Utopia

*Utopia*

"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." Ephesians 1:9-10

Utopia is a fictional land conceived by Thomas More for his Latin novel, *On
the Best State in a Republic*. This near-perfect society was discovered by
a traveler on an island in the Atlantic, and it seemed to possess ideal
social, political, and legal structures. It had few laws and no lawyers.
Instead of fighting wars, it hired mercenaries. Instead of personal
property, everything was held communally. Everyone was free to worship as
they wished, and all appeared happy and whole.

Although it exists only in fiction and in the mind, that hasn't stopped
people from trying to create a state of utopia here on Earth. Ever since
the Garden of Eden, humanity has been looking to return to a form of
utopia. But with Adam and Eve's sin, the curse has blanketed all of
creation. We live in a world blighted by sin, selfishness, death and
destruction, and each year it seems to get worse and worse. "For we know
that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:22-23).

One day the times will reach fulfillment, Christ will return, the spiritual
and physical realms will be merged, the New Earth will appear, the City of
God will descend from heaven, and the dwelling place of God will be with
men. He will be our God and we will be His people. It won't be some
man-made idea of Utopia. It'll be infinitely and eternally better than
that - it will be Heaven! But in order to become a citizen of Heaven, we
must be living under the Lordship and authority of Jesus Christ. He must
be reigning in our hearts and lives, and we must be living as His children
and doing His will here on earth. What is your citizenship?

*In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We
have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and we take solace
whenever it does not. (C.S. Lewis)*