By Fenter Northern
IN MY STUDIES AND CONTEMPLATION OF HISTORY, I KNOW EVENTS SWING FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT AND BACK AGAIN IN THE SOCIETY OF MEN. I wonder today, perhaps because I am in the midst of this modern era and do not have the advantage of hindsight for our day, —I wonder if the pendulum has not swung too far—or at least farther than ever before in our society away from serous thoughts about a conscience existence after we leave this place.
I believe there is some evidence of a drift into that with all the multitudes of scientific devices with artificial intelligence that have recently inundated society. Man seems to be building his tower to the heavens again. Huge amounts of instruments of mass and instant communication are peddled to all ages in a little box that can be held in the hand. This seems to create an environment of bliss so captivating it cannot be laid aside for social togetherness, even at mealtime or while driving a car — a demanding tool creating such destructiveness laws have to be made for safety, yet ignored.
This new tool seems to have ushered in a new vision of intoxicating humanism, that man is truly the master of things and all things are arriving at a utopian age in this world without a time count.
What is the most disturbing of all is to see that not only happening in our currrent culture, but, to a great measure, see it affecting the broad spectrum of Christiandom that is being mimicked in some places by elders in the New Testament church that ought to know better. The outside materialistic and paganistic environment has always affected God’s people — ecclesiastic history is full of it.
We must not forget we are wayfarers marching through this alien land. We are told “we have no continuing city,” and to be separate. But if we are not careful we might drive our stakes down too deeply here, thus disassociating ourselves from the wayfarer travelers and identify ourselves with those basking in the ecstasy of this ipad age.
However, to all who are happily distracted from the reality of the unseen now, know this: there is something in your future that will be indeed sobering. Sooner are later all will be haunted by the pendulum’s final swing for us.
World history is sobering. All the countless generations born are gone. Have all those multitudes who were born, loved, worked, suffered, laughed, wept, just vanished into nothing with no accounting for the wicked or blessing for the righteous–no more than animals?
It comes closer to home when we think about ourselves. When we are young we have no thought of death. Time seems endless and we will always be in our present strength and vitality. However, and it happens to all, by the middle ages time begins to increase rapidly in speed and earthly ambitions seem to be fleeting into the sunset.
But the hurtful shock, the most jarring of all, is when we have to part with our loved ones, a mate that has blended together with our spirit and emotions through the years.
The Bible does not insult our intelligence by minimizing the fact of death or ignoring one’s emotions by playing down tragedy. To the contrary, it calls death man’s enemy, and it will abide to the end, but victory over death is coming, for God, who has never lied, and always keeps his promises, is faithful.
The total of history offers nothing contrary to that. The teaching of the historic Jesus, and the infallible testimony of his resurrection shout to all creation…we will continue to exist after death.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Cor 15:57
The pendulum swings, the last one is coming which will swing through the door of death into our eternal destiny.