Tags
afterlife, creation, eschatology, free will, freedom, future, God, heaven, love, people, Sin, the end
Eschatology as the study of the last things or the end of the world is an intriguing area in theological studies. It basically assumes this world will come to an end and proposes what’s next. This immediately raises some questions. What exactly is going to come to an end? And if there is a new beginning after the end, as it is held in Christian theology, is this a real end or just another point in an ongoing cycle of reality?
In Christian theology there is a reference to two worlds: the present one and the one to come. In all flavors of Christian eschatology the world to come is better than the current one. Obviously. It is actually believed to be the best of all worlds. For those going through tough times (and who doesn’t?) it is what helps them navigate life here and now, knowing that one day it will be all right. No wonder it fuels hope. If there is no justice now, it will one day. If there is pain now, it won’t be one day. If things don’t work the way there are supposed to, they will one day. It is described in, basically, perfect terms. There won’t be anything lacking. Now, this view is true for both those who believe this world, as we know it, will be destroyed and a totally new heaven and earth will replace it and for those believing that a perfect world will one day be here on earth. It all sounds fluffy and it inspires hope … if … you don’t think a bit deeper about it, if you just take it as a matter of faith, something to just accept as true. But here at Theology Gym, we don’t let things slide. We ask questions. We try to expose cracks. Since this the first post in a series on eschatology I want to get us started by addressing two problems.
First, Christians believe the world to come will be perfect because, well simply, God will make it so. But doesn’t this seem to overlook an all too important factor: the present world is God’s creation. Last time I checked God created this world … perfect. How can he do a better job? Was this project a try-out on the way to create the truly perfect universe? How do we know he will nail it on the next attempt? And what kind of God does this presuppose? You can’t have God create a better world after He already created one that was supposed to be perfect and still hold that what God does is perfect and good every single time, can you?
Second, it is said the next life or Heaven, as it is commonly called, will be perfect because of the absence of sin. If that’s the case we need to ask what sin we are talking about. Isn’t sin only possible when you are free to choose? So if there won’t be sin in heaven, there won’t be free will either. Well, that complicates things. First, does that mean that God thinks the idea of giving freedom to people was not such a good idea? Again, that paints a different picture of God. He can’t make up his mind what’s best? In his view robots are now better? What is the place of love in this “perfect world”? If you’re forced to love is that love?
Let’s stop here for now and let the conversation begin.
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Click HERE for the next post in this series.
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Reblogged this on Persona and commented:
Florin continues his tough questions about Christian theology with a series on eschatology.
Do we need to believe in a better world because God’s ‘experiment’ has failed? and what guarantees it will succeed now?
And, again, if love presupposes freedom and freedom brings with it the risk of sin, will the ‘absence of sin’ in the coming world mean implicitly the absence of freedom?
To be fait, not easy to answer these legitimate questions, simply because we tend to think the world to come in terms of this world and, it seems, they will be radically different.
Yet, it seems there will also be a radical continuity between them, as Jesus explains and illustrates repeatedly.
this polar reality may give us some hints, but it id also possible that some of our eschatological questions may remain unanswered until we reach the ‘other realm’.
And, by the way, i would like to suggest that, maybe, imagination (like in the works of CS Lewis and Tolkien, may give us a better grasp of these issues than mere speculative theology.
Hi
What do you propose would happen? Even physiscs has a branch for Eschatology now. I’m seeing that you are a sceptic, and even so what do you hope for? …or hope is irellecant right?
Have a listen…
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/defenders-2-podcast
Continue to read the upcoming posts and you will see where I am going with this. I think we need to question our assumptions. Being sceptic (as you see me) doesn’t mean not believing anything, just not believing everything we’re given. Keep reading and thanks for stopping by and engaging.
Theory of free will is best explored via philosophy – the likes of which is explored in depth by the likes of William Lane Craig & others.
I like to believe freedom (free will) is more than a theory, it is real even if limited at times.
“Theory” referring to how we understand it. Not referring to it being unreal.
Clarification welcomed!
I don’t use- or I suppose, believe in- a future world distinct from the actions and consequences of the present. That’s getting back to ‘opium of the people’ territory for me. We have to believe that we are responsible for what is happening NOW- to that extent, I agree that we should stay present-focused- and that we can’t count on anything more than the consequences of *that*. At least, no one has ever demonstrated that any extraneous force was out there to save us from ourselves, as we have been punished by our own failings over and over and over again.
