Creating Utopia: A return to eden or babel?

1. Creating Utopia: A return to eden or babel? Considering the implications of building a perfect society without God.

2. Session 10 Utopia: Post-Christian Prospects

3. The framework of this study was laid out by Dr. Heiser in a presentation given at the 2013 “Future Congress” Conference. The title of the presentation was: “Thinking Theologically About the Utopian Impulse as a Perversion of the Judeo-Christian Worldview” It can be viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/yl4wR-EW00Y

4. For more of Dr. Heiser’s work listen to his: “Naked Bible Podcast” http://www.nakedbiblepodcast.com Or visit his primary website at: http://drmsh.com

5. OVERVIEW • Repercussions of Christ-centered vs. Me-centered worldviews. • Utopia in Review • Post-Christian Prospects. • Eschatological (end-times) implications.

6. Repercussions of christ-centered vs. me-centered worldviews

7. A Christ-centered worldview

8. A Christ-centered worldview • My true self-worth comes not from me, but through Christ in me. • I must strive to promote Christ’s presence in my life. • Focusing on anything other than Christ as the centerpiece of my life is destined to fail. • My efforts will not fully recognized in our earthly life but ultimately will be recognized and rewarded in heaven, with Christ.

9. My true self-worth comes not from me, but through Christ in me. A Christ-centered worldview I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

10. I must strive to promote Christ’s presence in my life. A Christ-centered worldview He must become greater; I must become less. -John 3:30 (NIV)

11. I must strive to promote Christ’s presence in my life. A Christ-centered worldview Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. -Romans 6:16-18 (NIV)

12. Focusing on anything other than Christ as the centerpiece of your life is destined to fail. A Christ-centered worldview No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. -Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

13. Our efforts will not be recognized in our earthly life but with ultimately be recognized and rewarded in heaven, with Christ. A Christ-centered worldview Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

14. A me-centered worldview

15. A me-centered worldview • My true self-worth comes from being me. • I must strive to promote myself and my self-interests. • Focusing on anything other than me must come second, and only if it supports me or my self-interests. • All rewards are experienced in this life. My future is important but not guaranteed, so I must push to get all of my rewards in the present.

16. My true self-worth comes from being me. A me-centered worldview • Because I have made myself my own god, then I have to choose to believe specific philosophies of life to promote that belief. • Humanism: Humans are of prime importance and there is nothing above them. • Atheism: There is no God. • Materialism: There is nothing beyond the physical universe. • Scientism: Science holds all answers there are to know.

17. I must strive to promote myself and my self-interests. A me-centered worldview • This is fostered by our selfishness and materialism. • Because I am god, I deserve the best things. • This life is all that I get, so I should get as much stuff as I can. • My needs (wants) outweigh other people’s needs. • Once I am taken care of, I will take care of others. • Stuff represents status and relative worth of a person. • Because I am the most worthy person, I should have the most stuff.

18. Focusing on anything other than me must come second, and only if it supports me or my self-interests. A me-centered worldview • If I am the center of reality then everything else must come second. • All other considerations become an extension of supporting me. • Example - being a good person: • benefits society, and that society benefits me. • helps others, so they can help me someday. • doing the right thing, makes me feel good or important.

19. All rewards are experienced in this life. My future is important but not guaranteed, so I must push to get all of my rewards in the present. A me-centered worldview • This is the idea that fuels the drive to utopianism. • If we create utopia, I can have everything that I desire. • All of my material needs will be met. • I will have physical security. • I will have happiness (Which I can’t seem to find right now.) • Realization of Utopia will prove all my beliefs correct. • My belief that I am my own god will be justified.

20. Utopia in review

21. Utopia: The Rebellions • God put in place the perfect plan. Mankind in direct communion with Him in a utopian paradise we call The Garden of Eden. • Rebellions saw to the corruption of that plan. • The angelic rebellion - introduced sin into God’s created order. • The rebellion of man (the fall) - introduced sin into the world and damaged the communion between God and man. • The Genesis 6 rebellion - led to Noah’s flood and the near destruction of mankind. • The rebellion at Babel - led to the division of languages and people groups.

22. Utopia: Evolution of thinking • With the loss of an actual paradise provided by God, man begins to dream of a manmade utopia where he would be the master. • Utopian writings start as far back as Plato’s Republic. • The utopian dream progressed and changed over millennia but the one constant is its man-centered theme. • Today utopian thinking is most keenly evident in idealistic humanist thinkers, globalists, and secret/esoteric societies. • All have a different form of a perfect “new world”.

23. Utopia: Theory vs. reality • When considering different utopian ideas it quickly becomes apparent: • the promises are well defined and exciting. • the reality of recognizing that promise is either undefined, unacceptable, or unrealistic. • Some important questions when evaluating a utopian idea are: • What resources will be needed and how will they be obtained? • Who’s included, who’s excluded, and who makes that decision? • What ideologies and belief systems are in conflict with this?

24. Utopia: unified governance • God’s intention for unified governance was for humanity to function as an extended family with Him as the head of the family. • God allows human governments to have dominion over their subjects. (Romans 13:1-2) • Nimrod was the first ruler over a unified humanity. (Genesis 10-11) • Globalism is pushing for a one world system under unified governance (the United Nations or similar entity). • Christian eschatology tells us humanity will one day be unified under a single leader. We refer to him as the Anti-Christ.

