The past is closed. It cannot be changed. The future, on the other hand, is open. It hasn’t been settled yet. In fact, there is no such thing as “the future.” There are only the futures (plural).
Most of us are used to thinking about the future in terms of the Eschaton. In the Eschaton, time will be no more, questions about absolute truth are settled once and for all and Jesus is known by all to be Lord. That’s Future with a capital “F”. This future is “post” time-and-space.
Before then, there are alternate futures, alternate paths towards tomorrow. (More about this in my new book, Making the World Human Again). These are what I call the alternate futures.
Apparently, there are some people who read the Bible and see a young earth, 10,000 years old or less, I think. (Don’t really know much about this or them). I think our cosmos extends millions and billions of years into the past.
How about when we look at the future?
Personally, I hold two contradictory points of view. On the one hand, I think humankind is destined to colonize the stars. We will evolve in unanticipated ways in order to do so. That will take a very, very long time. On the other hand, Jesus seems to suggest that our task here will approach its conclusion when the last of the unreached people groups on earth embraces the gospel. That will not take as long as star travel by a long shot.
Take and moment and let your imagination run free and unemcumbered by fear.
What do you think?
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