A Future of Hope?
In the biblical book of Proverbs it says that “If you trust in man then down you go!”
But the book of Daniel (Dan 2:35b) speaks of a time when after the history of human ancient empires that a “stone cut out, but not with human hands would strike the idol and grind it to powder…and become a great mountain that would fill the whole earth”.
In the Gospels (John 17), Jesus The Messiah, exhorted us that this world is “not our home”, and in the book of Hebrews the saints are rewarded for their faith because they longed for a home that was not of this world.
We are called to put our treasure in heavenly store houses where moth and rust do not destroy. Yet we are also living in this physical world as long as we are in this body of flesh…which means we partake in the blessings and tribulations of this life.
In the book of Timothy we are told to not hope in riches but, “to rest their hopes on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.”
— 1st Tim 6:17
So someday is heaven truly coming to the earth as it famously states in the prayer Jesus taught His followers to pray, “Your Kingdom come…here on earth, as it is in heaven.” And if it is coming or has come, what does that look like to our mortal eyes, or can we even see it?
A cursory glance at the news stories of the day leaves us all imagining the worst of times, and the horrible plight of humanity. However if we take a moment to consider what our predecessors endured as humans we might truly be living in the most glorious days yet experienced by any prior population.
In history past people endured severe hardships. Just consider the plight of the wandering nomads of the early pre-Christian era. Going about the land in tents, tending livestock, searching for watering holes and fields to feed their stock. There was no running water, no thermostat, not much in the way of burnables in general. Food was scarce and heavily dependant upon the local climate. Choices in food were few and very limited, with much time needed for food preparation, proper storage and cultivation, if you could settle in a city or town. There was always the threat of violence from outsiders. Life expectancy was very short—access to healthcare was non-existant. Entertainment consisted in music provided by acoustics and limited to the ability of your local bard.
The leaders and rulers of those times definitely experienced better living, but still were limited in terms of healthcare, food options depending upon season, and energy in terms of heating of homes and palaces, as well as travel options often being very crude, arduous, and cold.
Consider that today the average American family lives in a warm home with the following incredible added amenities:
- Access to low cost energy services to heat homes, power amentities and life enhancing services across ever-increasing people groups
- Global access to news, media, and communication via the world wide web
- The ability to speak face to face with their loved ones around the earth
- The ability to travel in vehicles at incredible speeds while seated comfortably in a climate controlled cabins
- Refrigerated foods
- Available foods from around the world, things that were prior reserved for royalty
- Top of the line technology and entertainment
- Freedoms of religious practices, speech, and privacy
- Freedoms of travel and association
- Freedoms of personal self defense in The USA
- The rampant spread of Christianty across the African continent, Asia, and the middle east (China curently being the largest Christian nation)
- Access to life saving technology and healthcare services across ever expanding populations
- Increased leisure time for most populations
So we can see that the people of the world have incredible and unprecedented access to luxurious living, like nothing that had been seen before. Is this a symptom of the Kingdom of heaven “coming” to the earth, or simply the normal progression of human civilization?