As soon as we DO believe we are responsible- fully- in the present, we will be best positioned to react and respond in a way that may help for whatever future we are in for. I do hope that the universe has a way of recycling or perpetuating our ‘psychic’ energy or mental structure- it seems like it’s such a waste otherwise- but the discouraging reality of waste is that the universe never seems to mind it. Better to make hay while the sun shines (and we know it), and use that to inspire us to make the most of what we can be sure of.
I’m not sure how well your two initial assumptions will hold up to logic. God said the first creation was “good,” but foreseeing it’s fallen state could not proclaim it “perfect.” Nor must the perfection of the second creation necessarily deny free will. One traditional view of the purpose of the first creation is that living through it prepares us for heaven and/or the second creation in developing our capacity to live freely without sin. Dante passes through the flames separating him from heaven and Beatrice tells him: “Now your will is truly free because everything you will is good and right” (roughly paraphrased). Moreover, perfection is only one aspect of this better world. Another is justice. We imagine some sort of redress in the world to come for the wrongs we’ve suffered and simultaneously forgiveness and redemption for the injustices we have perpetrated. Maybe it can all be worked out (except for the rich and powerful who, as far as I can tell, are the ones the scriptures consistently say should not hope to come through this in good shape)—but it makes me glad I am not God (or one of his ministers) having to sort it all out. I suspect justice is a concept best worked out in the present creation—and perfection, likewise, our glory in rare moments.
So you’re suggesting God could have done a perfect job but instead decided to go with a “good” job? What is different about the second creation, besides being perfect (which would be interesting to have it defined), from the present one?
Hi Florin, I love the questions in this blogpost. However, the very question of this article reflects many of the misconceptions in much of present mainstream Christian theology – but this is changing fast. Pay attention, you need to know about this view. The old view still believes the world to come is a “place” in our future. Rather, carefully reading Scripture reveals that the “age to come” is simply the New Covenant age we are living in NOW. (Couple notes: In Greek, it is always the end of the AGE, not world – an important distinction. also, the bible speaks of the ‘time of the end’ – and NOT the ‘end of time’. So eschatology is actually referring to the ‘time of the END of the Old Covenant AGE’ – not the end of the world, earth, time or history – which the bible, a story of humanity’s redemption, never mentions! That concept only exists in presuppositions and poor translations. The old covenantal end – and new covenant beginning – was signaled in history by the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, which was both a judgment and a parousia, or coming of the presence of Jesus. See my site LivingtheQuestion.org for more on this). So,Yes, I believe in a brighter future to the extent that we in the Kingdom on earth NOW live as salt and light in the world NOW. This kingdom and all its goodness and justice will continue to spread as it is realized in the world through us. I do not believe the Bible teaches that the material world is spiraling down only for us to be vacuumed off of it someday. Rather, a realized, fulfilled or preterist perspective views those prohpecies as already having been fulfilled in Christ and his work in the first century. How? Well, the Bible only speaks of two ages – what they are calling “this age” was the old covenant age or world which came to a final end at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70AD, just as Jesus said it would (Mt 24/Lk 21). What they called the “age to come” was simply referring to the new covenant age – NOW- that would be fully in force after the Temple and old law system was out of the way (Heb 8-11). This is why Paul said he was living at the time of the “consummation of the ages” back then. One was ending, the other beginning. He lived in the already-not-yet before 70ad, but we live in the age to come now. This is the New Covenant Kingdom that was said to be at hand back then – it is Christ IN us and AMONG us NOW as we live in what Holly Roach called Mitzvah – we are co-creating the Kingdom of God on earth as we are salt and light. And we have a lot of work to do! The New Creation isn’t a “place” that will come to us, but a spiritual kingdom coming THROUGH US now. It IS us. WE ARE the New Creation, just as Paul said, those in Christ are the New Creation. We are the ‘all creation’ (read: now open to all kinds of people) who were being redeemed and resurrected out of the old age of death, law, blood and sacrifice into the new age of life, spirit, and FREEDOM. We ARE the people of the new age NOW, which was, to them, the ‘age to come’. See more at my site LivingtheQuestion.ORG