One Hundred Years From Now

Charles and I have a saying that we often use when we are having a difficult day or thinking about an unsettling future.

“One hundred years from now, what difference will it make?”  

Somehow that puts things in perspective. As Christians, we believe in 100 years we will be rejoicing in Heaven, and that our earthly concerns will no longer matter.

A lot of scientists predict that 100 years from now, life on earth will be vastly different.  Some of the predictions are too fantastic to comprehend, while others are more realistic. After all in the early 1900s, it was predicted that we would travel in electric trains and mobile homes and communicate via video chatting.  Others believed, however, it was just a matter of a few decades before mankind would domesticate mutant seahorses and whales for overseas travel.

I put the latest futuristic warning by Stephen Hawking in the same category as supersonic seahorses and whales. Hawking is the Director of Research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. He believes Earth will become uninhabitable because of overpopulation, climate change, disease, and artificial intelligence.  In 2016 he predicted that process would take 1,000 years, but in 2017 he decided we only have 100 years to flee the planet for colonies on the Moon and Mars.  Sorry, Mr. Hawking—I’m not buying it.  I know I’m not a scientist, but wouldn’t all those same issues follow people wherever they lived?  I also believe the sun’s radiation and lack of oxygen would present a few problems, too.

Samsung, the giant electronics company, in its Smart Things Future Living Report made some exciting predictions about life in 100 years. Underwater cities, personal flying drones, 3-D printing of houses, furniture, and gourmet meals will all become a reality by 2117. Yay! No more cooking.

My favorite prediction is from an online report found on Fox News Lifestyle—an exercise pill. Take the pill and get all the benefits of working out without breaking a sweat. If I’m around, I will invest in that stock.

I’m all for progress, but that can’t change the selfish nature of the human heart. One hundred years from now, people will still need a right relationship with God in order to find peace within and without.  Hebrews 13.8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The Bible also tells us that Jesus will one day return to this earth to claim His own. So whether it’s 1000 or 100 years from now, we need to be ready.