Of the greatest mysteries of life and faith is the future. Religion, by its nature, deals in some way with future things. For some religions the future is all about how we will spend eternity, weather as conscience beings (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), or annihilation, or oneness with creation (eastern religions).
The Bible has a great deal to say about the future. The first mention of future things is a command, found in Genesis 1:28. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This is the first mention of God’s intentions for the future of man. This is known as the Cultural Mandate. It sets the course for God’s plan for mankind.
However, the first man and woman took their future into their own hands and charted a course of rebellion against God. When God pronounced punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin, he gave the first prophecy to Satan. He says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This was the first prophecy of the coming of Christ who would set things aright.
There also seems to be a model here. God’s commands for the future are blessing, found in the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28. But the first prophecy, though a judgment, also contains blessing, “He shall bruise your head,” and a curse, “Enmity.” God’s command relative to the future are almost always positive. But prophecy is mixed. Sometimes it reveals God’s promises for a future blessing, sometimes it is a curse. Here are some examples.
- Noah is told of God’s judgment (a curse), and is commanded to build a boat to save humanity (a blessing).
- Abraham is promised a land and nation (blessing), but his descendants would experience slavery (curse).
- Joseph revealed the famine to come in Egypt (curse), but God elevated Joseph to save the nation (blessing).
- Moses was commanded to lead Israel out of Egypt (blessing), and foretold about the curses God will bring on Egypt.
- The giving of the Ten Commandments mentions various sins (curse) but is a blessing because it brings justice.
- God tells Israel they will die in the desert (curse), but commands their children to take the land (blessing).
- Joshua is commanded to bring Israel into the land (blessing), and prophesies about the judgment against those nations they supplant (curse).
- God tells Solomon to obey his commands and he will bless him, but if he disobeys he foretells of driving Israel from their land (curse).
- Even when God foretells of Israel’s exile (curse), when in exile God commands them to be fruitful and multiply (blessing), (Jeremiah 29:1-7).
While prophecy about the future is mixed between blessing and cursing, commands about the future are almost always situated around blessing. Even when God judges nations (curse), the result is positive for Israel (blessing).
There do seem to be times when God’s commands may be negative, but also contain a hint of blessing. God approved Satan’s plan to destroy Job’s property, family, and health (curse), but also commanded Satan not to kill him but leave him alive (blessing). The Father commanded Jesus to die for our sins (curse), but that resulted in our salvation (blessing).
Technically, all commands and prophecy are future-oriented. We are never commanded regarding the past, except to remember it and pass it on to the next generation. Commands to pass on our heritage usually use the phrase, “In time to come…” used nine times from Exodus to I Chronicles (ESV).
We Cannot Know the Future.
In most cases we cannot know the future. The future is hidden from us though not with God. We therefore must trust him with our future.
Some Future we do Know.
Through prophecy, God has made known some of the future to us that is relative to his plan for salvation. He did this in Isaiah and the Psalms giving prophecy about the coming of Jesus. He did this in Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation about the coming tribulation, millennial kingdom, and New Jerusalem. He did this in Joel 2:28-32 (Acts 2:14-36) about the coming of the church. So there is some future we know, though only in shadows.
“The Bible is not just a book of history (describing what has happened), or a book of ethics (describing what should and should not happen). It is a book of eschatology, describing what will happen” (Bloomfield, Peter. 2009. What the Bible Teaches about the Future).
Can the Future be Changed?
This is a tricky question. The past is immutable, it cannot be changed. Try and pray for the past to be changed. It won’t happen. For God to change the past that would necessitate a change in his nature since he would have to act and respond differently. But scripture says God does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). This is why time travel is impossible.
Is the future as immutable as the past? Since God has planned history to take place in a certain way I would say yes. God knows how the future will play out. Prophecy itself shows us that God has plans for the future that are set, he will not change them. For instance, Jesus will come again. Jesus said his coming is set for a certain day and hour (Matthew 24:36). Therefore, all of history must roll on toward that event in a certain way. We make choices, and they are real choices. But the end is already determined. God shepherds history toward his goals.
There is the story of David and the people of Keilah whom David saved from the Philistines (I Samuel 23:1-13). When Saul made plans to attack Keilah to capture David, David asked God, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.” David’s response was to flee so Saul did not pursue him. Did David change the future? In one sense we might say yes. He made a choice. That choice had real consequences. But there is another view, somewhat controversial, related to what is called, middle knowledge. This is the idea that God not only knows the future, but he knows all possible futures including those that will never take place. By asking God of the future, God is steering David in the direction he wants him to go. Thus, the future is immutable. This should give us great comfort. No matter what evil befalls the world or us, God is in control of history and will see it to the conclusion he has planned. And we are part of that history.
Eschatology
All of this naturally brings us to eschatology, the study of last things. There are some basic, foundational questions we should ask:
- Is future history predetermined?
- What are God’s plans for the future?
- What part do I play in God’s plans for the future?
Is Future History Predetermined?
At the heart of this question lies the issue of God’s knowledge. Does God know the future? If God does not know the future, then it cannot be said that the future is sure. God simply makes plans and predictions. He attempts to steer the future according to his plans, but he has no guarantee that things will work out his way.
But if God knows the future, and he does not deviate from his plans, then the future is predetermined. History will unfold according to his desire and plans. We must also consider God’s nature in this equation. God is timeless. This means that he doesn’t just look into the future, but he experiences it as if from our perspective he was already there. Thus, the future is sure.
What Are God’s Plans for the Future?
The emphasis for God’s plan for the future is the establishment of God’s kingdom over all things with Jesus as the head of that kingdom. This goal required Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection. It required the church age, bringing many to faith in Christ. It requires his second coming and judgment. Finally, all things will culminate at the end with the establishment of a new heaven and earth where we will experience unbroken love and fellowship with God forever, time without end.
What Part do I Play in God’s Plans for the Future?
Our ultimate experience with Christ may be summarized in the saying, “The goal of the Christian life is to know God and enjoy him forever.” God’s kingdom is made up of people who have surrendered their lives to Christ and the angels that serve the Lord. Therefore, we have roles to play in the establishment of God’s kingdom. Essentially, we have two roles, evangelism and discipleship, exercised in various ways. We are to share the Gospel of Christ with the lost, helping to bring them to faith in Christ. Then we are to disciple them, teaching them how to know God better as time passes and how to obey him in every area of our lives. This is summarized in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20.
If we are ever learning, but not exercising what you learn within these two areas, then you are missing your destiny in Christ. As we grow in Christ we should be looking for opportunities to share our faith in some way, or looking for ways to help others grow in their faith.
What role we will play in the kingdom under the new heaven and earth is not revealed yet. But we know from scripture that it will be an eternally enjoyable experience with nothing to break our fellowship with God and one another.
