiful animals, but they're also very dangerous.  We've probably all read horror stories of people being attacked by one of these bears and the horrible wounds they received -- and in some cases, death was the result.

 

While this fierce, deadly behavior is the nature of the beast, there will come a day when that wild nature will be removed and these massive beasts will become like the beloved Teddy bear -- soft, furry creatures that will be our friends.  Can you imagine these three bears surrounding Larry in a real life situation that looks like the picture above?  Some day it will happen.

 

Are you living in a fairy tale, you might ask?  Actually, God wrote about these bears in scripture and He's the one who tells us about their future "Teddy bear" behavior:  "The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox...They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord..." Isaiah 11:7 & 9.

God is the only one who knows when this new and improved behavior will begin.  It's slated to happen shortly after His Son, Jesus, returns to Earth for the final showdown.  If any doubt this will happen, you have only to read the Holy Bible and believe the Word God has inspired men to write to know that it will indeed come to pass.  "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him..." Revelation 1:7.

Numerous verses also speak of the new heaven and the new earth that God will provide for those of us who love Him.  Here's just one of those passages in Revelation 21:  "Now, I saw new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.  Also there was no more sea...Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.  God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes...."

Until that day when I can bury my face in the thick, soft fur of these magnificent creatures, I'll just admire them from afar.  It won't be long -- I will wait upon the Lord and await His return with anticipation.