The Future is Going to be Surprising

The future is going to be surprising. Great inventions and creations are unexpected, they always come as a surprise. If you guarantee everything and try to control everything, these surprises don’t happen, and the future is bleak. – George Gilder ¹

Great stories are always full of surprises. I just recently finished reading the second book in C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy called Perelandra. As with all good stories, the surprises just keep coming at the turn of each chapter.

You and I are living in the greatest of stories, written by the Great Author Himself. This story is also full of surprises, as it has been from the beginning. When we look back through “His story” we see that it really is the case that God is always surprising us. Picture yourself at any major event on the timeline of history and ask yourself, “Would I have seen that coming?” How many times in the past might men and women have concluded that, due to the dark circumstances of their day, they were likely living the final chapter of history, only to find themselves being completely surprised at the turn of events in the story they were living?

“But it is different in our day,” some will say.

No one can be absolutely certain of all that God is going to do. So, let us not feel sure of the fact that we have finally “arrived” to the final destination and conclusion of all things, and that The Story is surely about to be “wrapped up” within our lifetime. In the same vein, let us not falsely believe that in our lifetimes mankind has arrived at the pinnacle of discovery and God-given human achievement (certainly a temptation to conclude in our day of modern advancements).

These ideas are big mistakes for many reasons. But at the most foundational level, they are dangerous because they inhibit and suppress innovation and vision for the future. If I really believe that everything is just about to end… why bother to strive toward any big goals? Remember, the surprises of good things like antibiotics, electricity, or the internet did not come from people who thought the world was about to end, or that there was nothing left to discover. Some of the greatest discoveries we have witnessed came about in some of the darkest moments in history, thickening the plot, making the story even more surprising.

There have always been bad ideas that have had bad consequences. Over the years, as well as in our time, certain political and governmental ideas, economic and societal ideas, religious and theological ideas, seek to control and give promises and mistaken prophecies, believing that we have arrived at the pinnacle or end. Bad ideas are typically rooted in some form of fear (artificial intelligence is going to destroy all of us; Armageddon is about to begin, etc.), and they stifle and hinder real innovation, advancement, and even the furtherance of the gospel within the nations of God’s world. ²

Do we have battles and a fine mess to face in 2023? Yes, but we should be careful supposing that because we live in a dark day, everything is quickly coming to a conclusion. There have always been dark days and low times throughout history. It is easy for us to see the past with rosy-tinted glasses and forget the reality of some of the very dark days behind us. As one historian friend put it, “The past is rated R. (Sometimes worse.)” It is all part of the story.

We must also remember that there are some really good things going on today as well. These good things will ultimately lead to some very good ends. And, just like any good story, I believe we are going to be surprised by the future, as God works His will in and through His people within this world.

You were born for this very time. Take heart. Stand strong against sin. Work hard. Love your family. Do what is good and right. Learn and grow in God’s Word and God’s world. Be creative and innovate (take dominion in this world). Speak truth, light and life into the present darkness. Spread the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ. Walk humbly with your God.

Though we surely will travel through some dark days, we can trust the Author, anticipating surprises ahead. The future is far from bleak. All redounding to His glory.

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Footnotes

1. George Gilder, “Sage Against the Machine” video presentation by New Saint Andrews College, 2023, https://gildermovie.com
2. Researching the eschatological views of key individuals within the great missionary movements over the last two hundred years is a fascinating study. The prevailing view that began to drive these men and women from their homes to reach souls across the ocean was not a view of pending destruction upon the earth before Christ’s return, but rather a long-term vision of Christ being victorious through His Church within the world before His return. A great book on this subject is The Puritan Hope by Iain Murray.