Everybody
has a view about the future, even if it is vague or not thoroughly thought
through.
Atheists or Agnostics believe that there is no God. If this is what you believe, then it is also likely that you will believe that after you die, you will simply will vanish into a state of non- existence. The effect that this eschatology has on your thinking will probably lead you towards living a self-centered, hedonistic (pleasure centered) lifestyle. Since if there is no afterlife, you have to get the maximum out of this life. According to this view there is no point in living a moral life.
Other major world religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism believe in the existence of gods or God. Their followers tend to be mindful of their continued existence of life after death. They all believe in some form of future judgement and a golden new age. All these religions have a moral or ethical code associated with their respective religion. The fear of their god(s) will inspire them to restrain themselves in areas which that religion may prescribe, because they know that they will have to give an account of their deeds before their god(s) in the afterlife.
In Islamic eschatology, the day of judgement is
characterized by the annihilation of all life, which will then be followed by
the resurrection and judgment by God. The righteous are rewarded
with the pleasures of Jannah
(Paradise), while the unrighteous are punished in Jahannam (Hell)[1]. A Muslim
will think of the performance of the 5 pillars of Islam [2] as his door into paradise. A radical Muslim suicide bomber will think of his
suicide as a pleasing work to Allah, and he will think of paradise and its sensuous
rewards in the afterlife.
Salvation and the future for a Hindu
is called Moksha. Moksha is when an
enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of life-and-death (the endless
cycle of death and reincarnation) and comes into a state of completeness (Nirvana). He then becomes one with God. There are four ways to Moksha[3].
The Buddhist sees human evil not
primarily as sin against God. Human evil is grounded in fundamental ignorance
and blindness to our true nature. A Buddhist
works for his future
salvation by seeking liberty from such bondage through the transformation
of his consciousness towards
an awakening of his true Buddha nature.
The Jew will think of his salvation
has been primarily conceived in terms of the destiny of Israel as the elect
people of Yahweh. Good works and the keeping of religious rites are seen as sufficient grounds of acceptance
before God and entrance into the afterlife.
This also goes for the many pseudo- Christian groups who teach their followers that their entrance into a heavenly future is by means of keeping a system of religious rites and good works.
Jehovah’s
witnesses believe in
an afterlife but not in
an eternal hell.The Seventh day adventists similarly believe in an afterlife, but teach the annihilation of the wicked.
We thus see that all these religions have a future state in view. Their followers think, work and act accordingly.
BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY
Biblical Christians similarly live in anticipation of the future life. Christians believe that they must give a future account of themselves to God. Whilst biblical Christians have an ethical and moral code and an understanding of the importance of good works in this life, they know that ultimately they will be admitted into God’s presence only through trusting in the merits of Christ’s righteousness alone. Salvation is through faith alone, by God’s grace alone, in Christ alone.
FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT CHRISTIAN ESCHATOLOGY
It is very clear that the Bible points Christians towards an optimistic future.
Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament was miraculously conceived by Mary [4], and born in time to bring about God’s consistent promise to redeem a chosen people for Himself. When Jesus [5] entered upon His ministry, He taught that with Him the kingdom of God had arrived[6]. By His death on the cross He had secured the salvation of His people and by His death He had destroyed the stronghold of Satan[7]. When He ascended back to the Father[8], He promised to come again to judge this earth, and to usher in the new heavens and earth[9] and to crush Satan's present dominion. Christians have a strong and positive eschatology of victory. They have a strong view of the future.
Much of the New Testament is concerned directly or
indirectly with eschatology- with future issues. So, in terms of eschatology Christians are not dealing with a minor doctrine. The doctrine of the last things strongly affects how Christians think and behave NOW.
- The Bible strongly
encourages Christians to think about the future and plan for it with the
wisdom that God has given them in His Word.
- Christians are
encouraged to think of and plan for their day of death.
- Christians think about their future standing before God.
- Christians think about their material investments now in terms of gaining riches in heaven. Christians think about the doctrine of future rewards in heaven. (e.g. Matt. 6:1-6)
- A significant component of the completion of their salvation (i.e. their death, glorification and resurrection) is still before the Christian.
- Eternity awaits. The most significant part of a Christian’s
life is yet before them.
Christians believe that their world must become a better place as it comes under the progressive influence of the gospel, as each Christian takes responsibility for the gospel in their sphere of influence. This pattern of thinking was deeply embedded in the 16th Century Reformation, particularly in John Calvin’s teaching. This optimistic worldview, rooted in their understanding of Christ's victory on the cross, led to the incredible spread of the Protestant movement in terms of an applied biblical theology, resulting in the Protestant work ethic.
Sadly, following the spread of God centered Protestantism and its resultant blessings, Christians became increasingly passive about their future. This may have been the result of increasing material prosperity, which tended to make them unguarded, lukewarm, self satisfied and therefore apathetic about the future.
A number of thinking Christians have also argued that the advent of the 19th century pre-millenial, and in particular the dispensational form of eschatology did much to destroy the a-millenial and post millennial optimistic eschatological frameworks that once governed 16th century Protestantism.
One of the strong tenets of the pre-millenial view is that the world will get more and more wicked before Christ’s return. This thought combined with the thought that the great tribulation, and the rapture of the church was at hand gave rise to the idea that Christians had to withdraw from society until Jesus came to deliver them.
Many Christians influenced by such thinking have withdrawn from many major battles that were being fought in the 20th century. One of the great battles of the early 20th century was for the authority, inerrancy and sufficiency of the Bible. Many Christians have been quiet in the recent battles of the 21st century over issues of biblical marriage, gender identity, human sexuality and anthropology.
Christians now, more than ever, must remember that the future belongs to God and to them.
Eschatology – the way we
think about the Bible and hence about the future, does have
consequences!
It does matter how Christians think,
pray, work, save, plan, invest, commit or not commit to do things in the
present.
Our view of the future affects our philosophy of life and living. If there is no faith in the power and promises of God then there is no power in the present.
It seems as if the present church and society are driven far too little by biblical eschatological realities. Modern Christians tend to be more concerned about existential issues such as personal safety, ("what shall we eat", "what shall we wear", "where do we live") than they are about the future to come. In that sense few are future minded.
Ask God to help you to rethink your life's ultimate priorities in the light of what the Bible teaches about the future.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_eschatology
[2] THE 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM: 1. Profession of Faith (shahada). The
belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God" is central to Islam. 2. Prayer
(salat) Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
sunset, and after dark 3.Alms giving(zakat).
4. Fasting (sawm) 5. Pilgrimage (hajj).
[3]FOUR WAYS TO MOKSHA 1. The Way of Action:
This involves carrying out certain religious ceremonies, duties and rites. The
objective is to perform works without regard for personal gain.2. The Way of Knowledge: This requires
using your mind and philosophy to come to a complete comprehension of the
universe.3. The Way of Devotion:
Salvation is reached through acts of worship, based upon the love for a God
(there are thousands of gods in Hinduism).4.The
Royal Road: The use of meditation and yoga techniques. This method of
reaching salvation is typically only used by wandering monks.
[5] Jesus’
name – means Yahweh saves (
Matt 1:21)
[6] Matthew
3:2,4:17,23; 16:19; Luke 11: 20 ; 17:20,21
[7] Luke 11:14-23;
[8] Luke 24:50-53
[9] The
Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 & 25
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