Hi Layla! This is going to be so fun. :)
Seasons in Heaven/the New Earth. Well, once again my lack of specificity has gotten me. When I said "seasons" I meant two rather disparate things - one, I suppose there will be some vague sort of seasons on the new earth, although since the light of the sun will be eclipsed by the light of our Lord, I don't know how that will work. The other was my feeling that there will be seasons in Heaven. Not seasons of falling leaves or snow, but seasons of activities.
Our God is a God of order. But He is not a God who makes things stale! This is the God who arranged for the Jewish people to come to the Temple on certain holidays to celebrate as a whole people. I don't see those holidays stopping on the New Earth, so there will certainly be some sort of seasonal travel/change as people come to worship and adore Him. While I know it will be different for those of us who are resident in Heaven, I think it will be similar. As I said in the emails... I expect some sort of shifts between times of pure worship (our "season" singing His praises) and seasons of whatever our "work" will be... and probably seasons of other things as well. Add to that the 1000 year wedding banquet (what a party!) and the war at the end of that, as well as the various judgements and things alluded to in the Scriptures (we will judge angels?!!?) and I don't see us being in just one place - nor do I see us scattering willy nilly. So... seasons. :) But I don't expect to be gathering colored leaves, no. (Though I'd enjoy a long tour of the new Earth as one of my seasons... that's always been one of my daydreams of Heaven. A time of walking the new earth, every inch of it, looking out and enjoying the beauty our Lord has created. There is never time and *this* body hasn't the strength to walk it all. Actually there's a good bit of travel I'd like to do - and a whole universe to explore).
Flies and mosquitos etc. Okay, first... I don't think insects have souls. No. No way. Maybe a "soul of the flies" generally, but .. no. And secondly, Beezelbub is called Lord of the Flies, so they definitely belong to Hell, not Heaven or the New Earth. (I expect butterflies and bees, however, clouds of both of them). I've always thought that the pest insects were part of the curse of Adam, really. Not those that serve a good purpose - ants doing their thing, worms theirs... but things that exist to drink the blood of animals or men? Definitely evil. We will have to see what form entropy exists in on the New Earth, it is going to have to be something completely revamped when death is defeated.
Animals and the new earth... Have you ever read Perelandra, by CS Lewis? The uncorrupted "Lord and Lady" of Venus (Perelandra) had animals everywhere, and had a sort of pet/child relationship with them. That resonates with me. That we'll be able to communicate with them, as our "little brothers" and as creatures in their own right, whose beauties and capabilities exist to show the myriad faces of our God. I am less interested in "will my old cats be in Heaven" than "when I take my tour of earth, will there be a sea to swim alongside the dolphins in?" (It's supposed to dry up, I'm hoping that's only the Mediterranean). I'd like to learn what it's like to be a dolphin or a tiger, to chill out with them and hang out. I agree that the old relationships will be made completely new. But... with no death, I tend to think we'll mostly be fruitiarians anyway. Animals and humans alike. No opinions on what our new bodies will eat or if they'll need to eat (as opposed to being capable of eating, which since our Lord Jesus ate in His resurrected body, obviously we will be).
Regardless, it can't come soon enough to please me. Later today, can the trumpets call us Home?
Next question... you knowI tried to talk about this a bit on the old debate board, but it went south fast. What do you think of covering - ie women covering their hair? I tried it for a while. Now, I don't feel any conviction on it, but it does feel *good* when I do it (err, other than the darn covers slipping off). Thoughts?
