Back to the Future

Would you want to know your future if someone offered to tell you? I dare say that many people would say ‘no’, depending on what tidbit of information was being offered. Would you want to know if you still had the same job in 10 years? Or would you want to know how your kids would turn out? Or would you want to know when you would die?

Some may want to know so they can change a mistake that they will make or to prevent some sort of disaster. But for the most part, we would probably want to avoid knowing every part of our futures, so we can just live our lives and enjoy them.

In my favorite movie, Marty McFly goes back in time to try and warn Doc Brown about the future. Marty is trying to prevent Doc from getting shot in 1985.

As Marty begins to tell him, Doc cuts him off and counters with this statement: “Having information about the future can have disastrous consequences. Even if you're intentions are good, it can backfire drastically.” He goes on to say, “Whatever you've got to tell me, I'll find out through the natural course of time.”

This issue has come up for us recently in two ways. And although it’s not a good idea to argue with the man that invented the flux capacitor, I think there are a few instances when having some foreknowledge can be a good thing. (And if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean.)

Firstly, as a couple, we are studying and thinking about prophecy. Prophecy is a spiritual gift – and is still active today. While it may not tell the future like a fortune cookie (“you will get respect at work today”) or be a predictor for some event (“a car will hit your mailbox tomorrow”), prophecy is a way that God communicates to his people – either directly or through others, through a community.

The second issue that has brought up the idea of the future is the Book of Revelation. This book by John can appear very confusing, so it is read infrequently. But if Jesus is telling us the Ending, then we better pay attention. We are to live today standing on the hope of the future. But just like the Pharisees who missed the prophecies about Jesus’ first coming, I’m afraid that we too may miss the signs of Jesus’ second coming.

God has given us two ways to know what lies ahead, and we should take hold of them. The gift of prophecy enables people to experience God and his purposes in the near future. And the Book of Revelation gives us explanation about the not so distant future. Today, I’m thinking that we may need to go Back to Future.