How I live now matters. My body matters. My mind matters. It is not discarded in the future, so I can treat my current life any way I want.
Current gleanings from NT Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope:
I am but a shadow of my future self.
How I love now matters.
What we do in the present matters. It will last into God’s future. Our vocation. Our gifts. Our actions. Our care. All of it is getting us ready for our future selves.
All along the way we are building for God’s Kingdom.
N.T. Wright poses this question: “What would happen if we were to take seriously our stated belief that Jesus Christ is already the Lord of the world and that at his name, one day, every knee would bow?”
Read moreNow as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all these things are about to take place?” (Mark 13:1-5, NIV)
We always want to know the what and when. We need to surrender OUR view of the end of the age. What is the KINGDOM view? Allow Jesus to mess up your theology.
Reading Matthew 24-25 always brings up the different theologies surrounding the end times, etc.
This interview and post by Scot McKnight is interesting. Especially this quote:
I believe heaven will be here, on earth. I believe in transformed physical existence. It will be what we have now only transformed into ideal conditions.
Jesus was raised from the dead and people recognized him, but his body was transformed to a new kind of body. I think that’s what it will be like. You will have a perfect nose. (McKnight is making an inside joke about the awful incident in which Poe the Demon Dog almost took off my entire nose.)
I know NT Wright has written a book on the end of all things I really need to plunge into as well. Just an interesting perspective from a very solid evangelical.
Apprentice 2 Jesus 