Kingdom Come - Let's Go!

 

What is wrong with Escapism?

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a very profound statement in his famous essay "On Fairy-stories":

"I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. ... Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner cannot see it."

Ursula K. Leguin, another prolific and significant science-fiction and fantasy author, wrote her essay The Language of the Night, inspired by Tolkien's thought. In that essay she wrote this eloquent summary statement:

"Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape? ... If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!"

These two quotes speak about something that is built into human experience. The knowledge that things are not as they should be in this life that we live. We wish to escape from this world where evil often appears to thrive and enter a world where good triumphs and love conquer all. It resonates with us on a profound level and we often put great effort into the places we escape to such as sports, fantasy, science-fiction, artistic expression, or crafts. Positive escapism is a wonderful thing. It can be a balm and encouragement in the challenges of life.

If there is a problem with such escapism it is that it does not go far enough. Even our fantasy worlds are shaky at best. This occurs when we are scandalized by athletes who use illegal drugs to amplify their performance, or cheat. It happens when a modern re-boot or film adaptation violates the core elements of our favorite fantasy. The major problem of our escapism is that it aims too low, as is typical of all human endeavors.

A Better Way

Scripture, however, provides a better option for our need for escape, and it is rooted in reality. Bible-believing Christians look forward to the future and know that it involves the Lord's judgment of evil and victory over darkness. The Lord Jesus Christ will rule on this planet - redeeming it and leading it in truth and righteousness. Information of this time is a regular theme in the Bible and a particular theme of Isaiah. Isaiah 35 offers one example:

"The Wilderness and the dry land will be glad;
the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!
Say to those with anxious hearts: 'Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance.
With divine retribution He will come to save you.'

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy.
For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
The parched ground will become a pool,
the thirsty land springs of water
In the haunt where jackals once lay,
there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.

And there will be a highway,
called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel it -
only those who walk in the Way -
and fools will not stray onto it.
No lion will be there,
and no vicious beast will go up on it.
Such will not be found there,
but the redeemed will walk upon it.
So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee."
(Berean Standard Bible)

These and other such passages ignite our imagination. A world where wickedness is punished and the world responds by exploding in productivity, beauty, and fruitfulness. All our dreams of harmony with the earth, and all of the once dangerous and fearful animals become tame and safe. Our fantasy worlds are built on many of these hopes - but there is a difference. This is not fantasy. This is the truth of what is ahead for this world in the literal earthly Kingdom of God ruled by Jesus Christ. It invites us to imagine what life will be like under such amazing conditions. What would we do without fear of sickness, violence, and starvation? How will we occupy our time in such a world where the hardships of our current lives are removed, and all energy can be given to positive, constructive activities that bring glory to God? It is something that is meant to occupy a great deal of our mental bandwidth and it provides tremendous benefits. Allow me to enumerate a few of them.

The Kingdom Beats Depression

It destroys depression. When we begin to feel hopeless, paralyzing sadness and despair are given free reign in our inner world. When we choose to obsess over the bad news, the situations in our lives that cannot be fixed, the conditions that come with aging that mean decreased strength, intelligence, and beauty, it casts a cloud over the entire perspective on life. Dwelling on the Kingdom of Christ provides the answer. All those problems will be solved. All our maladies and sicknesses will be cured forever. We will live eternally in bodies that are suited to eternity. These problems may be truly terrible, but they are temporary problems. God has given us a certain hope for the future - and that hope is meant to be embraced and celebrated in the life of the believer.

The Kingdom Ends Complacency

Another value of dwelling on this hope is the result that we will no longer be tempted to be complacent. If we can obtain a certain amount of comfort, we are often able to shrink our world. Ignoring what is evil, negative, or uncomfortable and deciding to isolate ourselves - pretending like the world of sin and pain doesn't exist insofar as we are able to block it from our attention or experience. This is shallow, self-centered, and cowardly. Dwelling on the Kingdom of God gives us courage to face the fact that this world is not as it is meant to be. We can embrace our part in this world and be the force that the Lord wants us to be.

The Kingdom Brings Fellowship

Occupation with the future Kingdom also provides us with sweet fellowship. It is easy to let conversation submit to the gravity and entropy that leads us to spend time complaining about how things are, how bad they are getting, and how today is worse than yesterday. Solomon warns us against this attitude in Ecclesiastes 7:10:

"Do not say, 'Why were the Old days better than these?'
For it is unwise of you to ask about this."
(Berean Standard Bible)

When we are preoccupied with the Kingdom our conversation takes on a whole new dimension. Observation of wickedness in this world is answered immediately with the promise that there will be a time when wickedness is no more. A conversation about this new world will always encourage, uplift, and edify. What will we do together at that time? How will we spend it together when there is no more bad news to occupy our conversations? We will have amazing conversations about the glory of God, the beauty of creation, and the things that we are able to do together to serve Him. This brings me to my last point.

The Kingdom and Evangelism

We will see this redeemed earth only because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross on our behalf. Fallen humans will only get to participate in it if we place our faith in Jesus for salvation. Preoccupation with the Kingdom of Christ motivates us to share the faith. People in sorrow, sadness, and captive to sin can only know freedom by trusting in Jesus Christ. Just as we enjoy talking about our favorite fantasies with someone else who is invested in the lore of that world and enjoy sharing it with others who may not know it, so our anticipation of the Kingdom encourages us to share the gospel with others.

Do Not Stop Here

I am a great lover of fantasy and science fiction. Escape literature is a delight, and I do not want to discourage anyone from holy discontentment with the world as it is now. However, I loudly encourage all people not to stop there. Find that natural longing fulfilled in the promises of what God has placed unchangeably in the future of our planet. The Bible is clear, and any theology that robs the believer of this real, practical, actual hope is deficient. This world will be difficult, and we will have trials, but there is an escape. Now it is the escape of faithful consideration of what the Lord will do on this earth. The actual escape is also coming and may be as close as our next breath. This is foundational to Christian hope and living the Christian life.