We want to leave a better world for our kids than we had growing up. You hear this all the time from numerous people of all kinds of faiths, religions, and peoples. Everyone wants to see this world better off than it is now. Just listen to the news and the dreams from the politicians and scientists. They all are talking about the betterment of man and society and addressing issues that are problems to man and society. Even wicked men did what they did in attempt to usher in a better and brighter age with their lives, despite their methods or how wacky their ideals. But I have a question for each of us: why do we want to leave a better future for the next generation?
Please do not read what I am not saying. I am not suggesting we NOT leave a better place for our children. I am asking where did this idea of needing to leave a better place come from? The most common answer is simple and true: “Things are not the way they should be.” It does not matter what you believe; everyone seems to have the same sentiment. Things are not going as well as they should be now and we all need to do a better job so our children do not have to suffer as we have. There are many differences in why we think we have problems and what our proposed solutions are, however we all see the same problem: things are not the way they ought to be. I want to address two things: What is the way things should be, and how can we get there?
First, if things are not as good now as they should be, what is the way things should be? What are we comparing to? Many people have all kinds of different ideas and almost every one of them is a world that particular person would like to see the most. It is usually some type of utopian world where everyone is comfortable according to the standards that person likes to be in.
However, that utopian ideal tends to have certain peoples removed from the picture. Hitler’s ideal utopia was to be removed of Jews, blacks, Christians, and ultimately anyone not of the “Aryan” race. In his debate with Ken Ham, Bill Nye told everyone if you wanted to believe in God, that was fine, but leave your children out of it because “we need them.” Nye’s ideal utopian world has no God and no believers in God in it. I have news for you, the Christian “utopian society,” which we describe as heaven, also has people removed from it: the wicked, the rebellious, the self-righteous, and those who want nothing to do with God. Jesus gave many warnings about those who will not make it to heaven.
It does not matter what you believe, not everyone makes it to this “better world.” This idea of “Coexist” and “Can’t we all get along?” is truly a fantasy that no one believes nor supports. Someone is always left out and it is usually the Christian and God himself in most of these utopian dreams. The reason why is because the ideal these people have is one where they get to experience heaven without God there. They want to be free of pain, toil, tears, and just want to party, but God is not there. These people will get their wish – to be without God – but it won’t be the utopian dream they have deceived themselves with.
But how did this idea of a utopian society and world come from? Many have a worldview where Evolution is the model of origins and everything evolved without the aid of a supernatural creator, to where we are being made better and better and better through mutation and natural selection of the “weaker” species, despite the fact that every observation says it is going the opposite direction. We are not “evolving” better and better; we are ‘devolving’ worse and worse. But this worldview does not give an accounting of why there is even a concept of an ideal utopian existence. In reality, this dream is stolen (yes, I mean that) from the Christian worldview.
The Christian worldview states that everything was in perfect order and we had utopia 6000 years ago, then when Adam and Eve sinned that utopian dream was shattered. We have been going downhill since. This explains why there is a dream utopia within most, if not, all societies. It was a reality and that knowledge is lost. In Don Richardson’s Eternity in Their Hearts, he describes numerous cultures that had knowledge of a one true God and a hope for that knowledge to return. Same idea. There was a perfect world, but it was lost because of sin. There will be a new perfect world as depicted in Revelation 21-22. This is what most people look forward to. The difference between the Christian and everyone else is that everyone else wants the paradise but no God. The Christian looks forward to this utopian dream where we will see the Father face-to-face and where God will be worshiped without ceasing. This is not going to be boring harp playing. It is going to be something so far bigger above and beyond what we can imagine.
Now, how do we get to that utopia? How do we get to that better place we dream of? The secularists and the godless have ideas by removing anyone who gets in their way. The “New World Order” has a tenant that the ideal world population should be 500 million. They would be happy to wipe out 7 billion people to suit their ideal utopia. Take a strong notice that any time someone talks about the betterment of society or the benefit of mankind, they are not talking about every person; they are talking about their dream ideal society where they benefit the most. If they do not get benefit from it, they either want nothing to do with it or they want it out of the way, because those resources could be used to benefit them. God has other ideas.
God’s very nature is so holy and pure that if his presence were to be around sin, his wrath would annihilate it. The only way he could rescue mankind while also being consistent with his character was for someone to pay the penalty and satisfy his character of justice and righteousness. Jesus did that. It was not the cross itself that paid the price; the cross was just the means used to carry it out. It was the perfect, innocent Lamb of God taking the full brunt of God’s wrath and being crush under it that satisfied God. And because Jesus did that, we have the opportunity by grace, through faith, to die ourselves in Christ and also be resurrected in him. Keep in mind that this “utopia” is not for our benefit primarily. It is for Christ’s benefit primarily. We are his reward. It is all about HIM. It is not about what we get out of it. That’s not the primary purpose of the cross. God wants to save us so that the Blood of Christ would not go unused, not for the primary purpose of keeping us out of hell. Let that sink in.
The utopia that God establishes is eternity with him. I have only had glimpses of the glory that awaits us when this sin, death, and darkness passes. I also know very little is being done to prepare for that eternity, in this world, in the churches, and in my own life. Are we getting ready for a real utopia? Not this fake dream of perfection without God, but a real reality where God finally receives the glory and honor he is due and we get to see him face-to-face. One where there is no night, no pain, no death. There will be work, but no toil. The wolf will lie with the lamb and the Tree of Life will bear its 12 fruits in season. And best of all, we will be in the eternal and glorious presence of God Almighty.
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