The Future

INTRODUCTION

People talk endlessly about the future. They gaze into crystal balls and astrological charts, listen to the fortune tellers and professional Cassandra-like prophets of doom. Futurologists and predictive AIs, sci-fi writers and cultists populate our horizons with a rich array of visions and dreams. So is climate catastrophe an inevitability or something we can choose to undo? Is nuclear holocaust, pandemic and famine the future or can we hope for better things? Some of us live only for tomorrow sacrificing everything for what we are going to do next. But what if tomorrow never comes? What if it all ends now? Is the future heaven or hell or just the grave? Can we live on after death? Will we be resurrected, reborn, or just recycled into the wheel of life? We seem to appear like mists that lie over the morning fields and are blown away by the wind and evaporated by the sun. So what future can we hope for and who can we trust?

RECOGNISE THE LIARS

There are some simple ways to unpick truths from lies about the future. Ask yourself whom the vision serves and what is the likely fruit going to be. How credible is the witness to this vision? Are they living the story they are selling? Could the evidence have been faked or are the assumptions delusionary? Will they themselves profit from it or do they genuinely believe it? How integrated is this vision with truths that we can verify? Is this something that can be substantiated by science? Do credible people with proven track records support these predictions? Does this vision integrate with the truths you know from church teaching and reading scripture? How plausible is the vision and how trustworthy is the person who is selling the dream? What grounds for confidence do we have that this dream shall come to pass? What promises can we trust? There are those who try and panic us about the future and who want us to dedicate our lives to false dreams and hopes in things that will not last. But with some care, we can spot the liars and unpick their deceitful routines and become immune to them.

DO NOT WORRY, PLOUGH YOUR FIELDS AND TRUST IN GOD

Consider the lilies of the fields, they do not labor or spin and yet not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed as one of these, so do not worry. The Bible indicates that we should plow our fields. The man who fails to do so at the right time could well starve the following year. We need to live in the humility of those who do not know precisely what the future will bring but who know what we are called to do here and now and the things that we must do to keep going. Jesus has a proven track record of predicting the future. He spoke of the fall of Jerusalem while on earth, he spoke of his death and the sacrifice that he made to save us all from the penalty of sin. He spoke of his return. At the time Roman Emperors sneered at the Christian's claims but where are they now? Later Marxists did the same only to see their empire crumble. Jesus showed a way to a resurrected life, a life not bound by the reality of death nor even by the entropy of our universe toward final extinction. He spoke of a new heaven and a new earth and of eternal life. He did this with miracles witnessed by a great many people who went on to die for the message of love and forgiveness he shared with them. As companions for eternity go would you prefer a grumpy atheist whose future vision of you is as worm food, a Muslim who is not certain if he is going up or down, or a living Savior who will bring you into the unlimited wonders of God and all his creations? Is our hope in vain? No, the future is promised, guaranteed by Christ's own sacrifice, proven by the resurrection and the Spirit's presence. In this hope, the church has grown from just a few disciples to billions all over the world.

SOME PREDICTIONS

People often want detailed predictions that make them money or keep them safe or make them look clever. But maybe we should stick with the stuff that God has said. Jesus is coming back to us. This will be a joy for those who know Him and a terror for those that do not. Things are likely to get worse before they get better but they will get better. The good guys win in the longest term and justice and truth will prevail. We will be held accountable for our lives no matter how long or short. There will be a Judgment Day and a separation of sinners from believers for all eternity in heaven and hell. This whole universe is temporary and will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. Most of us will die and many of us will get sick on the way to the grave, but then we have the hope of resurrection no matter if they buried, cremated, or nuked our remains.

CONCLUSION

So commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Live your lives in his light knowing that the LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. We should fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. We can do all this in the confidence that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Notes ▼

CONTEST:

FORUM

Write An Essay About...  (E) CONTEST: Write Five Paragraphs: an Introduction, three Key Points and a Conclusion. #2213597 by ruwth

W/C: 995 words
PROMPT: Write an essay about the future...