One Thousand Years
Genesage
"The birds and the bees"
(Chp2:10)
Three small bowls of a variety of apples sat invitingly on the table.
As wide and varied as the grapes had been, these watermelon sized apples seemed also exceptionally bountiful. How could the plants produce these? They were enormous.
The skin was like a soft peach easily bitten with the pulp delicious in moisture and juice. If the New Born in the kingdom had seen what the Old Timers called fruit in the Old Days they might have understood. Puny by comparison, the fruit trees under the curse could not compete with fruit in the Kingdom.
Those who had not been there could not imagine How Cursed the World really had been.
Every day the fruit bowls were replenished. Pomegranates added variety, cantaloupe with an assortment of melons often adorned the table. A cornucopia of fruit met the day all of them ready willing and able to be eaten. It was a smorgasbord of God’s provision. Sometimes there was kiwi, sometime papaya, sometimes tomatoes, all manner of fruit adorned Ebens meeting table.
No one ever was hungry or lacking for food.
In another bowl sat a golden substance that when one dipped an apple or a finger in it they recognized it instantly. It tasted like honey. The only difference was that something in the honey made it sparkle.
While most would have been curious many of Ebens students didn't ask too many questions. A Question for Eben was an invitation to give a lecture. Eben needed no prodding to tell about natural things. For Eben it led back to some story about how wonderful God is. The sparkling honey though couldn’t be resisted. It was so light, so bright, it shimmered, it was pleasing in everyone's sight.
Especially to Apple.
Apple, of course, had been the one to take the bite. She had been interested in the honey. She wanted to know how the bees brought it to Eben since he was never seen collecting honey or harvesting it. Apples parents had told her how they did it in the old days. Apple wanted to know if it was done the same way now since no one wore all the clothes her parents said were needed.
Eben had announced to the class that Apple had a very important question about the Kingdom Seder or the Order of Things in the Kingdom.
As soon as he had their attention he announced to everyone there,
"Apple has a question and so today we will talk about the Birds and the Bees"
Half the Class, the Survivors, had busted out laughing. The children of the Kingdom groaned.
They were thinking this was a talk like the ones their Old World parents had given about the 'birds and the bees.' Somehow the look on their parent’s face when talking about the subject had kept some families from commenting.
The uncomfortable way they approached the subject, the children of the Old World Survivors avoided sex questions with their parents. For them it was not a pressing issue. Living in a natural environment without societal pressure and spiritual attacks, discussions on the subject was rare.
Reproduction was not a focus so it was not an issue.
Apple had blushed though, but not because of the subject. She embarrassed to be singled out. Caleb had whispered in Ebens ear, thinking he needed to ‘update’ Eben that they already knew about the subject.
No one was ready for what came next.
Two hours later no one had any doubt that birds were birds, and bees were bees. No one had any question about what Eben was talking about. No one had any doubt that if Eben wanted to talk about sex, he would talk about sex, and not ‘birds or bees’. This time it had definitely been birds and bees.
Each day the table was cleared of food before the meeting was over as learning, discussing, and applying what was being talked about, was hungry work. There was no time limit and no real need to hurry on to other activities so the relaxed atmosphere and nature of the "lessons" could easily extend past noonish.
This often allowed everyone to eat, drink, and discuss leisurely around the table of meeting.
All mornings in the meeting room began with the traditional grapes with one other item, manna. A large leaf more like a frond acted as a plate and in it always sat a mound or stack of the latest manna.
Who had started "reforming" the manna no one knew but someone had been taking the simple manna from Heaven recreating them into a variety of flavors. It was rumored that manna, "food from God", only appeared in New Israel. No one had been outside the Promised Land yet to verify that fact.
Many suspected the day would come for them to go "out into the World" still none considered the question of manna at all. God abided with them so God provided.
As long as God provided they were fine.
Eating manna and fruit in the Living Sukkah reclining around the common table was a typical morning in Bethleben. Or it had been so far in sixty-nine years.
The meeting room that the “New Born” met in as well as “Old Born” was perfectly matched for this unusual environment. It suited the needs of the class serving the community well.
Some would have called this meeting place a patio or atrium, maybe a veranda or green room. As warm and tropical as the climate had become, the living walls of grapevines made side walls thick for privacy.
Old Timers would have said it was “Earth Friendly” but Eben said it was God’s design and His Purpose, Will, and Plan being done in Creation.
After all, It was HIS Kingdom Come.
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