25. Utopia: environmental harmony • A primary tenant of utopian thinking is complete harmony between mankind and nature. • Attitudes towards the environment range from “consumption & depletion” all the way to Pantheism. • God calls Christians to be stewards of His creation. While this may entail conservation efforts, the end goal is always God-centric. • Within the realm of modern global governance, environmentalism is referred to as sustainable development. • The UN is currently trying to implement their “Agenda 2030”.

26. Utopia: Civil Religion (HUMANISM) • As we saw earlier humanism removes God from a position of authority and sovereignty and replaces Him with mankind. • Utopia requires citizens with specific characteristics. Contrived and warped religions often play a role in shaping and manipulating people. • We reviewed several “religions” that exist that do not recognize God, instead they recognize some aspect of nature or emotion. • These religions are based on emotions, experience, and social justice activities. • These religions make it clear that if you fail to make God the center of your belief system, your interpretation of the Bible will become warped.

27. Utopia: Civil Religion (Godless religion) • We were each made to need God, and as such if He is not in our lives we seek to replace Him with something else…anything else. • We had a case study on an electronic music festival called Tomorrowland. • This revealed how you could take something with no traditional religious elements and create an almost religious experience. • Iconography and symbolism play a powerful role in communicating ideas and messages that aren’t readily apparent at first glance. • Language and vocabulary shape our perception of something and often frame the way we think about a subject. (The Church of Love)

28. Utopia: Transhumanism • Transhumanism has the desire to use G.R.I.N. technologies to rid ourselves of biological restraints and advance to the next version of humanity (h+, humanity 2.0, or post-humanity). • The desire to have godlike bodies, abilities, and lifespans. • This replicates the utopian idea of what the human body should be. • What they are trying to achieve is the resurrection body, but here on earth. • This is a major stepping stone to realizing the utopian vision.

29. Utopia: G.R.I.N Technologies • Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Nanotechnology • These technologies are moving from the infancy stage towards usable applications. • Technology itself isn’t inherently bad or evil. • People often use technology towards selfish and evil ends. • The clearly definable potential for harm and human suffering outweighs the undefined (and unrealistic) promises of benefit.

30. Post-christian prospects what happens as humanism replaces christianity in our society?

31. –Brock Adams, Director of UN Health Organization “To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.”

32. post-christian prospects • The embrace of post-modern thinking where everything is relative and language is used to redefine the meaning of ideas. • Monism (the idea of oneness) will be embraced over dualism (the idea of God and us). • Neo-paganism will lead to the “naturalizing” of religion and the “spiritualization” of science. • Scientism will lead to the replacement of materialist science for divine truth. • Truth will be seen as coming from many sources instead of from God.

33. post-christian prospects • Increasing socialist style governance at all levels as people feel less secure, place trust in government, and group together out of self-interest. • Consumer oriented economics as people strive to shower themselves with material goods. • Increasing opportunities for corruption, opportunists, and thugs as social institutions grow large and unmanageable. • People depending on the state for sustenance and welfare instead of community and family relationships.

34. post-christian prospects • Pressure on people to put aside their independence to facilitate “working together” under the supervision of the state. • Incremental and increasing surrender of personal liberties and having them replaced by “rights” that are defined by the state and subject to change as needed. • Establishment-driven learning. The state or its surrogates proved all information, while fact-checking becomes rare. • Entertainment and felt-needs override the need to make a difference or better the world…since we will be told it is already good.

35. post-christian prospects • The apostate Church will grow and will not be in conflict with the culture around it. • The biblical worldview will give way to a “many ways to Jesus” doctrine. • Sermons will continue to shift towards felt-needs and self-improvement. • Pastors and the people of the apostate church will develop an intolerance for complex, difficult, and potentially divisive content.

36. post-christian prospects • In short, the varied Pagan beliefs and practices of the ancient past will be reborn into a modernized Neo-paganism. • Apostate Christianity will be blended into the fold of Neo-paganism. • Genuine followers of Christ will be marginalized and isolated from society. They will be seen as intolerant, self-righteous, bigoted, hate-filled cult.

37. post-christian prospects • If we are fearful of man: • We will slip further into the world’s ways. • We will relinquish the moral authority that Christians have enjoyed up to recent times. • We will surrender the faith. • We will turn from God in order to please men.

38. post-christian prospects • If we honor God: • We will find ourselves in the same position the apostles and the early Church did. • We will have to be willing to suffer for Jesus. • We will have the privilege of representing Jesus. • We will see genuine change in peoples’ lives.

39. View: Paul washer clip

40. The proven solution has always been one generation willing to suffer for the next generation.

41. –1 Peter 4:16-19 (NIV) However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

42. –2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (NIV) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…

43. eschatological Implications

44. Where does mankind’s utopian impulse drive us?

45. –Paul-Henri Spaak, 1957 “We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the alliances of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.”

46. –2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

47. –Revelation 13:1-4 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

48. –2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV) Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessnessis revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

49. –2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV) “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

50. –Arnold Toynbee, British Historian “The nations of the world are ready to give the kingdoms of the world to any one man who will offer us a solution to the worlds problems.”